The gentle art of BJJ can be taxing on your body, depending on how you roll and drill. As the sport has grown in mainstream popularity, we have been lucky enough to increase the diversity of our training partners and more importantly, our training methods, helping us to avoid injury and burnout.

Here are 5 simple ways to increase your longevity in BJJ:

1. DON'T SUCK IT UP

When you fell a pop coming from a joint during a submission hold or technique, chances are something has gone wrong. It is far too familiar for us to "suck it up" and train through it because we don't want to miss a class or appear soft. Do yourself a favour and err on the side of caution and get your injuries looked by a medical professional, we often avoid a proper medical assessment because we don't want to be told to take time off. The good news is that even when you are injured, there are still a massive number of drills that you can do to keep yourself on the mats and avoid the injury while it is recovering.

2. TAP EARLY, TAP OFTEN

Don't let your ego decide when you should tap! So much stress is exerted on our joints when an opponent moves in for a submission. Making mistakes is a part of the game and learning to tap and move on will not only teach you more about strategy and outcome but more importantly, it will save your joints and limbs for the dreaded POP!

3. SLEEP WELL

The more your train, the more rest and repair your body will require. Quality sleep is the key to restoring your body. Aim to sleep for seven to eight hours a night if you can. Turning off electronic devices earlier in the evening or using a blue light filter, reading a book rather than using your laptop or watching TV, meditation & breathwork before getting in bed, are great methods to prepare your mind for rest. Learning to turn your brain off is vital to your recovery and getting yourself to sleep once you get into bed.

4. ADJUST YOUR TRAINING FREQUENCY AROUND YOUR GOALS

Are you planning on competing at the World Championships this year and beyond? No, then it is probably not a good idea to train six days a week. BJJ is trained year-round and therefore doesn't have an offseason. Train around your goals, otherwise you'll suffer from burnout and injury. I find that 3 to 4 sessions per week is the sweet spot, and not all of those sessions need to involve competitive free rolling, drilling and movement will get you plenty out of your training sessions.

5. KNOW YOUR PURPOSE

Keep your reasons for training BJJ personal and close to you. When times get tough, you will want to remind yourself of the reasons you committed yourself to this discipline in the first place. Losing your purpose or not having one in the first place can make training disheartening. It's also ok for your goal to change over time too. Just make sure you are always coming back to the mats for yourself and not some external purpose.