2017 (39)
2018 (68)
2019 (88)
2020 (79)
2021 (86)
2022 (83)
2023 (72)
12 days passed since Mon, May 2 when I injured myself sparring with Tim. The
back hurt almost the same way after deadlifting with a poor form. The first few
days, I couldn't do anything. Getting up from the couch took some major effort
and a lot of grimaces. The recovery had been steady, however. In one week, I was
able to resume my morning routine, the Tibetan five rites, plus 21 bridges.
It turned out, however, that my right hand suffered a worse damage. During a
round earlier that evening, Steve passed my guard and, as he transitioned to
the right, my curled middle finger was caught under his knee. The hand was
driven into the mat under all 200 lbs+ of him. It didn't feel much at the moment
and the back injury grabbed all my attention but the next day, I couldn't even
make a fist with my right hand. Well, the time-off was doubly necessary.
Into the second week, the back pain was healing and I started to fast-walk
twice daily. My diet stayed the same and I didn't gain weight. I was not in a
big hurry and did not even watch much jiu-jitsu instruction videos. Toward the
weekend, things got much better. A full recovery of the right hand might take
one more week but I felt ready to return.
No one asked about my two-week absence on Sat morning. Gell the tank came back
too, after one month of a trip and then Covid, Michael the six feet tall bluebelt
returned from a shoulder injury, Liam the high-schooler earned two stripes on his
white belt, and 50+ John, after three months, was still here. Only Michael and I
traded stories briefly about our sufferings. Maybe people had been used to
injuries, others' or their own.
The break didn't set me back in my game, to my pleasant surprise. I rolled with
the guys with the same zeal and glee and sweated a good deal in 25 minutes of
sparring. From the look of it, Tim was having a great time, too. Sunday morning,
I lifted weight and again did not feel much difference from two weeks ago. My
pullups sucked but I felt truly blessed. Hallelujah!
"I was not in a big hurry and did not even watch much jiu-jitsu instruction videos."
+1, good!! Really no rush at all for anything in our life:)) Take care, my friend!