You may have heard new students in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu often complain about getting a sore throat after training. In fact, you may have even experienced this yourself if you can remember far back enough. However, the more you venture through the art, you will experience this less and less to the point where sore throats aren’t an issue.
So, why does this happen and is it anything to worry about?
Please note, this article is not scientifically based on anything and is instead taken from stories that are typically experienced by your average BJJ practitioner. Below we have answered commonly asked questions.
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“I have a sore throat, is this normal?”
To answer this question, yes – most people experience this when they are new. However, you could argue that simulating murder and strangles is not normal. With this said, getting a sore throat is something that many people go through in their early stages of training.
Why do people get sore throats from BJJ?
One of the most common explainations is that peoples throat and neck muscles aren’t conditioned enough to take chokes in the early days. For instance, it’s common for people have a sore neck, arms or back when they start. This is because BJJ exercises a variety of muscles that may not be used prior to training. After a while, aches and pains will lessen due to getting into shape.
Supposedly, the same can be said for your throat. This is only a theory, but imagine your neck muscles are weak and thin, you get put in a bow and arrow choke and it bruises your throat. However, six months later your neck is much stronger due to regular training. Now you can withstand chokes without pain, supposedly.
How long does a sore throat last?
Usually, the sensation of a sore throat will last a couple of weeks at most. Over time, the pain will lessen so in that sense it’s a spectrum which will decline in severity. In some cases, the sensation of a sore throat can last for several months. For example, if a choke is ripped on hard it may damage your muscles but eventually this feeling will fade over time.
Can you train BJJ with a sore throat?
This is completely dependent on each person. Some will train without thinking any more of it. It may be wise to tap earlier to chokes during the healing period if you chose to train with a sore throat. Others will avoid training out of fear of harming your throat. Similarly, it can be seen as politeness to avoid training as it may genuinely be a sore throat. As a sore throat is a sign of the common cold, it is seen as courteous to avoid mixing with training partners to avoid spreading your illness and making others ill.
Will the sore throats eventually leave?
As mentioned, in the short term sore throats will pass at some point. However, over time people seem to get less sore throats. As said this may be due to improving the strength of your neck and throat muscles but for more advanced practitioners it seems less of a regular thing. Having said this, you can still get sore throats – especially if someone rips on a choke then a sore throat may still occur.
Can a sore throat be dangerous?
So far, we’ve established that sore throats in BJJ are usually nothing to worry about. However, it’s clearly something which may cause concern for new students. With this said, there is an incredibly small chance of damaging or even breaking your hyroid bone. This is the name of a very small bone that is located in your throat. In some cases this can happen due to the force of a choke.
Having said this, there are literally a couple of stories floating around the internet about hyroid damage. Whether these stories are even true is debatable and is so insignificant as a percentage, it’s barely worth mentioning.
Overall, sore throats do happen in BJJ and are something that beginners will have to manage. The good part is that over time, they seem to lessen. Whether that’s because you improve your defense, tap early or your muscles in the area improve and adjust – the result is the same, sore throats should decrease over time.
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