Advice for the Aching White Belt…

Advice for the Aching White Belt…

Are you a white belt who feels sore and broken? Good, then keep reading to gain explicit knowledge. No? also good, keep reading, this is a good blog.

I know the mystical superpowers of jiujitsu seem like a distant fantasy, a dream too far to grasp but, have no fear. Those higher belts submitting you every ten seconds weren’t always the Marvel gang of jiujitsu, they too were once uncoordinated and uncomfortable with their new surroundings.

If you just embarked on your jiujitsu journey then be ready for a fun ride. You are doing yourself a BIG favour. Be prepared, you’re about to be hit by a cannon of jiujitsu benefits. Allow me to share some positive side effects of training jiujitsu; stress release (less likely to want to hit someone off the mats), increased focus (someone is attacking you, survival is priority), physical and mental well-being (those endorphins be hitting you hard), improved self-confidence (more likely to speak your mind), humility and patience (bye-bye big ego). And that’s only naming a few.

Okay, so we’ve talked about the positives, now what’s the catch? Well, as you may have already noticed, this craft comes with SLIGHLTY negative side effects too. Let’s go through some of them shall we;

1. Bruises : Lots of them (may include ego) and in areas you didn’t know could bruise.
2. Muscle Soreness : May cause inability to sit comfortably.
3. Crying : For my jiujitsu ladies (training with guys bigger than you is frustrating) white belts have souls too.
4. Mat Burn : Because that’s right, your skin is as soft as a baby’s bum (wait till those callouses form).
5. Unwanted Injuries : A common occurrence.

It’s important to note that the pros outweigh the cons and that by focusing on how to prevent the negatives from happening you will establish a path of consistency, discipline and success, whatever that might mean to you.

I can’t help you with all of them (swearing under your breath when you get mat burn helps a little). However, I can offer advice from my own experience that will help with a smooth beginning to your journey.

Let’s get started. White belts are an interesting species prone to injuries and here at Yoga for BJJ we make injury prevention a big deal, because it is a BIG DEAL. Remember you want to “train smart, fight forever”. A lot of people starting jiujitsu have never participated in sport before, making them predisposed to injury and the ones that have won’t have the knowledge to correctly prepare their bodies for this type of physical contact, which bring me to my next point.

WARM-UP and COOL DOWN, often neglected and often regretted by jiujitsu practitioners who neglect them.  As Sebastian says, you must prepare your body for every activity you plan to do throughout your day. In the morning after laying down horizontally for a number of hours, for work or during work depending on what type of job you have and yes, you guessed it before your jiujitsu class.

Warming up and cooling down is KEY when trying to prevent unwanted injuries. This allows the body to gradually increase heart rate and circulation in order for oxygen to travel efficiently to the muscles. During the cool down you reverse the process to prepare yourself for daily tasks after your training session.

We’ve actually done all the work for you and constructed time efficient videos to help you get started with your warm-up and cool down regime. Make sure to check out those videos to ensure you can train longer and harder.