So your Jiu-Jitsu school is reopening…

As schools start to reopen, we find ourselves eager if not zealous to train. All that energy and enthusiasm pent-up for weeks and months… all the techniques and breakdowns and instructionals you watched and are eager to try on your unwitting partner… all the drills you have done to make sure you stay sharp… of course you are raring to train like you have never trained before!

You can’t just go back to where you left off

Take a moment to think about this. Sure, you feel like you did not get rusty but unless you took part in any underground training (shhh) or unless you are one of the lucky few to live with someone else who trains, your mind and body may need some extra time to ease back in. To get a feel for things. To reorient yourself and maybe — at least — get used to the pace and the intensity.

A study published in the Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine found that taking a two-week break from physical activity can result in a substantial reduction of muscle strength and mass. It also found that it can take even longer just to gain it back. Naturally, this applies to taking time off due to injury or other reasons.

Pay attention to your body

Consider that some of us have gained weight and lost lung capacity over those months. I gained 20 pounds, no lie. I have been reaching for my inhaler even just after the warmups on almost every Zoom class I have done these past two months. These alone give me an idea of how badly my first week or two back will be.

Move with purpose and intent

In your first few classes, take it easy and do every move deliberately, with as much focus and clarity as you can muster. No flying triangles, cartwheel passes, rolling kimuras, berimbolos… at least until you are certain that you have gotten back to how you were before the pandemic shut everything down.

Warm up

That includes you, purple belts! The effectiveness of warming up by doing calisthenics and dynamic stretches may be a controversial topic, but you are getting back from a long lay-off so there is no better reason to get to class early enough to join the warm-ups. A meta-study conducted by the Journal of Science and Medicine and Sport found that three out of five studies point to significantly reduced injury risk when warm-ups were performed.

Let go of that ego

We’ve all heard this far too often. This applies even more if you haven’t trained for months on end. You may feel distraught when you find yourself not being able to pull off your signature move. Heck, you may even feel devastated when you find yourself cardio-tapping or tapping to the local heavyweight’s side mount. It’s okay. It’s normal. It doesn’t make any sense to compare yourself to that person who you were before you took time off. Focus on doing your best, to getting your stamina back, to regaining your strength and coordination, and take it one roll at a time.

Tap early, tap often, and you’ll be able to train again the next day!