BJJ post #3 back from holidays and the importance of rest

Hi there,

So this is my first Jiu-Jitsu post in almost 3 weeks, I just got back from holidays on Monday, where I went home for 10 days for my sister's wedding and am starting to get back in the swing of things. The holiday itself was much needed for my body, when practicing any martial art we are always told that the person who puts in the most hours and effort will come out on top. However that can have a lot of damage on your body if you dont let it properly heal.

So before I went away I was seeing a doctor because I have been having some shoulder issues for some time now, did some X-rays and Ultrasound and he was able to determine that I have some Tendinitis in my shoulder. Tendinitis is brought on over time, so between my previous swimming background and now BJJ it did not surprise me to find out that was my diagnosis. I was given various exercises to do on a daily basis by a Physiotherapist to help strengthen and round out my weak shoulder.

While I was away I was so busy that I only had time to do 1 drop in class at a local academy and barely did the exercises prescribed to me. That being said I definitely noticed that taking that time off, I had zero pain in my shoulder compared to how I felt previously.

I showed back up at my academy this week and probably had the best rolling/ sparring sessions I have had in a long time, able to hold my own with the higher belts and get a couple submissions in on the guys I am usually pretty equal with. I even received some positive feedback on how much better I was doing the last few days compared to before I left!

So I think those last two points speak volumes to ensuring if you are feeling banged up and broken, take a few days or a week off and let yourself heal up a bit.

I think going forward I am going to try and schedule a bit more down time for body to rest up and finding alternative exercises to do, as I do want to try and incorporate more yoga into my regular workout schedules.