To get injured is something one should never wish to any opponent on the mats, since we know how hard it is.
We are in a sport where there is so much manipulation of the body and often it is involuntarily. The good thing about BJJ is that you become more flexible, your bones and muscles become stronger but there is a limit for each one of us and when we go over that limit, injuries will happen. There are some injuries which are more serious than others, but when you have to be off the mats for more than 1 month it can be depressing, especially if you were preparing for a competition.
For the time you’re off, there are some things that can help you throughout this difficult period. If you hurt a knee or ankle for example, you can work on your grips, work on your flexibility exercises, you can study videos, read and also set some long term goals for your return. Visiting your BJJ academy and watching the training occasionally, will help a lot.
Returning to jiu jitsu after an injury is a very difficult decision and often an athlete will return too early. Generally a jiu jitsu practitioner will have less pain and figure they are “good enough” and jump back into full training. If an athlete returns too early there is a risk of re-injury or a secondary injury as the athlete alters their movement patterns to protect the initial injury.
In this video, we look at what the UFC performance institute says about when can you return to training after an injury:
Build Your Body For BJJ With This Physical Training Video Set And E-Book
- Join Strength And Conditioning Coach Scott Georgaklis and Travis Stevens As They Show You All Of The Exercises And Activities You Can Use To Train Your Body
- Heal Your Injuries, And Take Your Grappling To New Heights.
