Any advice from self defense/martial arts/boxing people on training my core to be able to protect my lap band against a gut punch or kick?

I work my abs 3 times a week at the weight room with the rest of my lifting program, and still have plenty of insulation around there. I am 10 months out of surgery, and maybe have one fill to go.

Not that I am picking fights, or jumping into things. I'd just prefer the knowledge. Being big before surgery meant hits in those areas did not cause any problems. I am avoiding contact sparring and stuff like that as much as possible.

Better yet, any defensive techniques to defer or block blows to the area?

Go to a boxing gym or HIT gym or an ultimate fighting gym and ask them. They can give you all sorts of effective tips and blocks. Just make sure to tell them that you have something in you so they don't try to train you without knowing that.

The most basic step is to learn to tighten your entire core and bend forward a bit, it will soften the blow to the internal organs because your muscle will take the hit and the bending forward a bit allows your muscle to become more compacted in that area. Should anyone actually try to punch or kick you in the abdomen, the more you can bend the better, it's basically like forming a pocket for the impact.

If someone tries to punch you there the fastest way to disable them is to break their arm. Let's say someone is using their right arm to punch you in the gut, you take your left hand and put it down over their hand and grab it, and put your right hand behind their elbow and pull on both really hard. You'll snap their elbow and could break their wrist as well.

For a leg, turn toward the kick, put your arms down like you're catching a log being thrown at you, and grab their leg and flip them back. That will likely break their hip while completely deflecting the blow. You can also attempt to break their knee by grabbing their leg with your arm (on the side they are kicking you) and by jamming your other arm down on their knee.

I asked my surgeon about the port in these situations, given that I did karate and wrestling and can't wait to go back to them... He seemed to think it would all be fine, and I he chose the type of band based on which port had a lower profile with the contact sports in mind. He has said that if I lose all my abdominal padding () that he can revise the port's location in the future.

Does anyone have any new advice or experience with Martial Arts training with a LapBand?

My wife is suggesting that we get into martial arts as a family exercise option. (Once I’m all healed up.) She was a Black Belt in Taekwondo back in high school & I did some Ninjutsu training in HS as well.

I’m concerned about the possibility of damaging the port from a well placed powerful punch/kick/elbow/knee crushing/cracking the plastic or tearing the sewn in port stitches.

Thanks,

Matt