So What Can you do?
For a start coaches need to take this more seriously. Fight Teams
revel in the fact that there training is full of carnage but we are
dealing with brain injury here and that fact should be respected.
Coaches need to be watching for the signs and symptoms outlined
above. They also have to be aware of the fact that fighters are stupid
as shit and lie all the time.
Coach: you ok?
Fighter: Im fine coach
Coach: are you sure.
Fighter: Im fine I just slipped let me finish the round.
Coach: You know you have been out for 10 minutes?
Fighter: uhm…….no is wasnt!
It is up to the coach to outline the importance of concussion
management, they must emphasise that a concussion means that you are
injured and not just hurt.
Athletes also need to be on the look out for each other. If one of
your team mates cant remember your name or his own name you might want
to bring it to the attention of someone in charge.
Sparring
No matter what you think for the most part professional fight teams do not encourage their fighters to kill each other. Our policy is to never go beyond 80% even in the depths of a fight camp.
Beyond 80% intensity you are
- more likely to hurt a training partner
- more likely to get hurt
- more likely to gas out
- more likely to be shit.
This goes with fights as well when you try to hit a guy as hard as
you can you tense up, get slow and burn yourself out. Our corner teams
have a number of phrases and strategies for keeping our fighters from
spazzing out “think about hitting fast not hard” etc. This 80% value
keeps you safe and sharp and gives you a safe way to prepare
relistically for competition.
Outwith fight camps, I like to keep the majority of sparring light
(sort of) and technical. Our Thai team has had great results with their
“kick sparring” drills, this involves dicking around with new
techniques and strategies versus kicks. The coaches outline this is a
technical drill in the spirit of mutually improvement and it has been
paying of in competition.
So what to do when a Concussion occurs?
Once a concussion is diagnosed by a medical professional the best
form of recovery is rest. The symptoms tend to disappear with time. One
of the golden rules is do not let some one who is still experiencing
symptoms to return to training.
Robert Cantu, MD, chief of neurosurgery service, chairman of the
department of surgery, and director of sports medicine service at
Emerson Hospital in Concord, MA, who has been a pioneer in developing
concussion grading criteria and return-to-play guidelines following
concussion.
Cantu states that athletes with mild (no LOC; post-traumatic amnesia
(PTA) or symptoms lasting less than 30 minutes) or moderate (LOC less
than one minute, PTA or symptoms between 30 minutes and 24 hours)
first-episode concussions be asymptomatic for one week before returning
to play. Those with severe concussions (LOC of more than one minute or
PTA for more than 24 hours; symptoms lasting longer than seven days)
should wait at least one month before returning to play, according to
Cantu, and then only if they have been asymptomatic for one week.
Cantu’s guidelines are stricter for repeat concussions, recommending
termination of the season following a second severe concussion or a
third mild or moderate concussion.
To find out more on this check out http://www.chrisnowinski.com/
This has been some heavy shit thanks for tagging along.
