Comeback: Despite its claim to be “the gentle art” Jiu Jitsu is a contact sport who principle aim is tackle people down to the ground and then manhandle them into locks that are fully capable of snapping limbs like match sticks and strangling people unconscious – as such injuries are entirely inevitable. There are going to be times when those injuries take you off the mat – sometimes for extended periods. It is natural to feel that when this happens all your hard work and progress will be lost and you will have to start off at the bottom again. My advice to injured students is always the same – STAY IN THE GAME THROUGH YOUR MIND. While your body is recuperating train your mind. My favorite way to do this is to have injured students watch their team mates training, both drills and sparring. By watching, thinking and questioning THE LEARNING PROGRESSION CAN CONTINUE TO SOME DEGREE EVEN WHEN YOUR BODY IS INACTIVE. In my career I have seen all my main students go through injury problems and emerge better than before. In my own case I entered the sport with a crippled leg and as a result many physical problems – this simple method of replacing physical engagement with mental engagement meant that we all came back to the mat KNOWING MORE than when we left and then it was just a matter of getting our body to catch up to the new knowledge when we got back. The only times I have seen students get noticeably worse during injury lay-offs was when they simply stopped coming and just did nothing Jiu Jitsu related during the down time. Here I am with Gordon Ryan – he is coming back from Knee surgery after a complete tear of his LCL – every day he comes down to the basement and watches class next to me. Every time he watches his mind is active – asking himself what he would be doing if he were in that situation he is watching – active minds don't degenerate and bodies will soon soon catch up when they get healthy again. Whenever fate pushes you off the mat – and it will happen on multiple occasions – use this approach to stay moving towards your dreams and goals.
