Most people will face injury at some point in their life. It is a challenge for any person but especially so for those that practise high intensity sports and those who like to compete. Practitioners of sports like martial arts, football and sprint racing are constantly faced with the need to take preventative action against injury and to overcome the challenges of injuries once sustained.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is one good example of a sport where injuries can occur. Care needs to be taken on the mat as BJJ works by targeting the joints in the body and whether you are training or in a competition there is constant stress being put onto muscles, ligaments and tendons.
Avoiding injuries
Here are some key things to do to avoid injuries in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu;
• Leave your ego off the mat as this is your worst enemy. BJJ is like a chess game and it’s important to know how to lose and to learn from the mistakes made so that you can improve for next time.
• Don’t train hard every single day, your body hasn’t been built to be put under constant stress and overtraining will increase your chances of getting injured. Your body needs time to repair itself after intense exertion. Soft tissue, joints and the hormonal system all need time to recover and the best way for that to happen is to get sufficient rest in between sessions or mix in some low intensity activities.
• Stretching is an important factor in keeping your body healthy and decreasing your chances of getting injured. A good way of picturing the importance of stretching is the concept of the “bamboo and the stick” the bamboo is flexible and will rarely snap, whereas the stick is rigid and easy to snap. By keeping yourself as flexible as possible you have already taken a big step towards avoiding injury.
Overcoming Injuries
Even when we do our best we cannot avoid injuries completely. Here are a few tips to help you recover so you can get back to realising your potential as soon as possible:
• If you get injured (joint or muscle) ice it up as soon as possible and do it consistently for the next few days and especially in the first 72 hours. This will reduce the impact the injury has by keeping inflammation down.
• Make sure you rest up properly. Training over the injury will simply prolong it. It’s best to let an injury heal because when we leave our body too long with an injury without taking time out we run the risk of it becoming a chronic, long term issue.
• Make sure that you get good nutrition and that you drink plenty of clean water as these are two important parts of a speedy recovery. Avoid processed foods as these will usually generate inflammation in your body which slows down the healing process.
Thanks
Daniel Lima
