[DracoTarot]

@DoctorEldritch I did some research and Elon has experience in fighting. I was mistaken when I said he had none. Apparently, Elon has trained in Kyokushin karate, taekwondo, judo and 'Brazilian jiu-jitsu briefly' throughout his life, he revealed on Joe Rogan's podcast, and he has also shared a photo of himself fighting a sumo wrestler in the past.

it seems it's going to be one hell of a fight if it happens. My money is still on Elon. 😂

[DoctorEldritch]

@DracoTarot The more they are matched when it comes to combat ability, the better it would be, I'd say. Though that's a lot of different martial arts to try, almost seems like he did not like or could not do so well in the first ones he tried and moved on to something else. Though in truth I have no idea how people choose what martial art suits them best. @Saka, did you try other martial arts before settling on kendo, or was it kendo only from the start for you?

[Saka]

@DoctorEldritch Just kendo. I was interested in trying judo as a kid but the ableist trainer didn't want to take me in because of the hearing loss.

At least in kendo very few people had a problem with that and nobody said so openly.

[DoctorEldritch]

@Saka Interesting. I only ever did an hour of karate in my life myself, and I did not choose to do that, my parents insisted I try. I was actually against it, and it took me an hour to find out that I do not have it in me to have my personal space physically invaded on a regular basis, so that was it.

From that tango Aikido video I sent you I learned that Aikido has that "slap" element where you hit the floor loudly to signal to your opponent or judge, so if judo has something similar, I can see how hearing loss may deter trainers from taking you on, unfortunate though it is. Good that Kendo is more flexible. Did you ever want to try other martial arts besides these two, though?

[Saka]

@DoctorEldritch Yeah, you do throw yourself on the floor in judo. My spouse once trained it, he actually wanted to return, but ended up doing kendo with me. It would've been impossible to manage the schedule with us training on different days (and a single car). He says he doesn't really regret it, the kendo group is more tightly knit.

When I did aikido at the university the sensei had no issues with my hearing aids. My balance was functioning just fine back then and the argumentation was that on tatami it was not likely that anything more serious would happen that wouldn't happen to my fully-able bodied peers.

Some people with cochlear implants still do contact sports, but it's kinda vital to use head protection to minimize accidents. In kendo usually the armor is enough, it's important that the helmet is an exact fit and offers enough protection. I have a very expensive one.

Though accidents still happen. Right now I am training without armor and not doing sparring parts, because I have some issues with the head. People were told not to hit me in the head, but then a distracted teenager happened and I got my implant bonked. It's not fun at all. It happened a few days ago and there's still swelling all over my head and the pressure on my temple from the swelling is giving me a perma trigeminal migraine. I hope it heals soon, at least it seems stable as in is not getting worse since Saturday and some of it went down by now. Ugh.

[DoctorEldritch]

@Saka I never tried judo myself, but I had a friend back in uni who was quite good at that, she even won some championships. Though I remember her telling me that you need to have a lot of mass to do judo well, because it helps with momentum and stops the opponent from easily throwing you around while helping you to throw them instead, so it is not a sport you should do if you want to be very thin. Not sumo-level mass, of course, but still. 😅 Not sure if it's true, but this is the info I got.

You know, it is interesting that the judo trainer had an issue with hearing loss and aikido/kendo did not, because in Deaflympics there are medals for judo, karate and taekwondo. So these martial arts have methods developed and training in p[place to involve deaf athletes even at high competition level. Not sure why Aikido is not there (maybe not widespread enough) but goes to show that judo can and is accessible with a hearing loss.

But yeah, accidents happen (me falling down from the ladder recently case and point). That issue with a bonked implant sounds bad, hope you recover soon. Can you try an ice compress to help with the swelling or is it not allowed with this sort of injury? I hope the teenager was sorry at least.

[Saka]

@DoctorEldritch The teenager was not sorry, but it happens with kinds like that. *Grumbles*

I have a reusable gel pack and used it generously in the first couple of days. Now it's too late to affect the swelling much, the liquids inside just have to absorb. It does take forever on the head.

Regarding the mass, I am definitely not very thin. I have rather strong build with a lot of muscle. Momentum is needed in kendo as well and some techniques require using your body to push. Or not let your opponent push you around.

[DracoTarot]

@DoctorEldritch The closest I get to a fight is in the evenings with my pillow. The damn thing doesn't want to cooperate. 😂

[DoctorEldritch]

@DracoTarot I had the same problem. I am sorry to say but in my experience, your relationship is going nowhere and there is nothing to save anymore. As much as it hurts, I'd say count your losses and call it quits. It will hurt for a while after this kind of breakup, of course, but it is for the best. And when you're ready you can get out there and find yourself a new pillow, the one that will cherish your comfort more.

[DoctorEldritch]

@Saka Ah, teenagers. Though we've all been that age ourselves, so I am inclined to cut them some slack, but only to a certain (and, I admit, rather small) degree.

In that case, maybe try to include more anti-inflammatory foods in your diet? Fish, avocadoes, cacao, that sort of thing? May not help by much, but at least with cacao you'll feel better regardless, maybe? And lots of it will help the mass, too 😅