If you’ve been to the mountain top.

If you’ve heard the roar of the crowd.

If you’ve heard the roar of the jet engine as you started your trip back home (and quite honestly, one roar is like dope and the other very sobering)

If you’ve ever tilted the seat back, ordered a cocktail, started crying and asked yourself, “What in the hell are we gonna do now?”

If you’ve ever experience this… then you know what it feels like to be injured.

Well take it from me.

No matter if you are going to the Olympics, trying out for the Olympics, the NFL, the NHL, Abu Dhabi, the UFC, Bellator, The Ultimate Fighter, your local pop warner team, or your high school wrestling team, you will “fall from grace” sooner or later. And, when that happens you are going to need some sound advice and a good kick in the seat of the pants to get you going…. or just a change in perspective.

Although injuries are not wanted… the fact of the matter is that they bring an enormous amount of clarity and focus.

And if you CHOOSE to look at them the right way, then you know that you can actually improve in some different ways. And you get to understand how you can achieve strength when in a moment of weakness. There’s a reason why the scriptures speaks of us being a strong when we are weak. Because it is in those times when you get to find out exactly how strong you are. One of the worst injuries that I ever suffered was the rupturing of my Lateral Collateral Ligament in my left knee. This injury occurred in 2003, 9 months out from the Olympic Trials. The rehabilitation process for this injury is 9 to 12 months. This injury is a lot more severe than an ACL knee injury that we are all very familiar with.

This injury is the worst of all the knee ligament injuries. I injured myself in a judo match while attempting a flying armbar. When I hit the ground I heard a loud “Pop”!!

I didn’t scream.

I just stood up and looked at my coach and I said, “I think I just blew out my knee.”

At which point, he put his head in his hands. I tried to walk back to the line and continue fighting, but every time I put weight on my leg, my leg just buckled. I gathered up my belongings, took a cab back to the hotel and laid down in the bed and started crying.

You have to make up your mind that you will:

– Never miss a rehab session

– Ice when you are supposed to ice

– rest when you are supposed to rest

– take your supplements on time

– make all of your Doctor’s appointments

– make ALL of your physical therapy appointments

– Stick to your diet strictly (give your body the opportunity to concentrate on your injury, not process junk food)

– Do WHATEVER IT TAKES to become the best

But I was able to identify my strengths through my weaknesses and for that…….

I AM GRATEFUL.

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My gift for today

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Also today I would like to give you my free dummy training program. If there’s one thing that has really enhanced the technical development of some of the students in my dojo it is this. They have really improve greatly and one of the major reasons why is because they are doing the reps without being distracted. So today I want to give you access to the same things that they have access to. —> Here’s the link to my FREE dummy training program https://drrhadiferguson.lpages.co/dummy-newaza-training-program/

I love you but God loves you best.

Rhadi