How To Fix Impingement for BJJ (TAP OUT PAIN!)
By Shane Dowd , CES, CMP
In 2016 I walked into a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) studio for the first time...
😳 What I saw shocked me...
The instructor was on the mat rolling with a student. Suddenly, an errant elbow crushed his nose and blood 🩸 started gushing everywhere!
People around me gasped and the room got dead quiet.
🗣 I heard a few people whispering...
"Oh, this always happens with that kid" (the student).
"He's super aggressive and out-of-control."
"I avoid him at all costs."
💪 Miraculously, I didn't let this horror scene ruin my 1st day of BJJ.
I put on my Gi and started warming up.
"💩 happens!" I thought...
"I'm sure it was a freak accident..."
As luck would have it, no less than 20 minutes later I was face-to-face with the same student who had broken the teacher's nose.
It was time for my 1st ever no-holds-barred grappling session.
"Fuuudge..." I thought to myself.
Would lightning strike twice? Was my nose (or neck) about to get wrecked?
😅 Long story short...I didn't die.
The kid (a brown belt) certainly didn't take it easy on me.
After trying to choke, tap, submit and mangle me for 5 minutes, he finally managed to "catch me" right before the teacher yelled "TIME!"
Even though I got tapped, I was proud of myself.
🎉 I had made it 5 minutes (as a Day 1 white belt) vs. a brown belt.
Not too shabby!
In the weeks that followed, I realized I had a lot to learn.
However, I did have 2 big advantages that helped me survive intense grappling training.
- I'm athletic (thanks to my strength & movement training)
- I'm flexible (thanks to my flexibility & mobility training)
Even though I knew ZERO BJJ techniques, I used my athleticism and mobility to my advantage.
Unfortunately, after talking with a LOT of other BJJ athletes, I found out that many aren't so lucky.
😭 Many have lots of pain and tightness in their bodies.
Many have an "injury list" a mile long...
Many even have the same problem I HAD (hip impingement).
But most don't know how to overcome it.
Today's video is for those people.
About The Author
Shane Dowd, CES, CMP is the owner/founder of GotROM.com. He is also a sports performance & mobility coach specializing in injury prevention and flexibility for athletes.
