The first time people get hit in the martial arts is a shocking experience.

They're not used to being pummeled by veritable strangers, some of whom outweigh them by dozens of pounds. Although a few trainees had bullying brothers and sisters, the most they ever did was pin their shoulders and tickle them until they cried.

To succeed, in an out of the dojo, martial artists have to overcome the shock of being hit, kicked, and bruised.

Just because you're in pain, you can't call a time out in a real world fight. Civility flies out the window with the first move.

So, how do you deal with pain, if you can't summon a battlefield medic?

You learn to push it out, also known as repelling.

This is an exercise in instantaneous visualization. When you're hit hard, you see the pain being pushed back in the direction of the kick or strike from which it came.

I just did this in my garden. Walking toward the driveway to retrieve my cell phone from the car, I stumbled in the darkness, in bare feet, over an elevated sprinkler head.

Recovering my balance, I felt searing pain running up the underside of my foot from toe to heel. Instead of giving into the pain, I pushed it out, with a grunt.

Right away, that put me back in charge of the situation. I got my phone, came back into the house, and ignored my foot while my computer booted up. Then, I took the first look at the physical damage done.

I have a small cut and nothing more. What I don't know is if I avoided greater damage by repellin

g. I believe, having been injured lots of times in martial arts, that I minimized the harm.

The next time you stub your toe, walk into a doorway, or do something that causes pain, try to push it out right away.

I think you'll find it's worth your effort!

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