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• Archive: http://archive.is/roqfA *IT FINALLY HAPPENED!*From 2009-2014, I Was Physically And Mentally Broken From The Art I Love So Dear...... and what I finally did to over come it without surgery.[Saturday, 28 November 2009]It's the weekend after Thanksgiving -- I was rolling with a now close friend of mine (he was a white belt then) and he got me in a position called "the lock down".He had it in pretty deep -- it was a borderline kneebar.But it wasn't close enough for me to feel in danger, it was just annoying.He kept squeezing the s**t out of it -- it hurt like a SOB.
• I remember telling myself, "when I get out of this thing, I'm gonna destroy this guy" -- LOL!(I eventually did get out and the destruction commenced LOL, he and I laugh about it to this day)?He was like, "brother, I did't want to let go because I didn't want to die".LOL, fair enough.?The round eventually ended and I had this "weird feeling" in my knee.
• I couldn't put weight on it and the pain grew by the second.After 10 minutes, I could barely stand on it.Time goes by...4 weeks to be exact.I'm still in constant, throbbing pain, and now my knee locks at random.Eventually I go see an orthopedist.?And guess what??Yep... confirmed MRI scan, torn left medial meniscus.
• "That's great, I told myself, just f***ing great!The only option was to have invasive surgery If I wanted to train Jiu-Jitsu at a high level again.But, it gets worse!?I'm just getting back to "normal", it's still hard to lock my knee, if fact, it feels like I have a baseball stuck behind me knee and I can't even sit on my heels.?It happens again...[25 August 2012]I was rolling with a purple belt and BOOM, torn right MCL on a freak half guard sweep defense.SERIOUSLY?!?Again, surgery was required to repair If I wanted to get back to training.?For 5 years, physical activities I greatly enjoyed like training Jiu-Jitsu, strength training with kettlebells, and running were no longer enjoyable.?I was... crushed... defeated... lost not knowing what to do next?I felt like loser.It felt like every time I was building momentum, something would derail my progress, like a f***ing MCL tear.
• But I couldn't control that, I knew the only thing I could control was... my effort... and my attitude?And everything would fall in place.?So what was I gonna do about my situation?Well, I put my head down and got to work -- eventually I got back on the mat but was limited and had to completely change how I trained Jiu-Jitsu.?Which actually made me a better, smarter, and more efficient BJJ player.?I kept training with my kettlebells 3 days a week and maintained my daily Yoga practice.Eventually I stumbled across a concept call:Neuro-Developmental SequencingNeurodevelopmental Sequencing is the normal developmental progression infants go through as they grow.This sequencing includes:The ability to roll from their belly to their back and their back to their belly.Rocking back and forth on their hands and knees (posterior rocking).Crawling and eventually pushing down to achieve their first squat.And last but most important, standing, walking, and running.This same sequence I witnessed my son and daughter progress through in 2011, also happens to be the same postures and movement strategies rehab professionals follow for their patients.So, I went...Back To The BasicsNo matter what corrective exercises I tried: Single leg balance exercisesBosu ballsEtc... (I couldn't even do kneeling exercises because of the pain)My knees were not improving, something was not connecting.That's when I realized I had to go to the lowest point I could to challenge myself...