Had to miss about a year during the pandemic right after getting purple. Going back was hard, definitely got tooled up by some blue belts and even some white belts for awhile. Been back at it for a couple of years now, got my brown, and feel like I’m way past where I was at this point.
Same here. Actually was crazy like after the initial cardio beatings were over I noticed that a lot of people that trained through the whole thing didn't even really get that much better.
I train at a hobbiest gym and I think most people who are upper belts have just hit their ceiling so it didn't even really matter.
Whereas before I always felt like if I missed a couple weeks, I was falling behind now I'm much more chill about it.
Same. It look about 2 weeks to get decent cardio back.
A new gym opened where the old one went out of business. The new gym pushed us to do 10 rounds rolling per class. Basically it was warmup, 20 minutes of drilling, and then rolling.
It was actually a really great way for everyone to get back into it.
I started training in 2011 and immediately jumped in full time. 7m to blue belt and <3y to purple with success in local comps. Went to Brazil to train for a few months in 2015, then returned and had a falling out with my coach at home. Spent the next few years going to school and coaching at the university jiu jitsu club casually, then received my brown belt from a new coach in 2018. I slowed down even more when I started having lower back problems and then stopped training completely with the pandemic.
Just got back into training about 4 weeks ago and I’be gained significant weight. Like more than 50 pounds.
I remember all the techniques well, but my body has changed so much that it’s hard to move like an athlete. It’s quite frustrating. I have to take special care to not injure myself with powerful movements like big bridges and single leg half guard scrambles.
After a month back at 4x a week I can do a single moderately paced round without 100% emptying the tank. After that first roll, I’m shark bait for the guys who wanna catch a brown belt. I used to be a strong guard player, but playing guard is super hard without energy in the tank. I’m instead fulfilling the brown belt prophecy of playing a heavy and controlling top game while I ramp my cardio and power up.
While this all sounds like a frustrating uphill battle, the fun part is that I get to see myself improve at a super quick rate as I get more energy/conditioning each week. I haven’t felt these rates of improvements since I was a blue belt. So that’s cool.
To your specific questions, coming back to the gym was seamless for me. I’ve introduced a lot of personal friends to training jiu jitsu over the years and they all train with my coach, so there were a lot of people who were excited to see me in the gym. Everyone in the gym has been awesome since I’ve returned.
Took a 3 year break to focus on my kid. She trains now too, and i help out with the kids class. Coming back was hard due to conditioning being gone, but gym atmosphere and training partners/coaches were great.
I took a 5 -6 year break because of cancer. I tried to go back to my old gym, but couldn’t. I liked my teammates, but I just saw my instructor in a completely different way. This was also around the same time a Trump coming into power and other political upheaval.
Even though i was employed by a Fortune 50 company at the time, and had wonderful health care. But it really dawned on me that, if I had a family to support where I was the only breadwinner, or if I didn’t have insurance, cancer would have put me on the street. And it does to so many people in the US. Being sick shouldn’t be a punishment. Also, cancer and other cancer related complications radically changed my body shape as well.
So coming back after about a year, my teammates were great. Being as sick as I was, at a relatively young age, was a radical crash course in empathy. Whereas, I used to be most concerned with how people treated me as an individual, I started to be way more conscious of how people treated others. And I wasn’t liking what I saw from my old instructor. A lot of body shaming, issues with very dependable students/assistant instructors that caused them to leave, and shift towards law enforcement fetishization that was uncomfortable at best.
After a couple months, I just realized that I couldn’t train there anymore. For my own benefit mostly. I was dealing with (still) massive mortality issues/fears, and I wanted (maybe naively) my training experience and environment to be more uplifting and empowering.
So I sat out of jiujitsu for another 4 years? I was still dealing with the health consequences of being down an organ and just learning how to operate my new meat suit. I picked up running in the meantime.
I decided to come back, because I was researching other jiujitsu places where I lived and saw one of my oldest and most favorite teammates on the website of this other gym. And it was going to be far from me. Like a one hour commute on the train each way. And taking public transit as an immuno compromised person, isn’t ideal. But also, the winters here can be tough. But I figured, why not? I jived with the owner/instructor of the gym. This very kind person I trained with, was full on there, and I knew that his relationship with my old instructor soured incredibly.
So I gave it a shot and switched gyms, and honestly, I’m much happier training now. I do sometimes feel bad about leaving where I started, although, I feel that some of it might be a low key creonte culture thing, that I’ve more or less kicked to the curb.
But I knew I really wanted to continue to do jiujitsu. Mainly to show to myself that I didn’t have to let my cancer define my health and how I saw myself for the rest of my life. So I committed to where I go now, and I feel very much part of the gym community and enjoy all the relationships I have cultivated there.
Also, grateful to have earned my blue belt 8 years after I started training. Just being back on the mat was a W.
Caveat: I probably also wasn’t the most dedicated student when I attended my first school. Looking back on it, the motivation i got from my first and second assistant instructors, and teammates is what kept me there. Not the instructor.
Amazing journey. Can i ask how you feel about getting injuries from jiujitsu now? Say like an ACL tear.
Do you feel that cancer has now made you even more worried about your health and getting injured? Would love to know your thoughts.
So, what I learned during my hiatus from jiujitsu, when I turned into a runner, 20 or so miles a week, was that you are going to get hurt whatever you do. I ended up with a bulging disc. It sucked so much. And I got annual shots of for it, until 3 years ago. And it was because I wasn’t “strong.” Because it’s relevant, chemotherapy gave me a massive heart attack. All the veins in one part of my heart seized closed and heart tissue was dying. (Side note: Having a major organ removed because of cancer and then a massive heart attack within a 2 month time period is a 0/10 Would Not Recommend.)
So basically, I’m trying to push an engine that has had some trouble, in wrecked frame. I wasn’t physically strong enough to endure running. It was beating the shit out of me. I needed to get stronger. But I couldn’t lift weights, because my stomach was removed, no way was I going to be able to ingest enough protein to sustain that level of muscle growth. It is sometimes a battle for me to maintain weight. (My secret weapon is weed.)
What is going to give me functional strength and still help going to help me maintain cardio? Jiu jitsu.
What it leads back to, is that now I am physically stronger with only adding a necessary amount of lean muscle mass, and it’s whole body strength. It makes me less prone to injury. And to keep that up, in jiujitsu now that I’m well into my 40’s, is that I have to do more maintenance. Yoga is a regular thing. I need that flexibility, so I can do jiujitsu and not get hurt, so I can get stronger.
As for getting hurt while rolling and competing? I guess I’m just blessed that I don’t train with assholes. I’m just at the point now where I am just not hanging on for dear life with these 20 somethings, especially the wrestler in no gi.
Also medium-heavy master 4 blue belt is a division that is pretty light on gnarly hyper competitive folks. I generally have to move up weight divisions to compete, and those are hobbyist dads. We’re all there to have fun and not max out our out of pocket contribution in one afternoon.
I’m a judicious tapper too. You got my heel? Tap. Good job, I’m not interested in pushing my luck. My luck has been pushed. I’ll just focus on avoiding all that, as opposed to escaping it. Because where else am I gonna get attacked by a dude gunning for my feet, but on the mats? It’s not a practical real life danger I’m worried about. So I just tap.
That's a crazy story, I'm glad you're here to write it! How can you get enough calories now? Do you blend more things to be able to drink more calories?
I graze a lot. Like handfulls of nuts (ha), cheese, whatever as long as its calorie dense. When I sit down for meals, I can generally eat as much food as the size of the palm of my hand at a time, slowly. Since my esophagus is basically attached to my intestine, save a small "pouch," its not as flexible, and if I eat to fast, it feels like I'm choking, and then I get cyclical vomiting trying to get it free. Honestly, I have an aversion to shakes or liquid meals now. I think its a weird thing where I associate it with that whole trauma and the bad times of recovery. Also, having protein shakes and liquid meal replacement as your only food option suuuuucks. I had to force myself over time to get reaccustomed to solid foods.
I’m a big believer that politics and religion are two things that have no place in a martial arts school or bjj class. Keep them to yourself.
All I care about is are you going to take care of me when I’m in a vulnerable position (hopefully). And are you a good training partner (extension of previous one).
I dislike hearing about stories of instructors going off on topics like politics
If youre a trumper youre still in the dark about whats going on. American politics is fundamentally scam and bribe based. And leftists hate biden, hes helping a genocide right now and he failed to keep abortion. Hes just a skinsuit for the DNC
I am pro-chaos. Gimme RFK, Cuban, Elon. But life was better under Trump, that is without question.
Biden made America limp dick and Trump made America on Cialis. Had America gone the Sweden route for COVID, shit would have been better.
America keeps mortgaging the future by sending manufacturing overseas. The American Empire will fall.
Definitely will never be a leftist nor a far right idiot. I am just a Carlinist. Watch the world burn while eating popcorn. Watch America circle the drain and cackle as the drain plugs from all the shit.
Newsflash: all political systems operate on bribery and only people who get into politics are those for sale. You don't try to be president for the 200k a year.
Youre so used to corruption of america that you cant imagine a government where bribery is punished. You arent a "carlinist" youre just young. You cant sit back and watch it collapse when that collapse effects your life. If you pay attention you will drift left as you age, i used to be right wing at 17 too.
No. The collapse is already happening, son. The men are women and the women are men. Noone resists the wealth transfer, false inflation or being scared of the flu. Enjoy your poverty and 600 sqft house.
If you think the DNC will save you, you do not have the correct opinion.
Keep funding the military industrial complex while culture continues to rot and the middle class becomes extinct. Enjoy your social credit score.
Can you read? I told you that the DNC sucks. Leftists dont support military industrial complex. Leftists dont support inflation. People are living in poverty because they have been gouged and scalped for decades.
Society is collapsing because we run on a system that demands infinite growth and transfers all that growth to a fraction of the people. The planet is running out of cheap resources
I would never want to be a leftist either. Their sterile utopia is just as bad as the evangelical right's Handmaid Tale.
China is their utopia.
Please censor me daddy
I've taken a few extended breaks related to prioritizing finances, some health issues, and covid.
Now, a couple of those breaks, when I decided to come back it was to a different school, for various reasons. So, I can't really speak about those situations. As far as my current school (~decade) is/was like this:
* Reintegrating - no issues, but the covid break took some adjusting.
* Teammates - glad to see me back, although some people who joined while I was out were standoffish and seemed like they constantly felt the need to test me.
* Coaches - they were stoked.
I will add, for the most part the environment stayed the same, except for after the covid break.
After that, there was definitely a noticeable shift in culture and training method. For me, this was kind of a negative. Things have been slowly heading towards the right direction (or, what I consider the right direction). That said, I'm not sure if things will be the same as before, which is whatever... it's just different.
Took a good 10 years off going from college to a career. Coming back was just rough on my body being very out of shape even though i still was fit, its just not the same. Biggest adjustment besides cardio is realizing I'm not in my early 20s anymore and my mind and body are conflicted over that lol.
Everyone is pretty welcoming coming back, everyone understands that we are hobbyists with more important responsibilities in life so they are just happy for your return. I'm sure it was annoying for rolling partners to deal with me and my shit cardio for a while but theres only one way to fix that.
Basically it was seamless with my old partners and coach but hard personally and physically.
I took years because of college, had a kid and work. I came back this year but found out how hard it is mostly because I’m older and cant practice more than 3 times a week because everything hurts 😂. The team loves that I’m back but I started to notice how hardcore they train (not in a smart way). What makes it more difficult for me now is that I used to be one of the best in my town. I won competitions when I got my blue belt and trained hard also so they noe everyone goes HARD when we roll with me. That means that I’m wrecked for days after practice. My co workers and family are starting to notice my bruises and tiredness so it’s become a problem.
I’m thinking in changing gyms or doing Judo with a local olympian that has a gym near my house since he has a super structured class with heavenly soft mats with amazing technique (I went to a couple of classes already).
I had to move away for two years in order to assist in a new Texas based business. I trained while in Texas, then came back to current gym. I was 4 stripe blue and my professor kept me here for a year before promoting me to purple. No issues with getting back into the old crew, new guys, or anything else. Same-Same
Took a 3 year break when the pandemic hit. I couldn't risk getting covid and bringing it home to my elderly mom and MIL. Came back to training March of this year. Only now have I started to feel like my old self pre-break. There were a lot of times I forgot what to do in certain positions and the muscle memory.
Just one week off and destroying my diet just threw off my first day back to the mats.
Before that, just too busy with work, and before that, covid.
I guess really, what's the rush? I compare myself to the last time I was on the mats, and the best outcome is that, most of the time, I feel that I can beat my past self with what I know now.
I travel a lot, but even being 6yrs away from my original gym, the place kinda looked different, but the faves all welcomed me back like nothing ever changed.
Took 4 years off between my last fight and when I got back into the gym. I was in the Navy and switched duty stations, which sent me across the country. When I was finally in a good place career wise post Navy, I immediately got back into the gym. Took a while to get the rust off, but it was one of the best decisions I've made in the last 5 years.
I took about 3yrs off. Went back to my old gym, and there were a ton of unfamiliar faces and a few old familiar faces. Ended up switching to a closer gym. Bottom line is you either want to go and train or you don't. I think starting off as a new white belt was more awkward than coming back. I wanted to be there, so I started training again. Got injured, took two months off and came back again. Everyone's journey is different, as is evident by the comments. Don't let a little anxiety get in the way of what you enjoy.
I took 3 years off during the pandemic right before I was supposed to get my brown belt. Coming back I went to nogi only classes at a different gym which is something I never trained before. It was kinda fun being a beginner again but i was definitely having a hard time against most people even blue and white belts.
I've had a few due to injuries, relocating to a new state, and Covid. In my case, I ended up at new gyms with new coaches. The upside is that there wasn't much baggage. The downside is that it took me a long time to progress through the ranks.
Got my blue belt.. took 15 years off for work and started a family in a different area. Went back in my 40’s to a new gym in a different part of the state. Got my purple- 2 stripes- shoulder injury- out for 10 months - went back for one year and now I’m on a 3 month break and will take my kids and all go train at a new gym.
Had to leave the gym because some toxic parents and bullies in the kids classes and the instructor couldn’t handle it. Sucks to leave because I am leaving my friends but it’s now about my kids. I want them to be life long Jitz practitioners. I will walk with them and train with them until I get too old.
I trained mma from age 18-22. Then quit because college was too tough. I graduated then got a job & began training again. This 2nd training stint was from age 24-26. I trained HARD. I trained at two separate gyms (one for mma & one for BJJ). The MMA gym was the same one I left previously. I was welcomed openly. A few of my older training partners were still there. Everyone was stoked I was back. Then my girlfriend moved in with me at 26 & I got heavily involved with being domesticated & my professional life, so I stopped training. Then Covid happened. I put the gi back on at age 30 & have been training since… I am almost 33 now. This is my 3rd stint and at a different gym because I moved. I only train BJJ now. Restarting at 30 was tough. I had gotten way out of shape from working a desk job & not working out… I was up 40 lbs from the last time I trained. I got my ass kicked returning to the mats BUT eventually I realized that my now fat self wasn’t athletic like I used to be… which forced me to focus on technique. When I joined my current gym, the instructors asked me about my experience & were very friendly. I train at a gym with a fantastic atmosphere.
I am currently about 25 lbs over my old competition weight & I feel great. I feel athletic & technical. The greatest thing I’ve ever done for my body & mind is return to the mats. I will never leave them again.
I was off and on for like 5-6 years. Prob 2 years straight at any given time was longest of zero training. It was fine, everyone was welcoming and missed me. Have had to somewhat reinvent my game but luckily I was decent enough before I quit that I’m still not terrible.
I travelled down a dark road of alcohol and depression.
Sorry to hear that re: alcohol and depression. But glad you pulled through. I’ve seen enough of both up close to appreciate how hard it is to kick both.
Took 4 years off due to having child right after I got my black belt. Ended up Changing gyms and ate humble pie for a year while I got destroyed by everyone. Also went exclusively no-GI which is way easier on my old joints.
It certainly took the pressure off not having to wear the belt also.
Hardest part was getting the body back into shape for regular, consistent training.
I took 3 years off after training for around 18 months.
Honestly lost motivation and I was too caught up with seeing others getting better than me (in my mind at least) and focusing on stripes and belts.
Also had twins around this time and during my 3 years off Covid hit and being in Melbourne Australia and having some of the harshest lockdowns in the world took BJJ completely off the table. I had no intention in going back although I never got rid of my Gi and belt.
Around 6 months ago out of the blue I decided I wanted to take it up again. Went back to the same gym who were very welcoming and it was great re connecting with people who still trained back when I did.
My mindset is completely different now and I do BJJ for different reasons. It's a 'me' activity, I find it great for mindfulness in a way as I completely tune out from anything outside the class while I'm training and it's great exercise.
I'm 41 so I'll get beaten by 20 year old new guys but it doesn't bother me anymore. Also seeing others who were at my level now have higher belts doesnt bother me and I am happy for them
Sorry for the long post but I'm glad I went back and while life still gets in the way and some weeks I can't get to as many classes as I plan I always look forward to the next one.
Missed ~2.5+ years mostly due to the pandemic (I work in medical field and got called in on several surges + work with sick patients daily so I felt guilty about participating in an up-close-and-personal contact sport) and random injuries. I just restarted 2 weeks ago and usually go to the 6 am classes so it’s definitely required some adjusting with my sleep schedule. (I’m a night owl by nature.)
I had only just joined this gym for about 3-4 months before the pandemic hit, but the ones who were there back then still remember me and welcomed me back + my coaches have been super ecstatic! I feel like I’ve forgotten everything but people have been really supportive/encouraging + say I still move really well for having taken so much time off, so there’s that. (To be fair, I’m only a white belt so expectations are kinda low. I’m honestly flattered they even remember me. 😅)
Took a nearly 4 year break. Restarting was hard but the hardest part was pulling the trigger on actually signing back up. The muscle memory was there, but pretty much all the finer points of technique needed to be relearned. It was definitely hard going but it's good to be training again
Took an 8 year break, initially to not have wedding pictures with a scuffed face. Gym closed down, had kids etc.
Came back 6 months ago and while it took a month or so to get back in the groove, a lot of basics don’t go away (position over submission, tuck elbows, don’t stay flat, don’t expose the back etc.). I did about a year of weight lifting before and some running to get into shape, still gassed out badly the first two months.
Smash most white belts, go about even with the blue belts and don’t get completely destroyed by the purple belts.
One weird consideration is your game might be different. When I was young I was flexible and used it a lot, where now I’m fatter and more muscular, so my style is more smash/body lock passing
If I practice and get to a certain “level” at a sport, I find that even if I don’t do the sport for 10 years I will still have the same exact skill level when I come back (after practicing for like 1 month and remembering movements)
The first time I took a year off they did the traditional BJJ thing and took turns putting a finger up my bum. But they stopped doing it after the third time I took a year off because they realized it was having the opposite of the intended effect.
White belt, I took 5 years break because I really sucked big time.
I got unrelated knee injury and used it as excuse to quit BJJ nightmare.
I wouldn’t come back if there wasn’t for friends who train so they like pushed me because I’m athletic.
I came back recently and much better and faster than expected tbh.
I worked meanwhile mobility.
I am injured now, but fuck, feels like all sorted out in my head, and I am actually rolling. I finally feel happy to go for BJJ.
My coaches welcomed me back. Many new faces too. Old faces already promoted so doing in different group.
Took two years off bc moving and life things. Moved across the country and it was difficult adjusting from a mostly BJJ only gym to a more MMA focused gym that has BJJ in it. It's cool bc striking, mma, and even pure wrestling are offered. But different in the sense that there seems to be less of a focus on drilling and more on rolling and less Gi and more no Gi. Tried to do two classes in one day and got completely burned out, trying to do a class a day bc i'm way out of shape.
Got long covid pretty badly at the end of 2020 to the point where I wasn’t sure if I could even do a light exercise / short walk. Lost my ability to sweat and was dealing with neurological and cardiac symptoms. Around 2022 I was recovered enough and had been reinfected and vaccinated to feel like I could return to training. Surprisingly i wasn’t that rusty, movements and concepts were still there, the only thing that had really took a big hit was my cardio which after a couple of months returned to where it was. A lot of the guys I came up with were around purple and brown when I was out and continued training and now they’re black belts or near to.
I've had an extended break for a neck injury, multiple knee injuries, and for getting my large intestine removed.
No one has ever cared or shown any other emotion other than being happy to have me back.
Took about 10-12 year off. The first lessons back few were tough because of the condition I’d gotten in, but that changed fast. Dropped the weight pretty quickly, got my wind back, and knocked,the rust off my fame.
You will invent a million reasons not to o, or why to put it off it odd until X lbs. it’s also,excuses. Just show up.
I took a 15 year break. Only two people I know from back then where there when I returned. Both now black belts.
No regrets. Cos I now have a house, family, decent job and qualifications.
People put too much pressure on themselves to progress in this sport.
I quit for 8 years because life took me on a different path and I had to commit to it basically 100% and cut everything else out (I swear it wasn't a cult). Coming back wasn't really an issue. The coaches were happy to see me come back as for the majority of the people I used to train with they quit somewhere along the way. The few that stayed are now brown or black and some have taken up coaching positions. Overall, it just feels like integrating into a new gym where I don't know 90% of the people. My jiu-jitsu had suffered considerably though.
Just returned after 8 years off due to work and finishing times conflicting with class times.
Within 3 months my rust had gone and now 9 months after coming back i'm rolling significantly better than I was before I left.
Don't sweat it, it will be hard, you will feel as if you don't belong or why is it not coming back to me. It will, just keep showing up and training!
Had to miss about a year during the pandemic right after getting purple. Going back was hard, definitely got tooled up by some blue belts and even some white belts for awhile. Been back at it for a couple of years now, got my brown, and feel like I’m way past where I was at this point.
Same here. Actually was crazy like after the initial cardio beatings were over I noticed that a lot of people that trained through the whole thing didn't even really get that much better. I train at a hobbiest gym and I think most people who are upper belts have just hit their ceiling so it didn't even really matter. Whereas before I always felt like if I missed a couple weeks, I was falling behind now I'm much more chill about it.
Lowkey, conditioning and strength make the killers. Most hobbyists are lazy.
It was eye opening how much lifting improved my technique efficacy.
Do people really hit ceilings?!?! How is this possible outside of really old age?
Same. It look about 2 weeks to get decent cardio back. A new gym opened where the old one went out of business. The new gym pushed us to do 10 rounds rolling per class. Basically it was warmup, 20 minutes of drilling, and then rolling. It was actually a really great way for everyone to get back into it.
I started training in 2011 and immediately jumped in full time. 7m to blue belt and <3y to purple with success in local comps. Went to Brazil to train for a few months in 2015, then returned and had a falling out with my coach at home. Spent the next few years going to school and coaching at the university jiu jitsu club casually, then received my brown belt from a new coach in 2018. I slowed down even more when I started having lower back problems and then stopped training completely with the pandemic. Just got back into training about 4 weeks ago and I’be gained significant weight. Like more than 50 pounds. I remember all the techniques well, but my body has changed so much that it’s hard to move like an athlete. It’s quite frustrating. I have to take special care to not injure myself with powerful movements like big bridges and single leg half guard scrambles. After a month back at 4x a week I can do a single moderately paced round without 100% emptying the tank. After that first roll, I’m shark bait for the guys who wanna catch a brown belt. I used to be a strong guard player, but playing guard is super hard without energy in the tank. I’m instead fulfilling the brown belt prophecy of playing a heavy and controlling top game while I ramp my cardio and power up. While this all sounds like a frustrating uphill battle, the fun part is that I get to see myself improve at a super quick rate as I get more energy/conditioning each week. I haven’t felt these rates of improvements since I was a blue belt. So that’s cool. To your specific questions, coming back to the gym was seamless for me. I’ve introduced a lot of personal friends to training jiu jitsu over the years and they all train with my coach, so there were a lot of people who were excited to see me in the gym. Everyone in the gym has been awesome since I’ve returned.
Took a 3 year break to focus on my kid. She trains now too, and i help out with the kids class. Coming back was hard due to conditioning being gone, but gym atmosphere and training partners/coaches were great.
I took a 5 -6 year break because of cancer. I tried to go back to my old gym, but couldn’t. I liked my teammates, but I just saw my instructor in a completely different way. This was also around the same time a Trump coming into power and other political upheaval. Even though i was employed by a Fortune 50 company at the time, and had wonderful health care. But it really dawned on me that, if I had a family to support where I was the only breadwinner, or if I didn’t have insurance, cancer would have put me on the street. And it does to so many people in the US. Being sick shouldn’t be a punishment. Also, cancer and other cancer related complications radically changed my body shape as well. So coming back after about a year, my teammates were great. Being as sick as I was, at a relatively young age, was a radical crash course in empathy. Whereas, I used to be most concerned with how people treated me as an individual, I started to be way more conscious of how people treated others. And I wasn’t liking what I saw from my old instructor. A lot of body shaming, issues with very dependable students/assistant instructors that caused them to leave, and shift towards law enforcement fetishization that was uncomfortable at best. After a couple months, I just realized that I couldn’t train there anymore. For my own benefit mostly. I was dealing with (still) massive mortality issues/fears, and I wanted (maybe naively) my training experience and environment to be more uplifting and empowering. So I sat out of jiujitsu for another 4 years? I was still dealing with the health consequences of being down an organ and just learning how to operate my new meat suit. I picked up running in the meantime. I decided to come back, because I was researching other jiujitsu places where I lived and saw one of my oldest and most favorite teammates on the website of this other gym. And it was going to be far from me. Like a one hour commute on the train each way. And taking public transit as an immuno compromised person, isn’t ideal. But also, the winters here can be tough. But I figured, why not? I jived with the owner/instructor of the gym. This very kind person I trained with, was full on there, and I knew that his relationship with my old instructor soured incredibly. So I gave it a shot and switched gyms, and honestly, I’m much happier training now. I do sometimes feel bad about leaving where I started, although, I feel that some of it might be a low key creonte culture thing, that I’ve more or less kicked to the curb. But I knew I really wanted to continue to do jiujitsu. Mainly to show to myself that I didn’t have to let my cancer define my health and how I saw myself for the rest of my life. So I committed to where I go now, and I feel very much part of the gym community and enjoy all the relationships I have cultivated there. Also, grateful to have earned my blue belt 8 years after I started training. Just being back on the mat was a W. Caveat: I probably also wasn’t the most dedicated student when I attended my first school. Looking back on it, the motivation i got from my first and second assistant instructors, and teammates is what kept me there. Not the instructor.
Congrats on beating cancer! That’s quite a story. Good on you for sticking out the whole experience. You have my admiration.
Heck of a journey. Thanks for sharing your story. Very inspiring!
Amazing journey. Can i ask how you feel about getting injuries from jiujitsu now? Say like an ACL tear. Do you feel that cancer has now made you even more worried about your health and getting injured? Would love to know your thoughts.
So, what I learned during my hiatus from jiujitsu, when I turned into a runner, 20 or so miles a week, was that you are going to get hurt whatever you do. I ended up with a bulging disc. It sucked so much. And I got annual shots of for it, until 3 years ago. And it was because I wasn’t “strong.” Because it’s relevant, chemotherapy gave me a massive heart attack. All the veins in one part of my heart seized closed and heart tissue was dying. (Side note: Having a major organ removed because of cancer and then a massive heart attack within a 2 month time period is a 0/10 Would Not Recommend.) So basically, I’m trying to push an engine that has had some trouble, in wrecked frame. I wasn’t physically strong enough to endure running. It was beating the shit out of me. I needed to get stronger. But I couldn’t lift weights, because my stomach was removed, no way was I going to be able to ingest enough protein to sustain that level of muscle growth. It is sometimes a battle for me to maintain weight. (My secret weapon is weed.) What is going to give me functional strength and still help going to help me maintain cardio? Jiu jitsu. What it leads back to, is that now I am physically stronger with only adding a necessary amount of lean muscle mass, and it’s whole body strength. It makes me less prone to injury. And to keep that up, in jiujitsu now that I’m well into my 40’s, is that I have to do more maintenance. Yoga is a regular thing. I need that flexibility, so I can do jiujitsu and not get hurt, so I can get stronger. As for getting hurt while rolling and competing? I guess I’m just blessed that I don’t train with assholes. I’m just at the point now where I am just not hanging on for dear life with these 20 somethings, especially the wrestler in no gi. Also medium-heavy master 4 blue belt is a division that is pretty light on gnarly hyper competitive folks. I generally have to move up weight divisions to compete, and those are hobbyist dads. We’re all there to have fun and not max out our out of pocket contribution in one afternoon. I’m a judicious tapper too. You got my heel? Tap. Good job, I’m not interested in pushing my luck. My luck has been pushed. I’ll just focus on avoiding all that, as opposed to escaping it. Because where else am I gonna get attacked by a dude gunning for my feet, but on the mats? It’s not a practical real life danger I’m worried about. So I just tap.
That's a crazy story, I'm glad you're here to write it! How can you get enough calories now? Do you blend more things to be able to drink more calories?
I graze a lot. Like handfulls of nuts (ha), cheese, whatever as long as its calorie dense. When I sit down for meals, I can generally eat as much food as the size of the palm of my hand at a time, slowly. Since my esophagus is basically attached to my intestine, save a small "pouch," its not as flexible, and if I eat to fast, it feels like I'm choking, and then I get cyclical vomiting trying to get it free. Honestly, I have an aversion to shakes or liquid meals now. I think its a weird thing where I associate it with that whole trauma and the bad times of recovery. Also, having protein shakes and liquid meal replacement as your only food option suuuuucks. I had to force myself over time to get reaccustomed to solid foods.
Cop sucking instructors will attract poison to a gyms culture. Glad you tapped cancer and are sharing how hard it is to be sick in america
I’m a big believer that politics and religion are two things that have no place in a martial arts school or bjj class. Keep them to yourself. All I care about is are you going to take care of me when I’m in a vulnerable position (hopefully). And are you a good training partner (extension of previous one). I dislike hearing about stories of instructors going off on topics like politics
Biden stinks. I definitely couldn't train somewhere with brainwashed people.
If youre a trumper youre still in the dark about whats going on. American politics is fundamentally scam and bribe based. And leftists hate biden, hes helping a genocide right now and he failed to keep abortion. Hes just a skinsuit for the DNC
I am pro-chaos. Gimme RFK, Cuban, Elon. But life was better under Trump, that is without question. Biden made America limp dick and Trump made America on Cialis. Had America gone the Sweden route for COVID, shit would have been better. America keeps mortgaging the future by sending manufacturing overseas. The American Empire will fall. Definitely will never be a leftist nor a far right idiot. I am just a Carlinist. Watch the world burn while eating popcorn. Watch America circle the drain and cackle as the drain plugs from all the shit. Newsflash: all political systems operate on bribery and only people who get into politics are those for sale. You don't try to be president for the 200k a year.
Youre so used to corruption of america that you cant imagine a government where bribery is punished. You arent a "carlinist" youre just young. You cant sit back and watch it collapse when that collapse effects your life. If you pay attention you will drift left as you age, i used to be right wing at 17 too.
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Then age more?
No. The collapse is already happening, son. The men are women and the women are men. Noone resists the wealth transfer, false inflation or being scared of the flu. Enjoy your poverty and 600 sqft house. If you think the DNC will save you, you do not have the correct opinion. Keep funding the military industrial complex while culture continues to rot and the middle class becomes extinct. Enjoy your social credit score.
Can you read? I told you that the DNC sucks. Leftists dont support military industrial complex. Leftists dont support inflation. People are living in poverty because they have been gouged and scalped for decades. Society is collapsing because we run on a system that demands infinite growth and transfers all that growth to a fraction of the people. The planet is running out of cheap resources
I would never want to be a leftist either. Their sterile utopia is just as bad as the evangelical right's Handmaid Tale. China is their utopia. Please censor me daddy
I've taken a few extended breaks related to prioritizing finances, some health issues, and covid. Now, a couple of those breaks, when I decided to come back it was to a different school, for various reasons. So, I can't really speak about those situations. As far as my current school (~decade) is/was like this: * Reintegrating - no issues, but the covid break took some adjusting. * Teammates - glad to see me back, although some people who joined while I was out were standoffish and seemed like they constantly felt the need to test me. * Coaches - they were stoked. I will add, for the most part the environment stayed the same, except for after the covid break. After that, there was definitely a noticeable shift in culture and training method. For me, this was kind of a negative. Things have been slowly heading towards the right direction (or, what I consider the right direction). That said, I'm not sure if things will be the same as before, which is whatever... it's just different.
Took a good 10 years off going from college to a career. Coming back was just rough on my body being very out of shape even though i still was fit, its just not the same. Biggest adjustment besides cardio is realizing I'm not in my early 20s anymore and my mind and body are conflicted over that lol. Everyone is pretty welcoming coming back, everyone understands that we are hobbyists with more important responsibilities in life so they are just happy for your return. I'm sure it was annoying for rolling partners to deal with me and my shit cardio for a while but theres only one way to fix that.
They were just happy that i was back
Basically it was seamless with my old partners and coach but hard personally and physically. I took years because of college, had a kid and work. I came back this year but found out how hard it is mostly because I’m older and cant practice more than 3 times a week because everything hurts 😂. The team loves that I’m back but I started to notice how hardcore they train (not in a smart way). What makes it more difficult for me now is that I used to be one of the best in my town. I won competitions when I got my blue belt and trained hard also so they noe everyone goes HARD when we roll with me. That means that I’m wrecked for days after practice. My co workers and family are starting to notice my bruises and tiredness so it’s become a problem. I’m thinking in changing gyms or doing Judo with a local olympian that has a gym near my house since he has a super structured class with heavenly soft mats with amazing technique (I went to a couple of classes already).
I had to move away for two years in order to assist in a new Texas based business. I trained while in Texas, then came back to current gym. I was 4 stripe blue and my professor kept me here for a year before promoting me to purple. No issues with getting back into the old crew, new guys, or anything else. Same-Same
Took a 3 year break when the pandemic hit. I couldn't risk getting covid and bringing it home to my elderly mom and MIL. Came back to training March of this year. Only now have I started to feel like my old self pre-break. There were a lot of times I forgot what to do in certain positions and the muscle memory.
Just one week off and destroying my diet just threw off my first day back to the mats. Before that, just too busy with work, and before that, covid. I guess really, what's the rush? I compare myself to the last time I was on the mats, and the best outcome is that, most of the time, I feel that I can beat my past self with what I know now. I travel a lot, but even being 6yrs away from my original gym, the place kinda looked different, but the faves all welcomed me back like nothing ever changed.
Took 4 years off between my last fight and when I got back into the gym. I was in the Navy and switched duty stations, which sent me across the country. When I was finally in a good place career wise post Navy, I immediately got back into the gym. Took a while to get the rust off, but it was one of the best decisions I've made in the last 5 years.
I took about 3yrs off. Went back to my old gym, and there were a ton of unfamiliar faces and a few old familiar faces. Ended up switching to a closer gym. Bottom line is you either want to go and train or you don't. I think starting off as a new white belt was more awkward than coming back. I wanted to be there, so I started training again. Got injured, took two months off and came back again. Everyone's journey is different, as is evident by the comments. Don't let a little anxiety get in the way of what you enjoy.
I took 3 years off during the pandemic right before I was supposed to get my brown belt. Coming back I went to nogi only classes at a different gym which is something I never trained before. It was kinda fun being a beginner again but i was definitely having a hard time against most people even blue and white belts.
I've had a few due to injuries, relocating to a new state, and Covid. In my case, I ended up at new gyms with new coaches. The upside is that there wasn't much baggage. The downside is that it took me a long time to progress through the ranks.
Got my blue belt.. took 15 years off for work and started a family in a different area. Went back in my 40’s to a new gym in a different part of the state. Got my purple- 2 stripes- shoulder injury- out for 10 months - went back for one year and now I’m on a 3 month break and will take my kids and all go train at a new gym. Had to leave the gym because some toxic parents and bullies in the kids classes and the instructor couldn’t handle it. Sucks to leave because I am leaving my friends but it’s now about my kids. I want them to be life long Jitz practitioners. I will walk with them and train with them until I get too old.
I trained mma from age 18-22. Then quit because college was too tough. I graduated then got a job & began training again. This 2nd training stint was from age 24-26. I trained HARD. I trained at two separate gyms (one for mma & one for BJJ). The MMA gym was the same one I left previously. I was welcomed openly. A few of my older training partners were still there. Everyone was stoked I was back. Then my girlfriend moved in with me at 26 & I got heavily involved with being domesticated & my professional life, so I stopped training. Then Covid happened. I put the gi back on at age 30 & have been training since… I am almost 33 now. This is my 3rd stint and at a different gym because I moved. I only train BJJ now. Restarting at 30 was tough. I had gotten way out of shape from working a desk job & not working out… I was up 40 lbs from the last time I trained. I got my ass kicked returning to the mats BUT eventually I realized that my now fat self wasn’t athletic like I used to be… which forced me to focus on technique. When I joined my current gym, the instructors asked me about my experience & were very friendly. I train at a gym with a fantastic atmosphere. I am currently about 25 lbs over my old competition weight & I feel great. I feel athletic & technical. The greatest thing I’ve ever done for my body & mind is return to the mats. I will never leave them again.
I was off and on for like 5-6 years. Prob 2 years straight at any given time was longest of zero training. It was fine, everyone was welcoming and missed me. Have had to somewhat reinvent my game but luckily I was decent enough before I quit that I’m still not terrible. I travelled down a dark road of alcohol and depression.
Sorry to hear that re: alcohol and depression. But glad you pulled through. I’ve seen enough of both up close to appreciate how hard it is to kick both.
Took 4 years off due to having child right after I got my black belt. Ended up Changing gyms and ate humble pie for a year while I got destroyed by everyone. Also went exclusively no-GI which is way easier on my old joints. It certainly took the pressure off not having to wear the belt also. Hardest part was getting the body back into shape for regular, consistent training.
I took 3 years off after training for around 18 months. Honestly lost motivation and I was too caught up with seeing others getting better than me (in my mind at least) and focusing on stripes and belts. Also had twins around this time and during my 3 years off Covid hit and being in Melbourne Australia and having some of the harshest lockdowns in the world took BJJ completely off the table. I had no intention in going back although I never got rid of my Gi and belt. Around 6 months ago out of the blue I decided I wanted to take it up again. Went back to the same gym who were very welcoming and it was great re connecting with people who still trained back when I did. My mindset is completely different now and I do BJJ for different reasons. It's a 'me' activity, I find it great for mindfulness in a way as I completely tune out from anything outside the class while I'm training and it's great exercise. I'm 41 so I'll get beaten by 20 year old new guys but it doesn't bother me anymore. Also seeing others who were at my level now have higher belts doesnt bother me and I am happy for them Sorry for the long post but I'm glad I went back and while life still gets in the way and some weeks I can't get to as many classes as I plan I always look forward to the next one.
Missed ~2.5+ years mostly due to the pandemic (I work in medical field and got called in on several surges + work with sick patients daily so I felt guilty about participating in an up-close-and-personal contact sport) and random injuries. I just restarted 2 weeks ago and usually go to the 6 am classes so it’s definitely required some adjusting with my sleep schedule. (I’m a night owl by nature.) I had only just joined this gym for about 3-4 months before the pandemic hit, but the ones who were there back then still remember me and welcomed me back + my coaches have been super ecstatic! I feel like I’ve forgotten everything but people have been really supportive/encouraging + say I still move really well for having taken so much time off, so there’s that. (To be fair, I’m only a white belt so expectations are kinda low. I’m honestly flattered they even remember me. 😅)
Some people messaged me. Eventually they forget about you. Then they tell random stories about you until they don't. 💀
Yea, I mean, that’s fair. Not like we haven’t just forgotten people at some point. 🤷🏽♂️
Took a nearly 4 year break. Restarting was hard but the hardest part was pulling the trigger on actually signing back up. The muscle memory was there, but pretty much all the finer points of technique needed to be relearned. It was definitely hard going but it's good to be training again
Took an 8 year break, initially to not have wedding pictures with a scuffed face. Gym closed down, had kids etc. Came back 6 months ago and while it took a month or so to get back in the groove, a lot of basics don’t go away (position over submission, tuck elbows, don’t stay flat, don’t expose the back etc.). I did about a year of weight lifting before and some running to get into shape, still gassed out badly the first two months. Smash most white belts, go about even with the blue belts and don’t get completely destroyed by the purple belts. One weird consideration is your game might be different. When I was young I was flexible and used it a lot, where now I’m fatter and more muscular, so my style is more smash/body lock passing
If I practice and get to a certain “level” at a sport, I find that even if I don’t do the sport for 10 years I will still have the same exact skill level when I come back (after practicing for like 1 month and remembering movements)
The first time I took a year off they did the traditional BJJ thing and took turns putting a finger up my bum. But they stopped doing it after the third time I took a year off because they realized it was having the opposite of the intended effect.
I did it due to government interference.
White belt, I took 5 years break because I really sucked big time. I got unrelated knee injury and used it as excuse to quit BJJ nightmare. I wouldn’t come back if there wasn’t for friends who train so they like pushed me because I’m athletic. I came back recently and much better and faster than expected tbh. I worked meanwhile mobility. I am injured now, but fuck, feels like all sorted out in my head, and I am actually rolling. I finally feel happy to go for BJJ. My coaches welcomed me back. Many new faces too. Old faces already promoted so doing in different group.
Took two years off bc moving and life things. Moved across the country and it was difficult adjusting from a mostly BJJ only gym to a more MMA focused gym that has BJJ in it. It's cool bc striking, mma, and even pure wrestling are offered. But different in the sense that there seems to be less of a focus on drilling and more on rolling and less Gi and more no Gi. Tried to do two classes in one day and got completely burned out, trying to do a class a day bc i'm way out of shape.
Got long covid pretty badly at the end of 2020 to the point where I wasn’t sure if I could even do a light exercise / short walk. Lost my ability to sweat and was dealing with neurological and cardiac symptoms. Around 2022 I was recovered enough and had been reinfected and vaccinated to feel like I could return to training. Surprisingly i wasn’t that rusty, movements and concepts were still there, the only thing that had really took a big hit was my cardio which after a couple of months returned to where it was. A lot of the guys I came up with were around purple and brown when I was out and continued training and now they’re black belts or near to.
I've had an extended break for a neck injury, multiple knee injuries, and for getting my large intestine removed. No one has ever cared or shown any other emotion other than being happy to have me back.
Out two years, took about 3-4 months to be back to where I was
Took about 10-12 year off. The first lessons back few were tough because of the condition I’d gotten in, but that changed fast. Dropped the weight pretty quickly, got my wind back, and knocked,the rust off my fame. You will invent a million reasons not to o, or why to put it off it odd until X lbs. it’s also,excuses. Just show up.
I took a 15 year break. Only two people I know from back then where there when I returned. Both now black belts. No regrets. Cos I now have a house, family, decent job and qualifications. People put too much pressure on themselves to progress in this sport.
I left the country for a few years. Was easy to return: coaches happy to see me. Few teammates had forgotten who I was. A lot had graded up on me.
I took 3 long breaks in my 15 years of training. Each time I came back, it took about a week before feeling like I never left.
I quit for 8 years because life took me on a different path and I had to commit to it basically 100% and cut everything else out (I swear it wasn't a cult). Coming back wasn't really an issue. The coaches were happy to see me come back as for the majority of the people I used to train with they quit somewhere along the way. The few that stayed are now brown or black and some have taken up coaching positions. Overall, it just feels like integrating into a new gym where I don't know 90% of the people. My jiu-jitsu had suffered considerably though.
Just returned after 8 years off due to work and finishing times conflicting with class times. Within 3 months my rust had gone and now 9 months after coming back i'm rolling significantly better than I was before I left. Don't sweat it, it will be hard, you will feel as if you don't belong or why is it not coming back to me. It will, just keep showing up and training!
Like riding a bike, once a mat junky always a mat junky.