Tweaked my lower back yesterday. Need to be in okay shape for Grappers Quest Boston.

Damn it Yamanashi!!! Your back will heal soon. Just lay off the rolling for a bit. If you can't go to Boston it works for me as I would like you to come see me compete.

I'm sorry, man. I truly understand how you feel. Hang in there and don't lose your passion for the sport. You will get back up. Good luck!!

Thanks Heidi. Don't worry, I won't lose the fire. It's just a temporary setback. There'll be other opportunities for me to compete. Just wish I could get rid of my lower back problem for good. If I could fix my back, I would be a beast.

I'm still training with a messed up back. The trick seems to be in focusing on top game drills or any move that doesn't require me to curve my lower spine inward. It kind of sucks, I haven't been able to do rubber guard for the past couple of weeks without paying for it later. In the meantime, I'm drilling my top game and strengthening my core as my back heals.

That's what I'm trying to do too. Rubber guard isn't too bad on my back. When I get my back taken and when I get caught in mount are the two worst positions for me. Most of the time I have to stop rolling and start over from a different position. But hey, it has made me a lot better at defending those positions. I don't get caught in them as much anymore. :)

I'm all about pulling guard, getting the sweep, and then working a really tight side control. I don't do takedowns as much due to my bad lower back and no lateral ligament in my left knee.

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Originally Posted by Louis Ho

My back has actually gotten worse. It's more of a spasm now. It's hard to sit and even harder to get up. Last night, towards the end of my Jiu Jitsu class, I had to grab one of my students so that I could use him to pull myself off the ground. It's not looking like I'll be able to compete. Kind of demoralizing. I really wanted to go to Grapplers Quest in Boston. :(

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Many tournaments to go to, only one spine Danielson! When you look at it from the proper perspective, it is not demoralizing at all. Maybe depresses you a little (prob alot) But just know that your competitors got off easy, this time.... ;)

You're right Bill. Wise words. And yeah, those Boston douchebags got off real lucky this time.

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Originally Posted by Louis Ho

I'm all about pulling guard, getting the sweep, and then working a really tight side control. I don't do takedowns as much due to my bad lower back and no lateral ligament in my left knee.

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Yeah, the one good thing about grappling is that if you can't do something one way, there's always another way to do it. That's also the depressing part. My game before was catching the overhook when I pulled guard and hitting the RG path immediately. That was my bread and butter. Can't really do that while my back is healing.

I'm really bummed out over it. So now I'm watching random Sakuraba videos, working on my ankle pick (the only takedown that doesn't seem to hurt my back when it goes wrong), and drilling guard passes and top position stuff.

I asked a similar question on the Damage Control message board. Some people over there posted some interesting articles about the lower back and common problems that athletes encounter: http://damagecontrolmma.com/forum/co...-a-lower-back/

I found some of those articles incredibly helpful in piecing together a rehabilitation regiment. Now the only problem is sticking to it.

With my back and knee problems, I don't do rubber guard as much. I'm using half guard with lockdown, and I am sweeping EVERYONE. It took me a long time to make it a dominant part of my game, but now I can sweep most guys without even breaking a sweat.