BJJ and Injuries

[tsfallbrook2 2]

Hey guys, I joined a jiu jitsu Academy and I’m only six classes in. Really enjoy it, everyone is welcoming and I don’t get the sense that anyone has an ego. On my second class, we were practicing a drill where the person in side control gets a forearm to their throat, with the person on bottom trying to get separation (excuse me for not knowing the technical terms for this). After this class, my throat was pretty sore and I am now five weeks in and it’s still pretty sore. This post is not for medical advice, I’ve already seen a physician and ENT specialist and they told me that I have bruised thyroid cartilage, and it can take 10-12 weeks to heal. It’s been very discouraging because I was only two classes in before an injury, and now I can’t have any pressure to my neck at all. 5 weeks in now from the injury, I can’t even go to the gym and lift weights because any kind of strain in my throat makes it flare up. It was definitely my fault, not my partners, as I’ve now realized I was trying to go too “hard” and resist to way more pressure / force during a drill than I should have. I guess with never doing any kind of grappling, I’m getting used to how much pressure is too much, acceptable, when to back off, etc., if that makes sense.

Has anyone else dealt with one of these injuries? Are injuries like this common in jiu jitsu? How long did it take before you were fully recovered? When you’re motivated to train, but then can’t, it’s very discouraging. Especially when it’s also affecting my ability to lift, play with my toddlers, etc. Appreciate any insight

 

[skribs114 135]

Hey guys, I joined a jiu jitsu Academy and I’m only six classes in. Really enjoy it, everyone is welcoming and I don’t get the sense that anyone has an ego. On my second class, we were practicing a drill where the person in side control gets a forearm to their throat, with the person on bottom trying to get separation (excuse me for not knowing the technical terms for this). After this class, my throat was pretty sore and I am now five weeks in and it’s still pretty sore. This post is not for medical advice, I’ve already seen a physician and ENT specialist and they told me that I have bruised thyroid cartilage, and it can take 10-12 weeks to heal. It’s been very discouraging because I was only two classes in before an injury, and now I can’t have any pressure to my neck at all. 5 weeks in now from the injury, I can’t even go to the gym and lift weights because any kind of strain in my throat makes it flare up. It was definitely my fault, not my partners, as I’ve now realized I was trying to go too “hard” and resist to way more pressure / force during a drill than I should have. I guess with never doing any kind of grappling, I’m getting used to how much pressure is too much, acceptable, when to back off, etc., if that makes sense.

Has anyone else dealt with one of these injuries? Are injuries like this common in jiu jitsu? How long did it take before you were fully recovered? When you’re motivated to train, but then can’t, it’s very discouraging. Especially when it’s also affecting my ability to lift, play with my toddlers, etc. Appreciate any insight

Bumps and bruises are common, and throughout your training you're likely to experience moderate to severe injuries. Most brown belts are held together with duct tape and chicken wire.

With that said, getting an injury that sidelines you for 3 months isn't very common. It could be that you were incredibly unlucky. Or it could be that you need to slow way down.

 

[Simfers115 22]

I've had a sore throat for a couple of days after a particularly vigorous choke session, but five weeks after a single side control escape class I've never seen.

I've got three theories:

1. You had a pre-existing weakness there and just found out the hard way;
2. You got insanely unlucky and happened to apply pressure at the exact right angle in exactly the right spot to hurt; or
3. You were pushing super hard into their forearm, ignoring the pain and the choking sensation, during the drill.

The first two are out of your control, just bad luck. If it's number 3, though? Don't do that.

 

[tsfallbrook2 2]

I've had a sore throat for a couple of days after a particularly vigorous choke session, but five weeks after a single side control escape class I've never seen.

I've got three theories:

1. You had a pre-existing weakness there and just found out the hard way;
2. You got insanely unlucky and happened to apply pressure at the exact right angle in exactly the right spot to hurt; or
3. You were pushing super hard into their forearm, ignoring the pain and the choking sensation, during the drill.

The first two are out of your control, just bad luck. If it's number 3, though? Don't do that.

I think the third theory is probably it. Since I’ve never grappled, wrestled etc., I think I just don’t have any kind of gauge of how much pressure is too much. I liked the physicality of it and I realize now that that was stupid. Hind sight is 2020 I guess.

 

[skribs114 135]

I think the third theory is probably it. Since I’ve never grappled, wrestled etc., I think I just don’t have any kind of gauge of how much pressure is too much. I liked the physicality of it and I realize now that that was stupid. Hind sight is 2020 I guess.

"Ow that hurts" is usually a good starting point. Tap early, tap often.

Or, in some cases, relieve pressure where there's pain, and over time learn the difference between pressure and danger.

 

[Darren2 1]

oh yes! being a white belt you will be choked,smashed,arm barred.put in a neck crank,,and have your arm almost ripped of it fells like, but welcome to the world of rolling,of course have calmed way down now when rolling so it alot better. but prepare to learm how to fight from the ground very fun to do.

 

[Kung Fu Wang115 146]

Has anyone else dealt with one of these injuries?

In wrestling "training" (not competition), when you realize that

- you have lose your balance, don't fight against it. You try to protect your head and fall down as comfortable as you can (you train how to protect yourself).
- your opponent is falling and he extends his arm out; you try to pull his arm back in so his wrist won't get jammed on the hard ground (you train how to protect your training partner).

Since in BJJ, the line between "training" and "competition" is not clear, not sure this kind of "double protection" apply in BJJ or not.

 

[skribs114 135]

- you have lose your balance, don't fight against it. You try to protect your head and fall down as comfortable as you can (you train how to protect yourself).

Sometimes you need to accept something bad in order to prevent something worse. We tap to an armbar to avoid a broken arm. We accept a take-down to avoid a knee injury. If you can go with the technique you accept it. If you can get around the technique that's how you beat it. And if there's nowhere left to go: you tap.

- your opponent is falling and he extends his arm out; you try to pull his arm back in so his wrist won't get jammed on the hard ground (you train how to protect your training partner).

Yup. Had one of these recently, a white belt blasted a double leg on me while I had a guillotine grip. I used the grip to keep her from hitting her head on the mat.

An old Professor of mine once said: if you have an armbar, hold for 3 seconds and let go. If you have a leg lock, hold for 3 seconds and let go. If your opponent doesn't tap, just let go, don't hurt them. But if you have a choke, hold it. They'll just take a nap.

 

[Kung Fu Wang115 146]

a white belt blasted a double leg on me while I had a guillotine grip. I used the grip to keep her from hitting her head on the mat.

When you apply "hip throw" in wrestling training, after you have thrown your opponent over your back, you can hold him up in the air as holding a baby without letting his body to touch the ground. This is not only a good protection on your opponent, but also a good weight training if you can hold up a 180 lb opponent in the air.

When I use "knee seize" on my opponent, I always move my leg pulling hand behind my opponent's head to prevent his head from hitting on the ground. When I do that, my opponent will do the same for me. This way, we both can have safe and comfortable trainintg.

 

[Buka30 5]

It’s been my experience that the more relaxed you are in BJJ the better off you are.

This gets easier the more you train. The first six months most people try too hard, try to muscle their way in and out of things, try to go too fast.

As @ Skribs said, “Tap early, tap often.”

 

[Kung Fu Wang115 146]

This is the problem when "training" and "testing" are mixed into one.

- In training, your opponent will give you that opportunity. Your opponent will not resist when you apply your technique,
- In testing, your opportunity won't give you that opportunity. Your opponent will resist when you apply your technique.

Is there any way that BJJ can separate "training" and "testing" completely? One day, you do "training". Next day, you do "testing".

 

[Tony Dismukes113 9]

Is there any way that BJJ can separate "training" and "testing" completely? One day, you do "training". Next day, you do "testing".

We do both and they are generally separate (although not usually on different days). What you call “training” we call “drilling”. Typically a class will start with the instructor showing a couple of techniques, which the students should drill without resistance. Then come the “testing”, which we call “rolling” or “sparring” or “randori”. This is where you try to counter your partner’s moves.

Any practitioner should be very clear on which they are doing in the moment.

 

[Darren2 1]

"Ow that hurts" is usually a good starting point. Tap early, tap often.

Or, in some cases, relieve pressure where there's pain, and over time learn the difference between pressure and danger.

something my hard headed self had to learn! tap very often and tap very soon!

 

[skribs114 135]

Is there any way that BJJ can separate "training" and "testing" completely? One day, you do "training". Next day, you do "testing".

In BJJ it's more of a spectrum. A typical class will be:

• Drill technique with no resistance, or a little resistance if you're upper-belts and want to develop real reactions.
• Positional sparring where you fight from the position of the technique we were learning, which often stops when that objective is complete. For example, if we drill a scissor sweep from closed guard, we start in closed guard and end when a sweep happens (or the person on top advances position). If position changes, we reset and start again.
• Live rolling where we start from the feet with take-down or guard pull, and then go until submission. If a tap happens, we reset and start again.

Then there's competition, which is where testing really happens.

 

[MadMartigan106 22]

 

[Kung Fu Wang115 146]

In BJJ it's more of a spectrum. A typical class will be:

• Drill technique with no resistance, or a little resistance if you're upper-belts and want to develop real reactions.

If drilling and testing are separate, people get injury in testing are reasonable.

My teacher told me when he was young, in one of his wrestling testing, he found the opportunity was not perfect but he took it anyway. He twisted his ankle badly just by doing that.

In one of my wrestling on the outdoor, my foot was caught on the grass. I turn my body. But my foot was not turned. I took my opponent down. But I broke my ankle. I had cast on my leg for 3 months.

Accident in testing happened in our previous generation. In happens in our generation also. It will happen in the future generation as well.

The only solution is not to be serious about winning a match, but to be serious about preventing yourself from injury.