Injuries in BJJ

[Gecko]

Hi, Im been browsing the forums for some time now and finally registered. Im in my second month of BJJ. The first month someone torqued my shoulder and elbow. I had a huge bruise on my elbow and my shoulder hurt for a week and a half. I wrote that injury off and figured maybe I need to be tapping out sooner. I didnt feel as though i should be but i have a high pain tolerance. Well after a month off (due to a vacation and resting my shoulder) im back trying to be more cautious. Last tuesday in class a guy put me in a neck crank that seemed uncomfortable , but not enough to tap. He was persistant and kept cranking. I couldnt get out of it so I tapped out. Well anyways, ive had a sore neck and back for almost a week now. I feel as if ive got whiplash. Also I have bruises behind both my ears from being bent back. Yeah i know , enough complaining already. Just wondering if these injuries are normal, or is it me?

[mixwell]

not to sound mean but what the hell are you doing ? Once you know the guy has you just tap.. you are only training man .. there is no need to see how far you can go before f'ing up your body.. once a guy gets you just tap.. i am in my 2nd month and i haven't had any of those injuries.. Usually once a guy gets an armbar and I know i cant get out i tap. I don't wait for him to apply pressure until i feel pain.. don't wear yourself out.. I mean i have had guys armbar me where i am holding on and they get it and extend quick but i tap as quick as I can.. you know what i mean??

if you keep getting injured you are only going to hurt your training.. I have a few injuries (jammed toes, messed up knee) but i just roll kind of light.. Personally i am hooked on it and the 1st time i jammed my toe i could barely walk.. I missed training for a week and i was soo pist off. My advice is just take it easy and if you get injured take time off to get over it..

I think the worst thing is to traing when you are injured. You have to give your body time to recover. I'm hooked on BJJ though and I am an idiot and traing sometimes when I shouldn't be but thats me. I am not practicing what preach 100%.. Hope this helps

[dkm]

I am gonna cut and paste something that I read on some other forum about neck cranks. I don't know if the below statement is accurate but make whatever want of it:

Neck cranks put stress on the cervicle spine,....an injury to that would in a most severe case result in paraylsis or even possibly death.....also, you wont feel a cervicle strain right away...its the type of injury that wont hurt right away so you don't tap, but then the next morning you wake up and you can't move your neck........IMO a sub that could do that, should be banned from competition.....not to mention it is a sub that requires zero technique over strength....it is for wrestlers with ZERO BJJ experience.....neck cranks leave you open for armbars as well and are not a good idea to attempt.....I dispise neck cranks because i always see un-experienced "huge" guys attempt them on guys who are considerably smaller than them....it takes no skill whatsoever and its dangerous....just my opinion

[OmaPlata]

neck cranks are bad, i just stretch real good before class and aways watch for guys trying to do those, I put my head on their chest and pull my self close when they do them, so they get no leverage

[Gecko]

Thanx for all the feedback. My initial injury of elbow and shoulder happened so fast. The guy torqued my arm too fast and didnt ease into it. I tapped as soon as i had felt pressure. I think part of the problem is that im the new guy and everyone else has been with it about a year. There is no way they are gonna let a new guy tap them out. Some people go all out when rolling , like they are fighting for their lives, i usually try to slow down the roll to try to gain technique instead of a strength battle. When rolling with a blue belt or the instructor , who is purple, they apply techniques slowly. Does anyone have any ear bruising? I hope i dont have to resort to ear protectors.

[JKD Student]

I use wrestling headgear to protect my ears when we are working on techniques that abuse the head and neck, and always when we are free grappling. There is absolutely nothing wrong with wearing protective gear. It's certainly better than living with cauliflower ear permanently, in my opinion.

[cakegirl]

Hey there Gecko, and welcome to BJJ.

What school do you go to? Most reputable schools don't allow neck cranks because they are so dangerous.

Also, I've found that the schools where the teacher is knowledgable and sensible, that attitude tends to filter down through the students, and eliminate the d!ck element... So if you have a school where people are slamming on shoulder locks and neck cranking students who've only been there for a month, I'd be REALLY cautious about going back there. Ever.

Oh, and to answer the bruise question, no I have never had bruises like that. I get little bruises all the time, but they're caused by the material of my uniform twisting and pinching my skin as I move.

[OmaPlata]

<.. So if you have a school where people are slamming on shoulder locks and neck cranking students who've only been there for a month,>

-Funny thing is, its the students who have only been there for a month that do the neck cranking, the more advanced guys (or girls hehe) dont do it, less they are just faking it to set up another move.......thats what ive noticed anyway

[mixwell]

the 2 months I have ben training I have not seen one person at my school apply a neck crank.. most of the higher belts are also pretty cool to roll with in my school becasuse they try to help you.. They will actually give me sub attempts and see if I go for them.. Also if we free roll, sometimes i just ask for advice on certain subs or positions and they help out.. I would hate to train in a school where there are idiots that try to go all out and hurt other people.

[SweepEm]

Neck cranks like a can opener are very dangerous.

If you have strong upper body strength, and you go against someone that's not too experienced, it's easy to get a neck crank. And also easy to hurt someone.

But like heel hooks, you need to be very careful with neck cranks and for that matter, any submission you attempt.

Unfortnately, because of small or weak egos, many guys just want to win, get a tap or submission at almost any cost.

[Gecko]

I want to thank all of you for the feedback again. Cakegirl, I attend a BJJ class that is held in a MMA school. The instructor is real cool and seems very sensible. Some days there are only a few students there so at times its almost like private lessons. I think in any class you are gonna get some students that are @holes. I think i will attend classes the rest of the month and then reevaluate my training at this facility. If things continue this way then I may look to find another place to train. I believe this is the only place close enough to go to though. If I continue , i will have to look into head gear. Also does anyone wear wrestling shoes? Half the people at the place i go wear them. Any plus or minuses to wearing them?

[cakegirl]

-Funny thing is, its the students who have only been there for a month that do the neck cranking, the more advanced guys (or girls hehe) dont do it, less they are just faking it to set up another move.......thats what ive noticed anyway

OmaPlata, I agree with you, and nearly said exactly the same thing in my first post, but then I remembered that Gecko said that the other students had been training for a year, and he was the only newby.

[OmaPlata]

most places wont let you wear shoes since its easy to cut someones face up with them

[JKD Student]

most places wont let you wear shoes since its easy to cut someones face up with them

I think that's probably true at strictly BJJ gyms. At MMA gyms though I think it's pretty common. Anyway, Like OmaPlata mentioned, if you wear shoes be very careful with your feet around other people's heads because you can cut them up easilly. The upside to wearing wrestling shoes is extra protection for your toes and ankles. The downside is a little extra danger for your training partner if you're not very careful, and that the shoe is easier for opponents to grip than your bare foot - makes heel hooks easier, etc... We are encouraged to wear shoes or any other kind of protective gear at our school. I don't wear wrestling shoes personally, but probably will buy some in the near future. I have very long toes and they get wrenched around alot when I go barefoot. Plus I've broken a few toes in the past doing kung fu and they are prone to re-injury.

[Ahoym8e]

I am gonna cut and paste something that I read on some other forum about neck cranks. I don't know if the below statement is accurate but make whatever want of it:
... ....

We forbid neck cranks at the school I train. Too dangerous, and we don't want people getting hurt.