training with injuries — when do yall actually rest vs just modify? ribs been killing me for 3 weeks

unpopular opinion but i train through most minor stuff. tape your fingers, take ibuprofen, and modify. the only things i fully rest for are joint injuries and anything involving my neck. everything else i just work around

ive been training 6 years and the hardest skill in jiu jitsu is not any submission — its knowing when to rest. i lost 4 months to a shoulder injury that would have been 3 weeks if i had just stopped when it first happened

modify everything. come to class, drill technique with a trusted partner who knows youre injured, and go home. do not roll. the 6 week competition can wait or you can compete at the next one. there is always another tournament

this is the BJJ struggle. the sport is addictive and taking time off feels like you are falling behind. but training injured is how you turn minor injuries into chronic problems. take it from a 40 year old purple belt with a shoulder that clicks every time i raise my arm

the real answer that nobody wants to hear is REST. take 2-3 weeks completely off. your jiu jitsu will not disappear. i promise you will not forget how to shrimp. but you WILL make the injury worse if you keep training on it

bro go get an xray. a cracked rib that doesnt heal properly can become a much bigger problem. i trained through a "bruised" rib that turned out to be cracked and it took 3 months to heal instead of 6 weeks because i kept aggravating it

for ribs specifically: you need minimum 4 weeks off from any contact. ribs heal slow because they move every time you breathe. every time someone puts pressure on them you are resetting the healing clock. i learned this the hard way