Cain Velasquez Quotes

I wish there was a season where I was playing and didn't have no aches, no pains, no bruises, no nothing.

Every dancer has injuries, and your injury could happen that season that you were getting that one part that you've wanted to do your whole career. So you have to appreciate every single moment until it happens.

I never had a serious injury that kept me out of a big competition. Now everyone has injuries - to their feet or their knees or their backs.

Dancing is hard on all bodies, but I particularly kept getting injured.

Sometimes if you kick too much, it can work in a negative direction. If you get tired or sore, you might develop some bad habits.

My body had given up on me at one point. And as many injuries as I've had over the years, I truly believed that my body needed to rest and not be on the grind like it's been for the last 15 years.

When I was getting injured so much, I spoke to my family and my manager and said, 'I need my body to recover.' The first thing I thought was that I needed to stay upright. When I went back to Brazil to play, after a few months, my body was perfect.

I don't even remember how many times I've sprained my ankle. I've had stress fractures galore and torn my PCL. You just take a little time off if you have the time, and if not, you keep training until you can take the time off.

Doing that hunt scene was really quite demanding. I actually broke a rib during that scene. And then all the scenes after that became quite challenging, just breathing and laughing.

I wish I could have won a lot more tournaments, but I got injured every time I played well.

I've had a couple of years where injuries have not let me develop in the way I wanted. When I was 21, after the European Championship, I had more injuries. Everything has been less continuous and it has cost me more progress. Continuity is what got me where I am.

Sometimes, it's just unfortunate you get injured in the game. But you can definitely take strides to prevent those things.

It's so uncommon for athletes to push themselves the way they do and not have injuries as a result.

I'm not saying I'm never going to get injured again; that's just impossible.

People probably don't realise, but you often train harder when you're injured than when you're fit.

I have felt in my head that I would like to play, but then you listen to your body and accept it might be better that you do not play every game immediately after an injury.

If I have got an injury, I have got an injury. Whenever I want to play for Nigeria, I must be 100 percent, I want to give everything. But if I have got an injury, I don't want to force myself, because I am going to look stupid on the pitch.

Not every time someone gets hit these days with a kick, they don't necessarily take a flat-back. Maybe less flat-backs add time to a career, but if they miss some of it, it just seems like you're done.

I think that's one of the things I've learned through my injuries is that I need to play smarter.

For every 100 times you can nail a big move, it's that 101st time where you over-rotate and it can end your career.

I mean, I don't really remember playing a full season ever being 100 percent.

I've picked up a lot of injuries, and there's been games when I've looked back and watched and thought, 'I could have done this better,' 'I could have done that better.'

How can you train if you're constantly worried about getting injured?

I just feel like I try to get out of each game healthy.

I've put myself in the best possible positions through my daily training and my recovery processes and my offseason regimen and preparation. I break down when I have these freak injuries happen, when the hard work is basically thrown out.