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I'm not really sure how this is going to work out either. Depends how it heals up.
Part of me feels like I'm gonna get the stitches out and go right back to it. To a certain extent if I limit positions/moves I'm doing I can reduce the risk of getting hit in the face pretty substantially. So there's a lot I can do with minimal risk of reopening the wound. My buddy and I signed up for private classes with the head coach once a week, and I think I plan to get back to those first, because those will give me the most flexibility to train while just skipping anything risky. I could spend a month or two just working on open guard and De La Riva and leg locks, structuring drilling and sparring around those positions, and spend just as much time learning techniques and drilling full speed, and never be anywhere near a position to get whacked in the face again. Anyway the fear is likely more psychological, but I don't want to tear the same wound open again, it'll be a minute before I fully trust it.
Another part of me feels like I should probably take a prolonged break from BJJ altogether, because it could be months until I can just roll without restrictions/worries. I don't know when I'll feel super comfortable tying up with someone standing, the slide by that ended my night was a super routine move. And it's not that practical for me to totally limit the drilling aspects in the regular classes, because the coaches are just writing their curriculum without reference to me. In general, there's plenty for most people to do around BJJ without actually rolling, though you'll ultimately need to roll to get anywhere. The head coach at my gym is somewhat legendary for, when he started out, showing up to classes for months even though he couldn't train due to injury, just to watch and learn. For me though, it's as much a fitness routine as a dedication to mastering martial arts, and if I can't do the whole thing I might prefer another hobby.
Do this. Don't worry until the same thing happens at least once more. Until then it's a fluke.
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BJJ gets tougher as we age. I don't know how old you are, but there will come a time when you shouldn't feel comfortable tying up with someone standing unless you know them well. And for fitness alone I'd recommend almost anything else if you're mid thirties or over.
I'm curious why you'd say that?
For me it's been a useful change up to my routine, as it's very different from lifting or climbing.
For me (and I think I'm not unusual amongst older guys) it has a negative effect on my physical fitness.
It's enough of a pleasure that the risk of injury and the physical wear-and-tear is something I'm happy to mitigate by lifting and calisthenics (which I don't enjoy). The cardio benefits that were amazing when I started have diminished since I got good enough to be lazy and injury adverse enough to avoid going all out.
I love it, it's a mental escape at the end of a day and it's an attractively simple social group, but there are less destructive activities that I might have developed a taste for.
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