I miss jiu jitsu

I'm no stranger to breaks from jiu jitsu. In fact, I'd say I'm more acquainted with breaks than with actual training. But this most recent "break" has been the longest I've gone without a single training session in a long time. And not without reason.

Last December I got caught in a shoulder lock. The problem, for me, was that I didn't think I was that caught. I thought if I could just get the guy to shift his weight a little, I could escape. Unfortunately, I could not get the guy to shift his weight and by the time I was willing to admit that to myself, he'd applied the submission to a point it hurt. 

(For the uninitiated, when it comes to a lot of joint locks, when it gets to the point it hurts, you're already bit late in tapping).

Now at the gym, my shoulder felt a little sore, but nothing super horrible. I kept rolling for the rest of the training session and then went about my day. The next day my shoulder was a bit sorer and so I decided that I would once again take a break from the gym while I let it heal. It was near the holidays and seemed like a good time for a break anyways (even though I'd only been back about a month since my last break). 

I don't think it's ever really healed. For like eight months now my shoulder has been iffy at best. Some days it feels fine and has most its normal mobility and I only remember it's injured when I try to move it in ways it doesn't normally move anyways. But other days, I've got maybe 50% mobility and it's a struggle to move it enough to put a backpack on. 

Eight freaking months... It might be time to actually go see a doctor. But that's expensive (yay American healthcare!) and takes away from what little free time I often feel like I have. However, now that the Air Force is resuming PT testing, I may be out of options. I can do like three push-ups with my shoulder as it is before it's in excruciating pain. 

But I'm really beginning to miss going to the gym. From the workout to the camaraderie. Don't get me wrong, I haven't been completely lazy all this time - been making use of the treadmill as well as a decent bit of hiking. But those are like they're own separate things; I don't think there's another workout out there that compares to the one you get with grappling/combat sports. 

So it might just be time to admit to myself this shoulder isn't going to heal on its own and maybe make a doctor appointment. 

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