Taking a break from BJJ

[Forceof1]

I'm assuming at this stage of the game you are not training to be a world champion.

Therefore- you are a hobbyist doing a hobby. Hobbies should be fun, something you look forward to and enjoy, etc.

Being sore / frustrated / burnt out is not what you want in the hobby. Take the time off to heal. If you want to come back, you will. If you find things you enjoy more- spend your time there.

People's training should match their goals or purpose. If training bjj no longer fulfills your goals or purpose- then move on. Or, 6 months away could renew your body and enthusiasm for the hobby- at which point- manage your training so it continues to be enjoyable.

 

[Pierced7681]

After 8-10 years of nonstop training I stopped for a break to heal up some injuries in 2015 and haven’t gone back since. Been really enjoyable not living by a set schedule and not having to wash my gi’s and rash guards every day.

 

[Deltafarce]

The biggest thing I noticed was cardio really sucked for a couple months but if your swimming that should help. Can you try to just ratchet back the training and take it easy. I had a lot of back stuff and was able to get better by just taking it easy on the mats while still learning and maintaining some decent cardio...

 

[nefti]

I have strayed away from the mats due to various reasons, the first thing to go was timing.

 

[Bigboot]

45 year old brown belt here. I took a year off from training and now I’m back at it. I started back in teaching a couple nights a week and loved it not as hard when I can pick my rolls. That being said it is hard to get used to being tapped buy guys I used to crush but I quickly forget all that when they remind me that one of the reason they love whatever submission they used on me is because I did it to them! It’s as good a feeling for me to hit a sub as it is for someone to thank me for taking the time to teach it to them.

 

[ali137]

guys i have a question i had 6 months brake from mma and is 6 month long and and will it matter much and can i get even better than even if i didnt train for 6 months ?ty

 

[SAMURAI SPIRIT]

I am also turning 45 this year. I had to take a year off due to an ankle injury and right after that I got a knee injury so around 14 months off. Did it help? Yes it did. I spent that time working on my flexibility and some serious weight lifting. So I feel like I am coming back strong as an ox with better resistance to injuries due to all the flexibility work I did. I feel like I have lost a little of my "grappling reflexes" but within a month of rolling, I am getting them back. the benefits of lay off are worth a lot more than lost reflexes that can be picked up in a month. Since the layoff has been this beneficial, I have decided on two things. First is that I will be arriving on the mat 30 minutes prior and work on full body flexibility. The second is that after every 5 months I will take a month off for powerlifting and flexibility. Benefits of the layoff are huge.

 

[Stop Being Greedy]

If you have chronic issues with your back and knees, you probably should have taken this break a long time ago. People normalize being in pain all the time in BJJ gyms, but it isn't normal. These things don't just magically get better on their own, they get worse if you don't address them. I would never play games when it comes to an injury, especially with my back.

I've taken several long breaks from training, I'm currently in the middle of one. Now is the perfect time to take one because a lot of people are going to be, with the pandemic going on. I've actually thought I might get back to training as soon as it's over, because everyone else will be rusty too. It's more likely though that a bunch of people will go back long before it's safe, and I'll still want to wait it out until I'm not risking my health for a hobby. It all ultimately comes back to what you want to get out of BJJ. For nearly all of us, it's a hobby. Even for most of the people who think it's more than that, it's still just a hobby. Unless you have some short term goal that massively outweighs your own physical well-being and ability to grow old without being in pain, take a break. For me, every time I'd be off the mat for a while, I would realize how insulated I'd been focusing so much on training and there's a lot more that life has to offer. Once you reach that point, you realize how ridiculous it was that you were considering just trying to tough it out and train through serious injuries that absolutely do jeopardize your quality of life.

As far as your question, every break I ever took was beneficial. I always came back healthier, refreshed and without a huge drop-off in skill. The only thing that would happen is that my timing would be off and my composure wasn't quite there, until I felt myself relax in some compromising positions again. I always stay in great shape though, so that's a big difference from someone who only trains BJJ and doesn't do much S&C. After most of my breaks, I would get back on the mat either stronger from lifting or with better conditioning because I'd focused on endurance training during the time off. Those things are much easier to do without the risk of getting seriously hurt and also generally go hand in hand with rehabbing injuries, whereas no one would ever tell you to fix your back by contorting your body in all sorts of strange positions so that you can try to choke someone.

 

[shunyata]

I've already been joking with team mates that maybe this is a good thing for anyone in grappling who had nagging injuries but couldn't keep themselves off the mat.

This is a great time for rest and rehab.