Mat time isn't necessarily all time on the mats. This might be a bit confusing, but hear me out for this concept. I believe that some of the most important training I have experienced was from when I couldn't actually participate on the mats physically with my body, but with my voice and my mind.
Your growth is dependent on a bunch of things, but your training partners make up the larger part of it. As they grow, you will grow. By showing up when you are unable to do jiu jitsu yourself, you begin to see things from a different perspective. You can help coach your team mates through rolls, you can analyze their games and help them make the adjustments necessary to fix a potential problem, and one of my favorite things to do is update my jiu jitsu journal.
I've said it plenty of times before to my friends that having a journal dedicated to jiu jitsu is an invaluable tool for progression. It is simply impossible to try to keep all of the information in your head. The journal acts as an external hard drive to store it all for future use. Some things that don't make sense today could change your strategy down the road. Plus the act of translating what you are being shown onto paper is an additional way to ingrain that move or set of moves into your memory.
Another powerful tool is visualization. I have had several instances where I thought deeply about a movement that I was trying to do and was able to overcome it once I put it into action. The simple act of thinking through the process can trigger options you may not have realized in that split-second decision where it happened.
Similiarly enough, I had a dream once that I was practicing a skateboarding move that I had never tried before. I was troubleshooting what to do and managed to land the trick in the dream. About two weeks later, I put the dream to the test and tried the move in real life. To my surprise, within a couple of attempts I was able to perform the trick! The mind is a powerful tool and understanding that it is possible to use that tool to your advantage will make a powerful difference over time. There are many ways that individuals can learn new information, so trying to find the right way(s) for you is important.
Last but not least, showing up when you are unable to participate helps build team morale. Jiu jitsu makes us all close, literally and emotionally. Showing your team support will encourage their drive to keep on going. And who knows, maybe other team mates will follow your good example and come in on their off-days. This will keep the learning to the maximum and the team bond strong.
Remember that in addition to all of this, all those extra things you do off the mat make a difference too. Good eating habits, strength training, stretching, watching instructionals, reading through your notes, adequate sleep, and every else related to health/jiu jitsu helps you stay on the path to improvement. Not that it's a secret, but the more you do in addition to your regular classes will help you grow. Stay focused and driven, and together you and your team will be one step closer to becoming the best that you could all possibly be.
