Are You Enhanced?

ARE YOU ENHANCED?

 

In the case of big sporting events, like the Olympics for example, competitors taking drugs to enhance their performance has now become more highlighted over the years and drug testing is now a standard routine in most sporting events, but of course, this is not the case when it comes to practitioners of the martial arts attending, not a competition event, but a normal regular training session.

 

 

Clearly if someone turned up to a training session under the effects of alcohol, for example, and it was more than noticeable then refusing them to take part in the class would be understandable of course but what if they had taken a drug of some kind to help them get through the lesson?

I have known, over the many years of being involved in the martial arts, many people openly say that they could not cope with the demands of a training session without taking a painkiller first, like simple Aspirin for example, on a regular basis and in some cases I have also known people take Cannabis or other drugs of that nature to enhance their performance, or make them more relaxed, during the lesson. This situation therefore raises the question of how can you monitor what a student may have taken to enhance their level of training when it is not outwardly noticeable in the first place.

 

This situation of course is not just limited to the students of the class but also some instructors who find the need to take something, even if it is only a mild painkiller, on a regular basis.

 

This situation is not so much a question of legal or moral standards but more a case of the individual involved, and how they think about themselves, knowing they cannot perform without the need of a stimulant.

 

Of course there will always be some situations where the need to take medical drugs for an illness or injury is vital, and must be taken on a regular basis, but if it is purely taken as a habit to get you through the demands of the lesson then maybe the individual involved should look again at what they are doing.