I'd hoped that September would mark the beginning of my brown belt project - and in a few respects, it will. But the fact that my shoulder is still bugging me means that I won't be able to train at the kind of clip and pace I'd hoped for a few weeks ago.
On the one hand, this is my first significant injury in a little over two years, which is pretty damn good. Two years ago, same shoulder, I was out for about six weeks. This time around, I'm trying to train through the injury, which I don't think is as serious as the one last time. Back then, I got some X-rays from a smirking orthopedic doctor whose attitude seemed to be "you train jiu jitsu, that's what you get." No medicine (which was fine). No advice (other than "stay off it").
So I'm in no hurry to waste my time and money again. I've been taking the Cissus, but I know I shouldn't expect anything significant on that score for another three weeks. The trick is going to be in just being careful, training smart, and learning as quickly as possible what I can and can't do with the shoulder.
Taking the night off to heal up a bit. I may get back on the mat Thursday evening, but it is more likely that Friday's Live Training class will be my next time in a gi.
