Overcoming a Major Injury

by Natalie Adamson
(Cypress, TX)

Dear Coaching Staff,

Good afternoon! I will ask my question first and then explain after that. My question is...How do you get someone to overcome their fear of getting back into the cage after a major injury?

Ryan has not set foot in an MMA gym since the day his injury occurred. While in the Air Force, he also fought MMA and in his 14th fight he was hit with a knee to the face while he was down on his own knee. It was almost exactly the same position that Koscheck was in at his last fight that resulted in a disqualification. Only Ryan caught a knee straight to his nose, was helicoptered to the hospital, and spent a few days there. Once the doctor told him there was a chance he would be in a wheelchair if he ever took another hit like that again...that was it. He quit the very next day. That was almost two years ago.

Now, some may think I'm crazy for pushing him to go back to this sport (and maybe I am), but they don't see what I see. This guy is a born fighter, period. He has a wrestling and BJJ backgrond. He has heavy/sharp elbows, fists, and knees, and he has a passion and a light in his eye when you even mention the word "fight." With every fight we watch I see that light in his eye come back, but also the sadness/fear of not doing something that he absolutely loves to do.

It has taken me a year of pushing, but if he won't take the next step, then I will. There is no doubt in my mind that if he stepped foot in one of your gyms, that he would train to be the very best just as he did before. He simply will not settle for anything less. So, back to my question...How do you get someone to overcome their fear of getting back in the cage after a major injury?

I truly appreciate all of your time and apologize if I was too wordy. It's just hard to watch someone you love let each day go by without taking the step to overcome his fear of doing what he loves the most. Any advice would be helpful, and if you would like to speak to him for a few minutes face to face, I can assure you he is worth talking to. Again, thank you so much for your time.

God bless,
Natalie



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Hi Natalie. Thanks for the excellent question. Overcoming an injury is something that is challenging both physically and emotionally. This is actually an area that I have some personal experience with. About 4 years ago I was diagnosed with a 1 centimeter herniated disc in my lower back. The excruciating pain completely changed the way I could train and forced me to stop competing for over 2 years and I still have pain from time to time. Although I have returned to competition, getting past the fear of injury as well as the fear of not being able to perform well due to being away from the game so long was not easy to overcome.

The bottom line is, the individual has to make the decision to return. If Ryan truly has no desire to return to competition then that's his decision and he has the right to make it. But if, deep down, he wants to return, but just won't because of the fear associated with the previous injury, then I think he should face his fear head on.

Ask him to take a good, long look into his future, I mean really visualize and imagine what his life will be like and how he will feel on a day to day basis. If he believes he will regret not knowing what he could have accomplished by overcoming his fears, then he owes it to himself to face his fears. Long term regret is more permanent than almost any injury.

Also, he should return to training on a gradual basis. Jumping right back into the cage might be too overwhelming and he may not stay. However, some Jiu-Jitsu and light kickboxing (just for fun and with no expectations) will be a much easier transition. This way he can regain his confidence one step at a time. As he increases his confidence so will he increase his fire for what he truly loves. Little steps add up big time. I hope this helps you out and I wish you and Ryan nothing but the best. If there is anything else I can do to help please let me know.

Professor Travis Tooke