Have you felt completely depleted off the drive to succeed in jiu-jitsu? have you ever felt less energetic while in training. Does training seem to be a bit drab. Or do you literally have to drag yourself to training.

This is what I call the training burnout. Yes. Jiu-Jitsu artists get burned out too. And sometimes it happens more often than not. This usually is a physical reaction to overtraining. If you have been spending more hours than necessary in training, then there is a chance for you to feel bummed off and eventually lose interest.

Here are some tell-tale signs of overtraining;

Lack of ability to concentrate;

Reduced readiness to act, or react to a technique, or counter-reaction;

Irritability;

Increased tendency to abandon struggle;

Diminished endurance;

Increase in recovery time (during rest periods in between training sessions);

Bad posture.

Over-training occurs when the body when stress that comes from training is coupled with stresses in real life such as issues with immediate family, work, money, lifestyle, and relationships. While I agree that Jiu-Jitsu artists have strong minds to contend with these stressing elements, no one is ever impervious from it. And I would like stress the word NO ONE.

Fret not, and panic never. Training burnout usually goes away with a week. Simply the solution is to assess what causes the burnout.

Addressing these issues will even help you get back to training. Here are some things that I do to rid myself of it.

1. I usually watch a feel-good sports film. Something like Coach Carter, or Remembering the Titans. Anything that can inspire me to train and get to the level that I want to be.

2. Nutrition. I do not pig out, but I treat myself to guilty treats once in a while. On the flipside, bad nutrition can also do a number on our hormones. Remember: cortisol is the stress hormone, cortisol is the happy hormone. Savvy?

3. Connect with people whom I feel believes in Jiu-Jitsu as well.

4. Find a training buddy that I can relate to.

5. Take a day or two off training. Break the cycle and do some road work during days of absence in the gym.

As martial artists, we all need to rest. As humans, we all need to break away from the cycle. We can do this by making sure that our minds are kept healthy through proper rest and diversion.

Remember: training burnout is a reality that every athlete faces.

Welcome to the world of Jiu-Jitsu.