I have been in TKD and Martial arts for over 40 years. I have a master rank in TKD. I also have a traumatic brain injury. This happens very seldom but the head gear in any sport does not protect you from concussion as the violent movement of the head causes the injury. I learned a long time ago to move my head away from a punch or kick. this minimizes the impact if you get hit. I do this automatically. especially in sparing or fighting. I got hurt in one step sparing where you punch and then stand still while the other person does moves. we were wearing head gear and the other black belt, the husband of the studio owner, for some reason decided to do full power hook kicks to my head while i was standing perfectly sill after punching in the air .. i just stood there and was practically knocked off my feet 5 times. I thought the head gear protected me. but concussion is the head snapping and the brain slamming into the skull. So i did something stupid and will pay for it the rest of my life. the blood seeped into my inner ear which caused inflammation and scaring which destroyed the nerves in the balance system on my left side. and 3 days later everything spun for 6 weeks while my brain learned to compensate. I have headaches and bouts with vertigo that will never go away. I continue training but I learned to say NO at the right times. I still fight in tournaments on occasion though i am getting old. You can get the same injury walking across the street and slipping on a banana peel, riding a bike or skate board, surfing, driving your car..... You've got to live and accept a certain amount of risk in life. but be smart about it and protect yourself. I should have protected my self and stopped him after the fist kick. I doubt he has any idea what he did. I have had to learn forgiveness. for me TKD and other martial arts are not about beating up people, self defense, or winning sparing. It is about the Chi and learning what is important in life. Helping others succeed in things in things they thought they never could do. I am also a black belt in several other styles. Believe it or not, if you want to dramatically increase your speed in tkd or Karate, take tai Chee. These arts came from meditation originally. It is the melding of mind, spirit, and body that gives you the speed and power and control. That is the secret the masters of old taught and we have forgot. Good Luck! chuck

I have been in TKD and Martial arts for over 40 years. I have a master rank in TKD. I also have a traumatic brain injury.

This happens very seldom but the head gear in any sport does not protect you from concussion as the violent movement of the head causes the injury. I learned a long time ago to move my head away from a punch or kick. This minimizes the impact if you get hit. I do this automatically especially in sparing or fighting. I got hurt in one step sparring where you punch and then stand still while the other person does a move. We were wearing head gear and the other black belt, the husband of the studio owner, for some reason decided to do full power hook kicks to my head while I was standing perfectly still after punching the air.

I just stood there and was practically knocked off my feet 5 times. I thought the head gear protected me, but concussion is the head snapping and the brain slamming into the skull. So I did something stupid and will pay for it the rest of my life. The blood seeped into my inner ear which caused inflammation and scaring which destroyed the nerves in the balance system on my left side. 3 days later everything spun, and for 6 weeks while my brain learned to compensate. I have headaches and bouts with vertigo that will never go away.

I continue training but I learned to say NO at the right times. I still fight in tournaments on occasion though i am getting old. You can get the same injury walking across the street and slipping on a banana peel, riding a bike, or skateboarding, surfing, driving your car, etc.. You've got to live and accept a certain amount of risk in life, but be smart about it and protect yourself. I should have protected my self and stopped him after the fist kick. I doubt he has any idea what he did. I have had to learn forgiveness.

For me TKD and other martial arts are not about beating up people, self defense, or winning sparing. It is about the Chi and learning what is important in life. Helping others succeed in things in things they thought they never could do. I am also a black belt in several other styles. Believe it or not, if you want to dramatically increase your speed in TKD or Karate, take tai chi. These arts came from meditation originally. It is the melding of mind, spirit, and body that gives you the speed and power and control. That is the secret the masters of old taught and we have forgot.