Anything might help...

Hi All,

I started Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in February 2014 and weighed about 220lbs, by August 2014 I was at my lowest at 188lbs. In September 2014 I sprained my arm during a tournament and have been discouraged about getting back on the mat... I used to train everyday, sometimes twice a day! Now less than one year later I am back at 204lbs and super depressed about it. Could really use some encouragement for that extra kick of motivation if anyone has any kind words...

Replies

  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
    Give yourself time to heal and get back at it. I practice Aikido myself and have been at it for 6 years now. In that time I have dealt with a lot of things including a serious knee injury that happened just two weeks before I was set to test 5th kyu. It put me off the mat for 2 months. I still went to every class and watched carefully. Then I was training at a reduced intensity for another 6 months and it took about a year for my knee to get to full function.

    At that my knees are fragile and I have to modify a lot of techniques to suite my reduced mobility. I also have a whole area of techniques that I can't practice at all. In fact trying to do one a few months ago, in a moment of over confidence I managed to re-injure the knee and set myself back a few weeks. Luckily the injury was less severe than the original meniscus tear.

    I am currently preparing for my shodan exam and my teachers and I are extremely careful of my knees because the last thing we need is me getting another injury right before the big day. Even with having to be careful I train 3 nights a week of regular training for 2 hours each plus 1-2 days of additional workouts with my teachers which can be 1-3 hours over the course of the day.

    I weigh more than you, have asthma and joint pain and lots of psychological issues. If I can do it, you can do it.

    There is no quitting. So you had a setback. Big deal. That's life. Get back on the mat and get to work. :)
  • paradog
    paradog Posts: 378 Member
    I'm not a martial artist but feel your pain. A few years ago I was about to go sub 200 and compete in a Tough Mudder. Enter the foot, shoulder and back injuries that would arrive since. I have no more foot issues but running is out. My shoulder has been under the knife 2 times in 3 years. My neck and back are a mess from military service and poor posture. But I'm back to make this work, because in the end it must happen or else it will only get worse. Beating yourself up won't improve the issue. You are human and you can change. One step and one day. Have a great day!
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    My son did it for years and loved it. He started at 2 yrs old and went four days a week and tournaments on weekends for years. I just pulled him out recently. So he's likely feeling the same way you do right now. He really liked going. (He's a large boy for his age. He's 5'3 and 116 lbs but ten years old so we where having issues with the competitions. Here they go by a weight group to make it fair for the kids.So because he's so much bigger, his weight class was with 16/18 yr olds, but tenyears old. So that was a problem. )
    anyway I think finding something else that you might like will help. Even though your healing now, you can still go back to it once your completely healed. Until then, could you look for something else that you might enjoy that won't interfere with your recovery? your kinda limited with your exercise right now, I would pay close attention to your calorie intake. Be sure to weigh and measure everything you consume. Log it accurately on here and you should be fine.