Judo or BJJ for 29 year old beginner?

[CFGroup]

I am convinced that this "Irresponsible Dad" is a troll.. or just an idiot

Try both. It takes a while to get into either sport. But both are really fun and worth it. Judo is really tiring with standing up grappling, but BJJ will make you just as tired with having someone's weight on you for more than 4 mins at a time.

Spacetime has invaded the grappling forums!

Take a look at his goofy kick clip spamming over on striking to get a sense of this lovable troll.

We love him....but he's still a troll, LOL!
http://forums.sherdog.com/threads/spacetime-the-salsa-kid.3787045/

 

[DanaWhitesButler]

BJJ easily. I believe it's more effective, but not only that, Judo throws are brutal for older folks like us

 

[Custommade350]

I was worried spaztime would show up here.
Haven’t you got a pillow taped to a pot plant to tornado kick or some shit ?

 

[Alech33]

BJJ. Everyone I know who does judo has back problem later in life.

 

[Clinchster]

I'd go Bjj.....however, not before trying out that judo place! You never know what you might find. That said, typically theres atleast 1-5 takedown artists at every Bjj school i've been to. Find them, befriend them, then after you get your ass kicked by them, stay after class and see if they'll show you some stuff.....might surprise you how eager they are to show you a few things.

 

[DatCutman]

Try out your local gyms, see if you like the people, the culture, the facilities, the vibe. Listen to your gut when you train to see if you're going to stick with it. If you try to compare the arts as "well this one has better strengths/worse weaknesses", you're doing it wrong and you won't last. You have to be authentic to yourself, rather than trying to force yourself to train an art you don't like, in a gym you hate, which is filled with douchebags, and its 45 minutes away, with rats and roaches crawling along staph infested mats, just because you think it's "better" by some imaginary comparison.

 

[AnotherOldGuy]

BBJ. Why would you do Judo? No one thinks that is better.

Takedowns aren’t that great without a GI. They look cool though:



If they had NoGi judo that would be a different story.

That may or may not be relevant, depending upon the climate where you live. Up north people wear at least a light jacket most of the year, and if a jacket is available gi based throws are much better than no-gi takedowns. Closer to the equator people rarely wear jackets, so no-gi takedowns are more practical.

More relevant to 29 is the problem of learning to land safely. Starting judo or wrestling as a kid is great, you learn to be thrown at a time when you're close to the ground, weigh very little, and are basically made of rubber - you'll quickly learn to be thrown hard and repeatedly without injury. At 29 though its much harder to learn to do a breakfall under all circumstances; in that case BJJ is better, since it starts on the ground.

However, as others have said, the best bet is to check out local clubs (judo and BJJ) and see which one feels right for you - often its not the style but the individuals in it (both instructors and students) which are important. Because at 29 you're never going to be championship level in either, and as work and family take up more and more of your time, the real battle will be going for the workout after a long day of work/family duties - if its not a fun place to be you simply won't continue no matter how good the style is.

 

[AnotherOldGuy]

BJJ. Everyone I know who does judo has back problem later in life.

Actually people who start judo as kids rarely have back problems - its mainly knee problems. I know many (as in more than one hundred) old judoka, and almost none have back problems, while almost everyone (including myself) has knee issues. The joke in judo is that you can't get your black belt until you've had your first knee surgery. Basically bad things happen to knees during randori (ie judo scrimmaging), while the core strength you get from judo tends to prevent back injuries even from day to day things (which is the major source of back injuries when you get to be over 50).

But yeah, people who start judo and/or wrestling later when they're past their teens often develop back problems.

 

[THEfightsAREfixed]

When it comes to a practioner that already has such a deadly skill set I would approach your training carefully in consideration of other students safety.

 

[Kbits]

lol about half of the throws or more go out the window without the use of the lapel and sleeves

Nah - more like 5-10% are truly gi reliant and the rest can be adapted.

Judo takes longer to learn because (1) it's generally taught badly (2) taught in a way that's makes sense for kids but not adults (3) involves a lot more athleticism to get going.

 

[imarayda]

Bjj for sure.

 

[Bluesbreaker]

Keep in mind, most posters on this forum are BJJ guys who have never tried judo, or only dabbled in it.

I'm not expert, either - Judo for quite a while, while dabbling in BJJ. All you can do is try both.

 

[spacetime]

This freaks me out guys, is it of concern to a recreational practitioner?:


Besides the normal strains and pulls associated with most martial arts, Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners (along with Wrestlers, Judoka, and other grapplers ) are exposed to regular skin abrasions and potential unsanitary mat conditions. They are thus at higher risk for developing skin disease.[43]Several commonly contracted skin diseases include ringworm, impetigo, herpes gladiatorum, and staph infection.[44] Proper hygiene practices, including regular cleaning of classroom mats, showering immediately after class with soap, disinfecting and covering any open wounds, thorough cleaning of any gi/rashguard/headgear used before the next class, not sharing used towels/uniforms, and using a barrier cream greatly reduces the chance of contracting a disease.

 

[ninjabennett]

I had the same dilemma at the age of 30 so decided to try both. I love doing both sports and have now done both for almost 6 years. I feel that it's made me more of a rounded grappler. I say give them both a try, you might like one more than the other, like them both, or neither.

 

[Alech33]

Actually people who start judo as kids rarely have back problems - its mainly knee problems. I know many (as in more than one hundred) old judoka, and almost none have back problems, while almost everyone (including myself) has knee issues. The joke in judo is that you can't get your black belt until you've had your first knee surgery. Basically bad things happen to knees during randori (ie judo scrimmaging), while the core strength you get from judo tends to prevent back injuries even from day to day things (which is the major source of back injuries when you get to be over 50).

But yeah, people who start judo and/or wrestling later when they're past their teens often develop back problems.

Maybe both. One of my old training partners it was always his back and he'd say that they all have bad backs. I'm sure knees and everything else take a beating too

 

[Alech33]

on the subject of injuries judo i think you want a shorter stockier frame. all the gest judo guys i know of, karo, manny, hawn etc all were very compact. I used to train with jimmy hettes if you know who that is. Skinny and rather long for his weight, his career came to an end bc he was constantly getting hurt.

 

[spacetime]

on the subject of injuries judo i think you want a shorter stockier frame. all the gest judo guys i know of, karo, manny, hawn etc all were very compact. I used to train with jimmy hettes if you know who that is. Skinny and rather long for his weight, his career came to an end bc he was constantly getting hurt.

How much does Judo grip fighting and Greco Roman wrestling abilities correlate?

 

[AnotherOldGuy]

Maybe both. One of my old training partners it was always his back and he'd say that they all have bad backs. I'm sure knees and everything else take a beating too

How old was he when he started judo? I seriously don't know many 50+ year old judoka with back injuries, but almost every one of us has knee injuries. But I can see someone started judo in say their 20's developing back injuries - the learning curve is steep, and even by 20 your body isn't nearly as forgiving as a 10 year old's body for the initial abuse.

 

[DatCutman]

How much does Judo grip fighting and Greco Roman wrestling abilities correlate?

Where the heck do you even train Greco? It seems like you either were smart enough to train it in highschool or you missed the boat. I'm 29 too, really wish I had taken more advantage of that kind of stuff.

 

[Alech33]

How old was he when he started judo? I seriously don't know many 50+ year old judoka with back injuries, but almost every one of us has knee injuries. But I can see someone started judo in say their 20's developing back injuries - the learning curve is steep, and even by 20 your body isn't nearly as forgiving as a 10 year old's body for the initial abuse.

The ppl I know it was as kids. I'm not doubting knee injuries at all though. Point I was making is judo is very rough on the body