Chances are if you came across this article you might have suffered some type of injury training Jiu Jitsu , MMA or even Muay Thai boxing, this article can be used across many types of physical training and/or living an active lifestyle. Training hard can take a toll on your body whether training for an upcoming fight, or just maintaining a healthy lifestyle if you do it long enough you will eventually run into some type of injury. Or maybe you have an old injury from years ago that continues to nag negatively affecting your training ability.

There are several choices you can make but these three may help you train around your injuries and not through them so as to prolong your Jiu Jitsu career well into your 90’s as on the case of Grandmaster Helio Gracie.

Situation #1 : Ignoring your injuries and and training through your pain.

A lot of fighters do this either because of their fighter mentality or their pride, or simply because they are stubborn . It’s one thing to tough it out if you make your living as a professional fighter or BJJ practitioner, but if you are only a hobbyist or a casual enthusiast , this may not be the best choice to take given that once you leave the gym you embark on the world around you i.e work, career, school, family and a small injury that gets ignored can ultimately lead to a bigger injury that can no longer be ignored and that can actually hurt your chances of training long into your retirement age and force you to stop training altogether.

Situation #2 : Completely stop training any form of physical activity.

While this may be a good alternative to heal and let the body recover, it may lead to a loss of interest in returning to training or it may make you want to quit grappling altogether. Sitting out can lead to a step back in your technique and it may lead to a feeling of comfort as you fall into the daily grind of kids and work , family and friends.

This choice may be the demise of your BJJ training as the longer you stay away from the mats the harder it will be to return. This is probably the biggest reason why people who train MMA or BJJ have a falling out with the sport that they fell in love with once they first stepped on the mat, the longer you shy away from the mats, the more difficult it becomes to return and therefore many do not.

Situation #3 : Train around your injury.

This may seem easier said than done but it doesn’t have to be. Continue to train hard but avoid training when anything hurts. Focus on drilling and have your team mates go slow. Practice flow rolling and don’t use muscle , focus on technique. If you feel any type of pain or anticipate something will hurt, don’t be afraid to tap . Inform your partner that you would like to sit out or ask if they would like to drill certain techniques. Ignoring your pain and toughing it out will only cause you more damage than help to prolong your time on the mats. And since Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a sport that relies heavily on technique, going slow will help to build your muscle memory and doing this will not only help you become a better grappler, but it will help you to become a better team mate because now you can empathize with your teams other athletes who may be injured or become injured in the future.