My love for Jiu-Jitsu has never changed. The mats are where I get strong, face challenges, and win.
But I learned the hard way one day that taking care of your body is just as important as getting better at what you do.
It was just another training session, nothing unusual about it. Over and over, my partner and I worked on knee-on-belly transitions.
My coach always told me to use the right form: “Pressure, control, precision!” But as the rounds went on, each time my knee hit the mat, it hurt badly.
I told myself, “Shake it off.” It is normal to feel pain sometimes, right? That is what we are taught.
But my knee was swollen the next morning, and every step made me think of what I did wrong.
I had to stop training for a while to get better.
I learned everything I could about knee health in BJJ during those weeks off. I learned then that knee pads can make a difference.
Knee pads are useful for more than just beginners and people who are healing from injuries. They are for people who want to stay in this sport for a long time.
Your joints are always under stress when you train hard, especially when you do moves like knee-on-belly, single-leg takedowns, or even sprawling.
Knee pads give you the necessary protection from jiu-jitsu knee injuries.
Jiu Jitsu techniques are, of course, very important.
Good body mechanics will always keep you from putting stress on your muscles that you do not need to, but the hard work of mat time can still hurt you.
Knee pads? They are like insurance—they give you a little extra help for those tough sessions.
I went back to the mats with a pair of knee pads that were light and flexible. At first, they felt weird, but I quickly got used to them as part of my gear.
And you know what? I got better at training. Since I did not have to worry about my knee pain all the time, I could focus on the flow, which is the most important part of Jiu-Jitsu.
Do you need knee pads for BJJ? Are you pushing your training to new heights, doing drills that put stress on your knees, or are you just getting over an injury? Then yes, they might help you stay in the game.
Protecting your knees is protecting your journey, take it from someone who has been through it.
Thanks for reading!
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