Things I Want You to Know Before You Regret It | Before You Regret... | Water Polo Note

By thinking about the problems I had been struggling with for years without finding an answer from multiple perspectives, I was finally able to find the answer. It was an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of continuing to learn.

This time, I would like to talk about injuries, which many athletes experience.

Injuries in Water Polo 🤕

Water polo is often called a combat sport in the water, but injuries do occur. This is because the body is submerged, and many contact plays happen out of sight.
Particularly common injuries include bruises, fractures, and lacerations caused by contact. Also, impingement, often called baseball shoulder, as well as chronic pain in the lower back and knees, are prone to occur.
Actually, I have also experienced fractures. One was a rib fracture caused by an opponent's knee, and the other was an oblique fracture of the back of my hand due to contact. Ribs heal in about three weeks, but the oblique fracture required six months of treatment. As a sequela, my ring finger has become shorter.

The Troublesome Chronic Nature of Pain

Bruises, fractures, and lacerations from body contact are very painful, but they can recover by setting a treatment period and performing appropriate procedures. However, in my experience, the most troublesome injury is chronic pain.
In my case, it was my shoulder. When I reached my second season after advancing to school in the U.S., I felt something wrong with my shoulder. It was usually fine, but intense pain would strike after practice or games. It would recover with icing and rest, but the pain would start again after the next practice or game.
Thinking that "injuries are part of being an athlete, and I have to endure it," I significantly dropped my performance. I couldn't throw powerful shots, and it started to affect my swimming. Mistaking it for just muscle pain or lack of practice, I overworked my shoulder even more and went ahead with strength training without any knowledge.
As a result, this chronic shoulder pain continued until I interrupted my overseas challenge due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the long off-period, I focused on full-scale treatment, reviewing my training, and improving flexibility, so the pain is now gone and my performance has returned.

How to Face Injuries

1. Discomfort is an SOS signal from your body
Do not dismiss pain or discomfort as "just in your head," and tell your coach or trainer honestly. Early detection and early treatment are the most important steps to prevent injuries from worsening.

2. Seek a specialist's diagnosis
If discomfort persists, easy self-judgment is dangerous. Visit a specialized clinic such as an orthopedic surgeon to clarify the appropriate treatment method.

3. Improvement of flexibility and body care
Proper stretching expands the range of motion of muscles and joints and reduces the risk of injury. In particular, increasing the flexibility around the shoulders leads to the prevention of impingement and the like.

What Can Be Learned from This Lesson

It is a bad habit of mine since I was little to be afraid of disappointing others and not be able to speak honestly about my condition. However, as a result, I lowered my own performance. And I learned that a decline in performance causes trouble for the team.
Even if you play while hiding an injury, you cannot bring anything to the team. I learned that recovering quickly and playing in a 100% state is more beneficial for both the athlete and the team.
To play water polo for a long time, you must face your own body and take care of it. If you neglect that, you will lose your dreams and goals.

Injuries in Water Polo 🤕

Water polo is often called "combat in the water"—and with good reason. Because most of the body is submerged, there are countless contact plays happening where no one can see. This makes injuries, unfortunately, a regular part of the sport.
The most common injuries include bruises, fractures, and cuts from physical contact. Overuse injuries like shoulder impingement (also known as “baseball shoulder”), lower back pain, and knee issues are also common.
I’ve had my share of injuries. Once, I fractured a rib after getting kneed by an opponent. Another time, I suffered an oblique fracture in my hand due to contact during play. The rib healed in about three weeks, but the hand fracture took six months—and left me with a permanently shortened ring finger.

The Challenge of Chronic Pain

While acute injuries like fractures and cuts can be painful, they generally heal with time and proper care. In my experience, though, chronic pain is the most difficult to deal with.
For me, it was my shoulder. During my second season after moving to the U.S., I began to feel something off in my shoulder. It felt fine most of the time, but after practices or games, a sharp pain would kick in. Ice and rest helped temporarily, but the pain always returned.
I believed that injuries were part of being an athlete, and I convinced myself to push through. But that led to a steep drop in performance—I couldn’t shoot with the same power, and even my swimming was affected. I thought I was just sore or out of shape, so I kept training hard and lifting weights without understanding what was really going on.
That shoulder pain haunted me until the COVID-19 pandemic forced a break in my overseas journey. During that unexpected time off, I focused on proper treatment, revised my training, and improved my flexibility. Only then did the pain finally go away, and my performance returned.

How to Approach Injuries

1. Listen to your body. Pain is a signal.
Don’t ignore pain or discomfort, and never assume it’s “just in your head.” Be honest with your coaches and trainers. Early detection and treatment are the best ways to prevent serious injury.

2. See a specialist.
If the pain persists, don’t try to self-diagnose. Visit an orthopedic specialist or sports clinic to get an accurate diagnosis and the right treatment.

3. Prioritize flexibility and body care.
Stretching improves joint mobility and reduces injury risk. In particular, increasing shoulder flexibility helps prevent conditions like impingement syndrome.

What I Learned

I used to hide my injuries because I was afraid of letting others down. But that only led to a drop in my performance—and in the end, it affected my team more than just being honest would have.
Playing through pain without saying anything doesn’t help anyone. The best thing a player can do for their team is to recover properly and return at 100%. That’s what truly benefits both the athlete and the team.
To keep playing water polo—or any sport—for a long time, you must take care of your body. If you ignore it, you risk losing both your dreams and your goals.