Calluses Verses Blisters

This weekend, Nate was in a Business Case Competition in Calgary and I had the privilege of being able to see their presentations.  The head speaker made a comment that you work hard to create calluses that are sustainable instead of blisters which are painful and can deter you.  Each kid participating in the competition gained a layer of skin to add to their calluses. Hearing this, I immediately thought of my current year in Kung Fu and the I Ho Chuan.

What is a blister and how does it form?  It's your bodies way of protecting itself when undue stress or friction is applied.  It is a pocket of fluid that is meant to buffer the stress or friction from your body.  Eventually, if you do not remove the stress or friction the blister will break, leaving a raw and open sore that is painful and if left untreated, can become infected and cause serious issues.  So how does this relate to Kung Fu and our normal lives?  Doing activities that cause great pain and stress will make the activity unsustainable and can even cause temporary or permanent damage.  This does not make the activity enjoyable and can make you want to quit.  As I look back, I see personal examples when I was training for my 10K run and wanted to skip a few weeks to get ahead.  Or when I tried to do the entire grading day excercises on my first attempt and could not get through the first third.  At work, I was finding myself working 3-4 hours at home just to stay caught up.  This is only a couple examples of many times this has occurred this year and the years prior.

What is a calluse and how does that form?  A calluse is a layer of hardened skin that occurs after periods of hard work.  This hard skin allows for increased stress or friction to occur without damaging the underlying tissues.  It builds up over time and allows you to do more and more each time.  I compare this to when I had to go back a week on my running program to regroup and then continue on.  For the black belt grading, I am timing how long it takes to do 30 kicks and then I will increase my numbers in a few months.  For work, it is now a balance of delegation, prioritization, and clear communication with senior management.  This blisters verses calluses analogy was just another way to make me be more aware of what I am doing and how I am getting there.

So now I ask you, is your approach to training or work or life causing you blisters?  If you answer yes, figure out what you need to modify so you can create calluses and sustainability instead.  If you need help, never hesitate to reach out.

See you on the mats!