Things to do While Injured

Safety is important at any Jiu-Jitsu academy.  Training safely ensures students will get the most out of their Jiu-Jitsu experience.  Injuries however do happen and are inevitable in contact sports.  At times, injuries are serious enough to prevent someone from training.  Students can be out for an extensive time depending on the seriousness of the injury.  To keep your skills sharp, here are a couple things to do when off with an injury.

Watch and learn

Watching a technique is not the same as training.  It will however help you absorb more of the technique than doing nothing at all.  It can also be helpful to watch the movement of others and learn what they do right and wrong.  With so many videos of techniques and competition, there will be enough to keep any injured Jiu-Jitsu enthusiast busy.  It also doesn’t hurt to go to class and watch every now and then.

Watch your diet

An injury may prevent you from exercising so you will not be burning the same amount of calories.  Watching your diet will prevent you from getting out of shape while injured.  This will ensure you will return to Jiu-Jitsu in the best possible form and condition.

Exercise that doesn’t aggravate current injury

Sometimes injuries require some rehabilitation.  Depending on the injury, a physical therapist may recommend light weight training and stretches.  Yoga or other forms of less strenuous exercise can also serve as a great way to maintain flexibility.  These exercises can also help with mental health while out with an injury.

Imagine position and technique in your head

Mentally going over a position or technique can be a very effective training tool.  Many Jiu-Jitsu practitioners will do this on a normal basis.  Being able to see the technique play out mentally will allow you to improve your Jiu-Jitsu thought process.  Breaking the technique down mentally will help you understand the technique better.  Imagining a roll can also help you review positions from a new perspective.

What do you do to deal with an injury and Jiu-Jitsu withdrawal? 

By: Patrick Flores

Gracie Barra Chino

Twitter:  patjflores