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Your Guide To Dealing With Injuries

    [9 to 10 minute read]

    Injuries are an inevitable part of a martial artist's journey. Whether a minor strain or something more severe, your mental approach to the injury can significantly impact your recovery and overall progress. 

    I’ve unfortunately had some major injuries throughout the years. Here is an abbreviated list of my big ones:

    • Surgery for a meniscus tear on my knee from Aikido practice when I was 18. 

    • Surgery for slap tear/shoulder dislocation at 30 from a throw in a judo tournament.

    • Surgery for ankle break at 40-ish from a fall in skateboarding… yeah, I know, I know.  

    And those are just the big ones. Broken toes, fingers, ribs… bruised parts all over. Including my pride. ;) 

    It's easy to get discouraged when an injury sidelines you, but reframing the situation and seeing it as an opportunity rather than a setback is crucial.

    Here’s how I’ve dealt with injuries and used it to my advantage to come back stronger and better than before. 

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    The First Step

    The biggest thing that has helped me in staying strong mentally when I’ve been injured is this:

    Don’t Be Negative.

    Notice I didn’t say, “Stay positive.”

    The ability to not be negative is a huge reframe that can help you when things aren’t going the way you had hoped, whether you're injured or not. 

    Not being negative takes some practice, but it will benefit you in all areas of your life. Here’s how to start practicing:

    1. Write a post-it note on your bathroom mirror that says, “Don’t Be Negative.”

    2. Read it each morning upon waking up and each evening before bed. 

    3. During the day, be aware of whether you are being negative or if negative thoughts slip into your mind. 

    4. Don’t worry that you were negative. Just remind yourself not to be negative and move on. 

    5. Do this for a week, and it will change the way you view life. 

     Now let’s look at what to do when you get injured. 

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    Preventative Measures

    In a perfect world, we’d never get injured. But let’s be honest; we practice martial arts, and shit is bound to happen. It’s just the nature of things. However, there are a couple of things we can preemptively do to hopefully keep things from being too bad. 

    Choose good training partners.

    I’ve written about this before, but having training partners you can trust, and who practice with control is key to staying on the mat forever. It’s all about finding your people. 

    Protect yourself. 

    Don’t put yourself into situations where you don’t feel safe. Yes, it’s martial arts, but what I mean is don’t think you have to spar with the white belt who outweighs you by 100 lbs (45 kgs). Having a much bigger person lose control and accidentally fall onto your ribs is one thing. Having them purposely do that while sparring can get ugly real quick. 

    Tap early during practice. 

    Remember, it’s practice, not life and death. If you have issues with tapping during practice, then I guarantee you’ll eventually get a major injury. 

    Spar responsibly

    This is related to tapping early, but if you’re looking at longevity on the mat, there is no need to go to war during sparring. Sure, upping the intensity from time to time is fun. But too much of it will inevitably lead to stupid stuff happening. Read this for ideas on other ways to spar. 

    Be Present

    Don’t be someone who accidentally hurt someone because your head wasn’t in the game. Be present when drilling and practicing instead of just going through the motions. We’re here to help our partners, so be there for them. 

    Of course, there are other things. I even have rules for the Juyukai members, and I’m happy to say that not a single person has been injured since we’ve been training. 

    Here are those rules for reference:

    1. The JuYuKai is a private group – no drop-ins, invitation only.

    2. Train hard, but if you’re too rough, you’re gone.

    3. Train for longevity, not for competition. 

    4. Study concepts and universal movement patterns over techniques.

    5. Problem-solve through selective tension positional sparring with a specific goal

    6. Always protect yourself and your partner. 

    7. Train as much as you can, but always at your own pace. 

    8. If you have an injury, work around it. If you’re sick, don’t show up. 

    9. Open and honest communication between members. 

    10. Clean body, clean clothes, clean mats, clean mind.

    11. No “1-2-3 Clap” or saying “OSS!”

    12. Do your warm-ups, calisthenics, and strength work outside of class. 

    13. No bowing to a photo.

    14. Trust in the process.

    15. Have fun. 

    Take note of rule number 8 up there. That’s what I wanna talk about next. 

    ____________________

    Work Around Your Injury

    OK, shit happened, and you’re injured. 

    We all know that being injured sucks. Ain’t no way about it.

    But it isn’t the end of the world. The key is to figure out how to work around your injury. 

    There are two questions to figure out when you’re injured:

    1. What do I need to do to heal myself?

    2. What can I do without getting in the way of my recovery?

    Let me give you an example. 

    I was a blue belt in Brazilian Jiujitsu when I broke my ankle. I was gung-ho about BJJ, and there was no way I was going to take three months off from training. I was smart about it, and not only did I fully recover, but I also improved my BJJ during that time. Here’s how I did it using those two questions above. 

    • What do I need to do to heal myself?

    After my reconstructive surgery, I followed my doctor and physical therapist’s advice to the T. 

    I didn’t try to add extra training or rehab moves into the mix. In other words, I didn’t try to drill, spar, run, or anything else until my doctor and physical therapist told me I was cleared to do so. 

    Once I got the OK, I EASED into my regular training while working to further improve my strength, range of motion, and ankle control. 

    In other words, I didn’t do stupid shit that could have re-injured my ankle and messed it up for life. 

    • What can I do without getting in the way of my recovery?

    I obviously couldn’t stand, walk, or even place my toes on the floor while kneeling. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to try and play guard. 

    So, instead, I spent an entire month taking turns with my training partners, working on strangles and chokes. 

    All without using my feet. 

    I couldn’t spar or drill, so I chose to become technically proficient in a single concept.

    Let me tell you, my training partners hated me during that time. But they also got in a lot of reps, and we got good at those chokes and strangles. All without me causing harm to my ankle. 

    In other words, I worked around my injury and turned it into a positive. I chose something to become extremely proficient in that still serves me very well today. 

    Find something that will allow you to continue to stay on the mats, but in a way that doesn’t cause damage to the injured part. 

    I typically see, or should I say, don’t see, people show up to practice with an injury and instead just take time off. That can also be a good thing! 

    However, in order to keep your motivation going and stay involved in your martial art, I suggest still showing up from time to time at practice. Even if you’re just stretching on the sidelines, being there to support your friends and other martial artists plays a bit part in the camaraderie of the dojo. 

    BUT REMEMBER! Don’t do something stupid that could keep you on the sidelines indefinitely. ;) 

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    The Takeaway: Turning Setbacks into Opportunities

    Injuries are a tough pill to swallow for any martial artist, but they don’t have to spell the end of your progress. By adopting a proactive mindset, you can transform what seems like a setback into an opportunity for growth. Whether refining a specific technique, enhancing your mental game, or simply becoming more in tune with your body’s needs, there’s always something positive to focus on.

    Remember, the key isn’t just to avoid being negative but to actively seek out ways to continue your journey, even if it means taking a detour. Working around your injury rather than letting it stop you in your tracks ensures that you stay connected to your practice, maintain your motivation, and continue to progress in ways you might not have considered before.

    So the next time an injury tries to sideline you, don’t view it as the end of the road. Instead, see it as a new path that, with the right approach, could lead to unexpected and valuable discoveries. Your resilience, creativity, and determination will not only get you back on the mat but also make you a stronger, more well-rounded martial artist in the long run.

    Stay smart, stay focused, and above all, stay on the mat—no matter what.



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