Hirst

Let's say that you're show up at your academy to train one day and as you're sitting on the side waiting for class to start, one of your teammates shows up, drops his bag on the floor, plops down in the chair, and says to you "I do NOT want to be here today!", what do you say to him? Do you call him a wimp for sitting on the sidelines whining prior to training? Or do you suggest to him that maybe he's burned out from training and needs a "mat vacation?"

From that one comment, I don't know which answer is the right one, but it would prompt me to ask my teammate some additional questions to determine if they're in need of a "mat vacation." And each week, I see and hear from grapplers that are burned out from training (happens to all of us) that don't recognize the symptoms.

So, after careful thought, I decided to create The Wise Grappler's "10 Signs You Need a Mat Vacation!" Checklist:

You need a "mat vacation" if:

1. You intentionally show up late for class, you're constantly looking at the clock the entire time you're in class, or you make up some fake excuse why you need to leave early.

2. You're tired even before the class or workout starts.

3. You have to talk yourself to going to train (or compete) from the time you wake up that morning until you actually get to the academy.

4. You start thinking about how cool it would be to just go straight home to relax and watch "24" instead of training.

5. You look for any excuse (e.g. taking your dog to get a teeth cleaning, I forgot to wash my kneepads and they stink, etc.) to get out of training.

6. Your body's sore all the time, even though you're not getting ready for an event.

7. You're happy when a holiday, special event, or tournament happens so that the school will be closed and you don't need an excuse to not go train.

8. You can't catch opponents with your go-to techniques because your movements and timing are off.

9. Classmates that you usually perform well against or dominate are kicking your butt all over the mat.

10. You dream about training in your sleep and, even there, you're getting your butt kicked!

When I look back at my grappling journey, I've experienced many of these signs and refused to take time off. For some foolish reason, I used to think it was better to train with a miserable mental state than to take time off and give both my mind and body a chance to rest. Once I discovered that taking a couple of mini-vacations (4-7 days off) during the year helped my grappling, I stopped fighting it and learned that taking a mental rest break is just as important (if not more important) than a physical rest break. And as a side benefit, the rest actually made me miss training and got me excited about going back to it.

The one thing that you have to look out for during your vacation is a drop in your cardio, but a week shouldn't have that much of an impact on it if you're in shape. And if it's a big concern, you can still do some type of cardio away from the academy to keep your wind from taking a complete slide.

So, stop making excuses for not training (e.g. your gi is dirty), take your "mat vacation", and then put yourself back on track to achieve your grappling goals!

Paul M. Greenhill, "The Wise Grappler", is the creator of The Wise Grappler System and author of The Wise Grappler Ezine, a weekly ezine that provides martial arts training and personal development tips for the older (over 35) and non-traditional martial artists. To learn more about "The Wise Grappler" and to sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit his site at http://www.ihateyoungpunks.com or contact him at paul@thewisegrappler.com

(c) 2007 Paul M. Greenhill