BJJ... When does your ribs stop hurting?

**Monkfg** · Posted On: 2/01/2010 6:40am

Try doing stuff more relaxed and don't focus on the outcome of your rolling so much, but more on how you get stuff to work.

**adouglasmhor** · Posted On: 2/01/2010 6:54am

Get it checked, I thought I had bruised my ribs falling over during a tyre run I had actually got gall stones through fat loss.

If OK take things a tiny bit easier till your ribs recover.

**PimpDawg** · Posted On: 2/01/2010 8:26am

This is exactly why "go see a real doctor" is always good advice whenever someone asks the intrawebs for medical advices. You just never know.

**fitz31** · Posted On: 2/04/2010 8:28pm

Thanks to all those that gave legit answers. I am a cardiovascular tech so I know the difference in bursed and real injury. This is justed bruised.... it is not from being a spaz. I learned awhile ago to relax.

I get the bruising whenever someone put a Metric Crap Ton of weight on me in side mount, and lasts for 3-4 days. It is only an issue when rolling and someone pressing on me (like they should be in top position) or when someone drives a knee into my ribs hard. I was just wondering if this is something I will have to learn to deal with or if my subcostal muscle were going to strengthen.

**PimpDawg** · Posted On: 2/04/2010 8:34pm

I don't remember this being a significant issue when I started. And I rolled with some pretty big dudes. The other option is to focus on learning a good top game and guard pass defense. Judo helped me here. I went from guard-puller to aggressive top game

**DKJr** · Posted On: 2/04/2010 9:21pm

You're letting them put their weight on you, thats a problem. Get on your side, frame up, and run your hips. If your ribs are bruised thats really strange, I've never experienced that. So get on your side, tell your partners to chill, or buck up son this is Jits for pete's sake.

**Lindz** · Posted On: 2/05/2010 12:45am

Same thing happened to me when I started judo. We did a bunch of hold downs and I was sore for weeks after. It was really frustrating because I'd feel fine then go to the dojo or the gym and it would flare up again.

**beardedtaco** · Posted On: 2/05/2010 12:50am

I didn't mean to imply that you are spazzy when you grapple. But, when you bridge while someone has flattened you and they have a good base, you can hurt your ribs. It's something I still do by mistake from time to time, but now I realise earlier and stop before I get injured.
If it is simply the weight on top of you, David Koresh Jr. gave really good advice about defensive positioning.
At first it's easy to get caught "behind the curve" and get flattened all the time but as you begin to feel the different positions out you will be able to pre-emptively move into a defensive position, which at the very least will keep some of that weight off you.
Of course you can't ALWAYS get that right, so when you do have a huge bastard coming at you, and you do get flattened out and squashed, make sure to breathe deep and slow, and start making quick little adjustments until you get enough leverage to get into a better defensive position.
For side control, I've found, of course the basic elbows in, shrimp to your side and make space, but when you bridge to make space to shrimp out ( just using this basic escape as an example ), be careful not to push your arms out away from your body too much, or else if that big bastard shifts his weight, he will land on your ribs in a switched side control.
I regularily get squashed by purple to black belts who are over 100kg and I've found pre-emptive defensive movement, deep relaxed breathing, and keeping a calm technical approach has helped me to survive a lot better and even be the one attacking at times.