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Feb
16
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A friend of mine just told me something that really makes me wonder what I would do in this person’s shoes. Somebody that trains at the same gym was recently told that he has to have surgery and will no longer be able to train in jiu-jitsu anymore. Period. I don’t know the guy personally but apparently he has been training for 3-5 years and now he can’t train ever again (doctor’s orders).
I had to really think about this for a minute. I haven’t even been training for a year yet but to me, facing never training again is sort of like facing a divorce from a marriage that I thought was going beautifully. I don’t even have plans to compete or go into MMA but if I just had to stop training cold turkey, I don’t think I would handle it very well.
Alot of my metal time is taken up playing back my recent rolls to see where I went wrong, or right, respectively. I have now adjusted my regular gym time (meat market gym, not jiu-jitsu gym) to incorporate strength training and cardio that will improve my jiu-jitsu. I’ve changed my eating habits so that my asthma doesn’t prevent me from rolling for 20 minutes if I get the chance. Hell, I’ve registered a domain, designed a goofy logo, installed WordPress and started a blog about my addiction to jiu-jitsu.
My friend Hazmat (the one who shared the news) made a good point that jiu-jitsu becomes something that defines everybody who practices it. It becomes a part of who you are, much like a marriage or serious relationship. Most jiu-jitsu guys are like most tech geeks are with their computer (since many of use are both, though Im not the nerdy tech kinda guy ;)). We take this stuff pretty seriously.
So, I am trying to imagine what I would do if the doctor told me that I could no longer train. Ever.
That’s a big thought.
Let’s get some comments in here and hear your thoughts.
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That’s a terrible thought indeed. It would be easier if it were gradual (i.e. age, retirement from a sport, etc.), but it would be like losing a best friend otherwise.
I often think what will happen to all of us when we are in our late 40s or 50s (if we still have love for the sport). If the drive remains as strong in the US as it is now, the masters and executive competitions will be bursting at the seams….
Which would be awesome….
BJJ is definitely an addictive sport, which I’ve generally thought is because of its complexity. Its endlessly engaging, as there is always more to a particular technique or motion than you at first realised. That mental challenge is something I’d hate to lose, not to mention its the main way I try to keep fit, and also means I get to meet new people and have a new interest.
On the other hand, its never healthy to get too obsessed over one thing, because like that unfortunate guy you mentioned found out, you may find circumstances mean you lose it. There is plenty of stuff that should always be more important: your girlfriend/boyfriend, kids, family etc.
Also good to try and have a broad range of interests, which for me is writing, reading, history, music, art, travel etc. If I found I could never do BJJ again, I’d be very upset, but I’d rationalise it in terms of being able to spend more time on one of my other hobbies instead. Not to mention my gf would probably be happy that I stopped babbling about grappling all the time.
Hey slideyfoot,
First, Welcome to the blog. I too try to partake in many different interests. I’m married so its a little harder to find hobby time but aside from jiu-jitsu, I am an artist.
Really, any of those three things (wife,jiu-jitsu, art) would be pretty hard for me to give up. They are the release and get away from the daily grind that I look forward to.
I checked out your blog. Looks very nice. I think I’ll add it to the blog roll.
Cheers - by the way, is there a button I can click somewhere to subscribe to comments, so I know if someone responds? I could just check, but meh, I’m lazy.
Well, if i was told that id go to another Doctor… Period. i cant think of anything that can happen that would make you have to stop training totally other then flat out death.
Ive personally had knee surgery, Spinal fusion Surgery on my neck and about to have it on my back…. knee surgey as well… in all that i had a few docs tell me i cant train anymore and i simply walked out… its BS. Im 40 years old and even after all that i still compete on an international level as a brown belt in BJJ… hell, i did the mundials last year (at 39) and wasnt close to being the worst or weakest guy there. i beat down some young guys lol
I know guys like Kyle Manard who train and win grappling tourny’s with no arms and no legs for gods sake…
… If a Doc said you cant tain just tell him he’s a freakin wussy and walk the hell out and find a better doctor!
oh ya and i want you to understand I feel great after all that too…. just train smart and understand there is going to be some things that are hard for you but nothing you cant work around if you live healthy and take good care of yourself
yeah, just couldn’t do it! my doctors keep telling me to quit…I CAN’T? i’ve had 5 knee surgeries & looking at two more, left shoulder surgery and looking at getting both of them done now. they keep saying “think of the future…blah, blah”. but i run a small MMA gym in the pacific northwest and the only part i can even partially participate in is bjj. i can’t box because of neck issues. i can’t kickbox because it kills my knees & hips as well as the neck. sub grappling is ok, from time to time, with a good bjj guy…NO WRESTLERS! lol! but, when i put on the gi, man…like that brand new gold weave WAR kimonos suit of armour that i’m still breaking in??? i know that i always have to favor one body part or another, which in turn, puts undue pressure on something else. i’m all ice & ibuprofen everynight, but i can’t quit? as for the future…i’ll keep going until i can’t do a technical stand up! lol! i can turn any sparring session into a technical stand up competition
but, really, i think that i can play my cards right and just roll with the guys who are technical and know to be easy. i really don’t know how, but i would have to find a way??? because if i couldn’t train anymore i would be the most miserable person to ever live. i don’t have any kids, so that makes the future thing all on me…so, i guess that makes it an easier personal decision. i turn 32 next month and i’ve been training since i was 19 (martial arts since i was 6). doctors told me that i couldn’t wrestle or play football when i was young, like 7 or 8, because of some muscles that i guess i’m missing in my back? i wrestled up until college and placed in state every year. i played football up until my junior year in college, that’s how i went to college! so, i have a very long history of ignoring the doctors, whoops! is this the right choice? i don’t condone not listening to medical professionals AT ALL! but, we all have choices to make..and these are (have been mine) and i’m much happier not having to look back and say “man, i could have..i should have”, because at this point i couldn’t anymore! and, to tell the truth, i spent 3 years as a semi-pro cyclist, road cyclist, and i had to have 3 of my surgeries from cycling. they weren’t due to crashes or anything out of the ordinary. i had to have 3 surgeries from doing the one sport that the medical professionals actually told me would be best for me to do. so, after those surgeries, i decided to get back into fighting professionally in MMA and training bjj. because if i can mess myself up to the point of 3 surgeries i swore i would do it doing the one thing i really loved and knew best. now i’m just a beat up old trainer & bjj teacher, but i go to the academy happy every single day. it’s mine and it’s me. never a day has passed where i have regretted that i ever put on a gi 
live right, eat right, give your injuries time to heal and rehab them and drink a good acai smootie & everything is cool! man, thinking on that kinda made me depressed and my knees are KILLING me because it just started raining…i’m gonna go watch some jiu jitsu videos to cheer me up & get more technical because i’ll soon be one year older and i’ll heal like more of an old man everyday!
keep on a rollin’
peace,
Jimmy James
p.s. BuffGeo is the man! we seem to have the same opinions on some things
he’s right! short of having no limbs, jiu jitsu is in the realm of possibility! my doctor has suggested that i move to arizona, about the past 6 times i’ve seen him! lol! DOES HE REMEMBER ME? if he can’t remember that i told him last month that i lived in Tucson for over a year and it didn’t help AT ALL…is he actually listening, does he care? or maybe the fact that i’m a small business owner, not a doctor, and am very lucky if i bring in a couple grand a month, as my new gym is just 6 months old, and i have NO SAFTEY NET. ummm…relocating, great plan Doc! just started a new business and have been VERY lucky to earn the trust of about 30 some odd people who want to learn jiu jitsu…so, you say, bail on them and take my $2000 and no savings and move to another state? Frickin’ brilliant!!! that’s why you get the big bucks…ummm, yeah, you’re a Doctor, stick to helping me fix the MEDICAL crap!!! yeah, i better stop. i can go on & on about the health care industry & how impersonal the vast majority of physicians have become! we’ll save that for another night! sorry about the venting guys!?! lol! oh, anyone who comes to the greater seattle/tacoma area…come train with us or at ballard jiu jitsu. tacoma mixed martial arts(t-town mma) will be free training to you guys on chew-jitsu, just for letting me vent! contact me at jmtii77@yahoo.com or go to TacomaFightAlliance.com & i will be more than glad to have anyoone who mentions Chew-Jitsu as my own personal guest, if you want? lol!
It has been a great feeling to see a fellow enthusiast of jiujitsu doing some blogs. If anyone of you is looking to begin a career as a Mixed Martial Artist or a Jiu Jitsu Practitioner, then you should find a good Jiu Jitsu Trainers .
Hi
Mixed Martial Arts has been a very successful in promoting their sports on the way to the top. I’ve been reading all the articles and learn from them. I had a great help in looking for Jiu Jitsu Trainers from a friend of mine. The transition of Judo to Jiu Jitsu isn’t that hard for me though.
John
I have to agree with BuffGeo. I STARTED training at 43. My doctor wanted to put stents in my kidneys and put me on Plavix for life. I chose another path toward circulatory health. I’ve SEEN what hard training (combined with strength training and other cardio) and smart eating can do - even for someone starting in their forties.
Ive often thought about what I would do if I lost Jiu Jitsu. I too have had spinal fusion, and though my doctor has cleared me to do Jiu Jitsu the thought of not doing it has entered my mind after a long day of training, and my neck is fatigued. What I have found out is that Jiu Jitsu has helped to strengthen my neck muscles and core muscles and I find that the everyday things that used to hurt my neck don’t hurt as often. Jiu Jitsu is not just a sport its a state of mind. Before I started Jiu Jitsu I was sitting around smoking pot and not really getting anything out of life. Once I began training I realized I needed to keep my mind clear in order to mentally battle my opponents. I know that 20 years down the road I will be able to attribute my success in life to Jiu Jitsu
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