Presented by Pacific Coast Injury Group Member, Personal Injury Care Provider and Martial Arts Expert Dr. Jerry Wolfe.
I had the recent pleasure and pain of being able to attend a seven and one half day training/testing for Master level black belt advancement in Soo Bahk Do. This martial art is of Korean origin with a Chinese influence. It is a classical style of hard and soft echniques known for striking (punching and especially kicking), as well as pain compliance self-defense techniques, weapons defense, and forms.
The testing/training is only offered in one location each year in the United States. We, in California, were fortunate to have Ramona, California picked as the location this year as participants came from all over the country. The week of training is hard with an early daily start about 6:15 am and training to late in the night on most nights. The latest night was about 1:30 am with the same 6:15 am start the same morning. Needless to say proper conditioning and physical prowess is essential for completion of this arduous training program.
Participants needed to move with sureness of position, full range of motion, and power while maintaining proper posture and stance over prolonged periods of time. To accomplish these goals all martial artists needed to have proper alignment and movement of their bodies. This means having proper spinal joint position and movement as well as muscle balance. With fatigue and errors in movement during the learning curve, as well as bunk beds and little time in them, many of us were taxed to our physical and mental limits. Muscles were tight and sore and joints felt stiff and out of place (because they were stiff and out of place). It got difficult or nearly impossible to move for some of us. This was a serious issue for all of us. We had to test and show proper technique, considering the level of commitment and training to get to the test.
This is where proper Chiropractic care came to the rescue for many of the martial art testing candidates. I had the opportunity to help those in my 4th degree testing group as well as those in 5th, 6th, and even 7th degree testing. We had very little time between training sessions so I had to do as much work in a brief period of time as possible. A full history and examination was not possible in that setting like I conduct in my chiropractic office. I would quickly question anyone for relevant history before I treated them. Knowing that to make it to this level of testing/training all participants had to be in top physical condition helped assure me it was safe to manipulate their joints without a thorough physical examination which is mandatory back in my Mira Mar office. A few adjustments and some muscle work went a long way towards restoring the movement ability of those I worked on.
There were many who credited the chiropractic care they received for making the 
difference in their abilities to complete the test to the level that they aspired. The gratitude expressed by those I helped was payment enough for me. I was especially happy to have one of my colleagues there to adjust me. Master Rick Wilcox, D.C. from Maui attended the week and with chiropractic adjustments helped get me through it too.
Jerry Wolfe, D.C. Chiropractic and Massage Healing Arts
Personal Injury Care on Lien – Serving Mira Mar and Scripps Ranch
9265 Activity Rd. #111
San Diego, CA 92126
(858) 578 5775
Thanks for sharing. What a pelasrue to read!