Fighter — cat_Lifestyle

Jiu jitsu isn't the only activity that offers innumerable benefits to the practitioner... but it does have a special combination that does more than just help people get fit and give them something to do in their free time.

It's a combination of physical, mental, emotional and social benefits that gives people exactly what they need in life and makes lifelong practitioners out of anyone... regardless of who he or she might be. Young, old, male, female, strong, weak, black, white, rich or poor... Jiu Jitsu is for everyone. 

What are those benefits? Read on... 

Physical

Jiu jitsu will get you in shape. Of course, if you want to look like a gladiator you still have to put in the work and combine it with a balanced diet. But whatever your baseline is, jiu jitsu will improve your physical fitness, two, three, ten-fold, depending on how dedicated you are. This is because training jiu jitsu is a combination of cardio and resistance training. Each round is about five or six - sometimes even seven to ten - minutes of non-stop movement. You might not be moving fast, but whether you're on the offensive or the defensive, you're constantly moving. Combine that with another human body trying to either trying to subdue and submit you... or trying to prevent you from doing that to him or her. If you're not breathing heavy by the buzzer, you're either in impeccable shape already... or you're just not breathing period. 

Mental

Jiu jitsu is called human chess for a reason. It's a one-on-one sport, you and your opponent, pitting your body and brain against the other person's. You can't just go in with a predefined plan and execute it exactly as you imagined it. You constantly have to strategize in the moment, because your opponent is going to bring his or her own game, and react in ways that you might not be able to predict. The more proficient you become, the faster you're able to recognize your opponent's intentions and foresee the openings for attack or defense. This directly translates off the mat, too. You'll start seeing a significant improvement in your critical thinking skills within weeks of beginning your jiu jitsu journey. 

Emotional

You'll be hard pressed to find someone who can argue that their emotional state of being hasn't improved through jiu jitsu. Of course, there are those exceptions, but for the vast majority of practitioners jiu jitsu is a major stress reliever. There are a ton of studies that show how physical activity - any kind really - serves as a vehicle for stress relief by releasing endorphins and putting you "in the moment". Particularly with the latter, it's incredibly hard not to be in the moment when you have someone trying to strangle you. Whatever is happening off the mat - work sucks, your children are little monsters, your parents are nagging you, your girl or guyfriend is cheating on you - it doesn't exist for that hour or two that you're on the mat learning someone awesome. 

Social

As humans, we are very social creatures. Even the most anti-social among us needs to have a person or people with whom we can interact. We need a "clan". The jiu jitsu community - your team - provides that clan. When you start training at a jiu jitsu academy, you immediately become part of that group. When you train together every day, grow together, sweat on each other, share each other's frustrations and successes... you become as close as family. You become family... jiu jitsu family. 

But don't take my word for it. Take a breath - I know, it's intimidating taking that first step - and go try a class at your local academy. 

Train on... Oss.

Your jiu jitsu academy isn't just the place where you train... it's your refuge from the daily stresses of life, it's where your friends are, and it's where you learn and grow, as both a practitioner and as a person. 

Because it is such an important space in your daily life, it's important that you choose wisely. We've detailed a few things to keep in mind: 

It's Okay to Shop Around

Not all academies are the same; each one has it's own vibe and micro-culture. You might find that the first academy you walk into is the one for you... or you may not be too sure. That's okay. It's all about finding the right fit. Most academies offer a free trial period, which usually ranges from a few classes to a week, or even a month. Try out a few academies in your area. Walking through their doors isn't a commitment, nor does trying another academy mean you've ruled out any of the others.

Your Professor and Teammates

One thing that makes the jiu jitsu community so special is the people in it. For the most part, jiu jitsu practitioners are an awesome - and very diverse - bunch of guys and gals. However, regardless of where you end up, there will always be a few teammates that you don't exactly mesh with. That's normal. What isn't normal is if you feel ignored, simply tolerated, or even bullied by the majority of your fellow teammates. This kind of negative collective behavior typically originates from the leader and/or leaders of the group, and is likely entrenched in the micro-culture of that academy. You don't need that. Additionally, make sure that your professor is someone that you feel like you can trust - particularly in regard to his/her level of technique - as well as respect, as a practitioner and a person. If not, you owe nothing to him or her and you should move on and find somewhere else - somewhere better - to train. 

Cleanliness

In jiu jitsu, we get into some really intimate positions, both with our fellow practitioners as well as the surface of the mat. Hopefully your teammates are keeping an adequate standard of hygiene, but the bigger concern is the cleanliness of the academy itself. The surface of the mat - and the cracks in between the mats - can harbor a lot of nasty stuff, like ringworm, staph, or even MRSA. It's not unreasonable to expect the mats at your academy to be cleaned at least once or twice a day, depending on how much they're used. Needless to say, the restrooms and locker rooms should also be clean and tidy, because otherwise that's just gross.

Cost and Amenities

Jiu jitsu is not cheap. You might find monthly rates under $100 at some smaller academies, but the vast majority cost between $125-$150 per month, and some are upwards of $250+. Yearly contracts can help lower your monthly rate, which, if you've decided to commit to that academy, is definitely worth the initial investment. Considering the tremendous benefits that jiu jitsu offers for your physical and psychological health, you can be sure that your money will be well spent... as long as the actual instruction is up to par, because that's what you're ultimately paying for. It also must be said that a cheaper academy doesn't necessarily mean that you're getting inferior training. Some of the best coaches I've met were at smaller, more economical academies. 

As far as amenities go, the most basic academy will have a mat area, a restroom, and a water fountain. Some academies might offer a variety of extra amenities, such as separate locker rooms for men and women, showers, rental gis and gear, a pro-shop, or even laundry service. However, don't walk into any academy expecting them to have all the bells and whistles. 

Wherever you find yourself training for the long term, welcome to our great big jiu jitsu family. Regardless of your affiliation, we're just happy you've found your way to the mats. 

Train on. Oss.

Especially in sport jiu jitsu - where the De La Riva and Single-Leg X guards abound - the knees tend to take a beating. Most practitioners will experience a tweak, or sprain... or worse (but hopefully not)... at some point in their career. It's just the nature of the beast. 

That being said, I thought I'd write this blog about the most common knee injuries and symptoms you might encounter and what you can, or will, have to do about it. Read on...

Appreciate Your Knees

First of all, I think it should be said that you'll never really appreciate how much you use your knees - for everything - until you hurt them. Think of them as efficiently designed pieces of equipment, in which every part plays a specific role in the overall performance of the whole. Break one thing, and not only does the entire thing get out of whack, but you risk compromising the other individual parts if you try to continue using it. So before you tell yourself, "Eh, it'll be okay," make sure you figure out what happened and whether it will, in fact, be okay.

Bursitis 

Bursitis is the inflammation of the fluid-filled sacs, called bursae, that act as cushions at the joints, helping to decrease friction between moving tissues, such as bone, muscle, tendons, and skin. Bursitis is often caused by repetitive minor impacts - oh so common in many sports - but can also result from more serious trauma to the area. Symptoms include rapid swelling around the joint that is also warm and tender to the touch. Bursitis will usually clear up with rest, icing, elevation, and over-the-counter inflammatories, but more serious cases can be drained, or injected with corticosteroids. Some athletes are still able to train with it, but because it is so painful to the touch and jiu jitsu involves a lot of knee-to-ground contact, the best option is to rest until it clears up.

Meniscus Tear

Your meniscus - actually, there are two menisci in each knee - are the tough, wedge shaped pieces of cartilage between your femur and tibia, which cushions the joints and helps keep it stable. In sports, these tears can happen when the foot is planted and the knee twists, particularly in an aggressive motion. Sound familiar? Yup, jiu jitsu is full of that stuff. Symptoms include pain, stiffness and swelling, limited range of movement, unstableness in the knee, and even locking of the knee (depending on the type and severity of the tear). Many athletes continue training with meniscus tears, especially minor ones. If the tear is in the blood-rich outer "red" zone of the meniscus, it may even heal on its own. However, severe tears - indicated by locking up or significant instability of the joint - will require arthroscopic surgery to trim or repair the meniscus. 

MCL/LCL Sprain or Tear

The Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) and the Lateral (or Fibular) Collateral Ligament (LCL) are the two supporting ligaments on either side of the knee, connecting the femur to the tibia and fibula, respectively. These ligaments "control the sideways motion of your knee and brace it against unusual movement." However, unusual movement is what jiu jitsu is all about (think knee slice, De La Riva and reverse De La Riva, rubber guard... the list goes on), so these ligaments are easily compromised. Takedowns and uncontrolled jumping or landings can also put these ligaments at risk. Injuries to these ligaments are graded, with 1 being a mild over-stretching, 2 being a more severe over-stretching to the point of looseness (sometimes referred to as a partial tear), and 3 being a complete tear. Symptoms include pain in the area, swelling, bruising, instability and inability to bear weight, and "feeling of the knee giving away." The scary part about a Grade 3 sprain is that "often there will be no pain or severe pain that subsides quickly," so it's easy to dismiss it as a mild sprain. Additionally, because the ligament is completely torn, the knee is deprived of an entire stabilizing structure, so it's easier to injure the meniscus or even the ACL. Most of these injuries can be treated without surgery, with rest, icing, anti-inflammatories, and physical therapy, and can  take anywhere from a few weeks to four months. However, some Grade 3 cases will require surgery. 

ACL Sprain or Tear

Even mention an ACL tear, and nearly every jiu jitsu practitioner around you will wince and squirm. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the major ligaments running diagonally within the knee joint, providing rotational stability to the knee. The ACL runs in front, and the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) runs in back, creating an X-shape behind the patella. The ACL can become injured by rapid changes in direction (especially pivoting while the foot is still planted), stopping or slowing down suddenly, incorrect landing, or direct blows to the knee. Symptoms, include pain, swelling, loss of full range of motion, and discomfort while walking or performing any kind of turning movement. ACL injuries are also graded from 1 to 3, with a fully torn, Grade 3, tear requiring surgery. Unfortunately, most ACL tears cannot simply be repaired, and must be reconstructed via a tissue graft from a healthy patellar, hamstring or quadricep tendon, taken either from your own body or that of a cadaver (how delightfully morbid). Recovery from an ACL tear can often take more than six months. Interestingly, women are more prone to ACL injuries than men. The good news is, you can help prevent ACL injuries through a proper strength training program; stronger and more balanced muscles will help protect the joints from - and during - uncontrolled movements. 

And of course, don't just rely on your WebMD skills - however ninja they might be - for diagnosing knee injuries. If in doubt, get it checked out by a licensed medical professional. The sooner you know for sure what the problem is, the faster you'll be able to fix it, and the sooner you'll be back on the mats.

Train on... safely. Oss.

So you've survived your first few weeks of jiu jitsu. You probably still don't know what to do with your hands, you may or may not have mastered how to tie your belt, you've discovered that you need more than one jiu jitsu gi, and you're starting to recognize some of the standard jiu jitsu lingo. 

Now you're wondering what all this "drilling" stuff is about. Don't worry, we got you... 

Drilling 101

As I've mentioned before, drilling is the part of jiu jitsu training that consists of many, many... many repetitions of a technique or set of techniques. The idea is that if you do something often enough, it becomes "muscle memory" and it takes less conscious effort to do it in the future. 

Now this may sound pretty self-explanatory... "Just do it a bunch of times, right?" Well, yes, but there are some subtleties that you should be aware of that may not always be vocalized:

For the Love of God, Start Slow

The worst thing you can do is try to drill a technique as fast as your professor or coach showed it to you. The only reason they can do it so fast and smooth is because they've done it a thousand times already. Until you've spent as many untold hours on the mat - and have developed the same jiu jitsu acumen - you're not going to look that good. Worse, if you try to go full speed, you're bound to skip some key steps, and you ultimately won't learn how to properly execute the technique. So start slow, go step-by-step. Nobody's going to think less of you for it... we've all been there. Once you begin to get the hang of it, then pick up the tempo.

No, XX Times Each is Not Enough

My biggest pet peeve is when someone - anyone - does a technique a few times and then sits there with his/her partner until the professor calls time. It's said that you have to practice something "between 500 and 5,000 times" before it becomes reflex. If you're there on the mat already, use that time wisely. Make some progress toward that first 500. Otherwise, you'll give the impression that you don't really care enough to put in the work. Few things are more insulting to the person who took his/her time to show you that technique. 

Drilling Outside of Class

Drilling isn't just an activity reserved for that 30 or so minutes during class between warm-ups and sparring. You can drill anytime, anywhere. In fact, it's highly encouraged that you drill outside of class. You can't possibly get your 500-5,000 reps in entirely during class hours. So find a buddy and schedule in some time - an hour at the very least - during the week to work on some of the techniques that you've learned recently and/or those you would like to improve upon. In fact, you might even get lucky and some upper belt will happen by and give you some additional pointers. 

Levels of Drilling

There's no single way to drill. Indeed, there are "levels" of drilling: 

• Single Technique - Just as it sounds, this involves doing a single technique (one sweep, one pass, one takedown, one guard pull, one submission, etc.) over and over again.
• Sequential - This involves linking two or more techniques together, and doing that over and over again. For example: start standing, pull guard, go straight into a sweep, right into a pass, finish with a choke. Then doing that series over and over again.
• Responsive - This takes sequential drilling to the next level, whereby your partner changes the scenarios a little bit. For example, if the sequence is to go from pass to back take, your partner may give you a different guard to pass each time. This kind of drilling is especially useful for the days leading up to tournaments. 
• R&D - This is a more relaxed, open-ended kind of drilling, where you and your partner may do a combination of all of the above, working on a specific technique and exploring any and all scenarios that might arise. This involves a lot of discussion, and you may or may not break a sweat. 

Now that you have a better understanding of the world of drilling, we hope you can see how incredibly beneficial it is to your jiu jitsu journey. 

Train... and drill... on. Oss.

Let's face it: jiu jitsu isn't like playing patty cake. Despite it's name, it's really hard not to get some kind of injury over the course of your journey in this sometimes not-so-gentle martial art. If you haven't had at least some kind of tweak or sprain yet, you either haven't trained long enough... or you're not training hard enough.

Either way, at some point in your jiu jitsu career, you will have to become familiar with taping. We're here to make sure you're doing it right. Read on... 

Types of Tape

Not all tape is the same. While you might be most familiar with that white, "felt" athletic tape (often left littered across the mat after a training session), there are many types used for athletic support. Which one you choose to use depends on what you're looking to do. In the last decade, kinesiology tape has become a mainstay in the athletic community for relieving pain, reducing inflammation and providing flexible support to any area of the body imaginable. These benefits come from the tape creating "a microscopic lifting action," pulling the skin and fascia away from the inflamed muscle, relieving pressure from the lymph and blood vessels, as well as the nerves that trigger pain responses, essentially activating "both neurological and circulatory healing mechanisms." However, some injuries require more rigid support, preventing the injured joint from moving in a way that could aggravate the injury.  

Preparation

Especially if you're using kinesiology tape - which can cost a pretty penny - you don't want to just slap it on willy-nilly. In jiu jitsu, we sweat. If you haven't properly prepared the area, that tape is going to come off within the first few minutes of the roll. Before you tape up, make sure your skin is clean, dry and free of any oils or creams, so that it sticks well. A pre-tape adhesive spray is also an option if you really want some lasting power. If you're a hairy dude (or dudette, we don't judge), you should also consider shaving the area to be taped, which also makes the adhesive stick better... and helps prevent any painful removal. However, some resources say to avoid shaving, as "hair follicles have receptors, which give your brain feedback."

Know Your Body

The most important thing in taping an injury - or even to prevent an injury - is to know the structure and operation of your ligaments (the bands of elastic tissue around your joints that connect bone to bone). That makes it much easier for you to determine where to place your strips tape in order to support whatever body part it is you're trying to target. Failing to do so will most certainly fail to provide the support you intended, and could even cause more injury by impeding the natural movement of your joint. You don't have to be an expert physical therapist, but you can do some research so you have some basic knowledge of the affected area.  

Notes on Applying

There's no shortage of step-by-step guides and videos out there on exactly how to tape a specific injury, so I'm not going to go into detail on that. However, here are a few guiding principles that you should follow while taping: 

• When taping around a limb, avoid applying the tape perpendicular. Because our limbs aren't the same circumference down the entire length, taping across creates uneven pressure at the top and bottom of the tape. This is not such a problem with stretchy kinesiology tape, but still a good rule to follow. 
• Don't tape too loose or too tight. Loose taping doesn't provide the support needed, but taping too tight will restrict the blood flow below the limb. Some tape loosens up a bit after taping, but if you're starting to lose feeling to your extremities, or if the tape is irritating your skin, remove it immediately and try again. 
• Research, research, research. You can't become a taping master overnight. There are a ton of great taping guides out there from real sports physical therapists. Use them. 

Taping Guides: 

If you haven't already browsed the links peppered throughout the article above, check out these great resources for more information and taping instruction guides: 

• "Strapping and Taping" by Sports Injury Clinic
• "Taping Guide" by First Aid 4 Sport
• "Kinesiology Tape - the Facts" by TheraTape
• "How, When, And Why To Use Athletic Tape" by BodyBuilding.com

Remember, the best way to avoid injury is to tap early, and tap often. However, sometimes shi... "stuff" happens on the mat. Being knowledgable about taping and how to do it effectively will help you get back on the mat in no time!

Train on... safely. Oss.