Why can you train BJJ later in life, but not wrestling?

[warmer]

In college I joined a school wrestling club, having never wrestled before ever. I got murdered non-stop, but loved it, and I regretted never having tried it when I was younger.

I'm now 28, and it seems all but impossible to pick it up and practice again. Meanwhile, there are BJJ schools everywhere.

Why is that? There aren't even personal wrestling trainers out there, but there are hundreds of "boxing trainers" on craigslist. Frankly, due to the scarcity, I'd be creeped out by a personal wrestling trainer if I did see one.

But what gives? I also hear people say it's impossible to become a good wrestler if you start late, even if you could train. Meanwhile, everyone says its never too late to learn BJJ, and even become a black belt at it. You hear about 30 year olds picking it up and becoming extremely proficient at it.

So why is wrestling so unique in that (1) its not available anywhere and (2) even if it was, everyone says you're probably too late?

 

[number9dream]

Wrestling is mostly taught in schools, not as many hobbyists. Sort of like what you already said.

Standup work is way higher impact than ground work, much easier to roll light than to wrestle softly.

Bjj is also what's trendy, it's the arte suave etc. Wrestling is "embrace the grind". Different mentality.

 

[devante]

i assume its for competition reasons, most guys iu know who have done trained wrestling, have competed in wrestling. Even if it was a club wrestling team; since most guys are gonna be competing late, its less likely guys will get trainers or find teams that cater to them.

whereas bjj and boxing and whatever else can be done recreationally or as a hobbyist..wrestling usually isn't one of those things...

 

[Toothless King]

Wrestlers train for the sole purpose of competition.

BJJ is for everybody. You can train BJJ in hope to be the next Marcelo or you train BJJ as a hobby when you hit your midlife crisis.

 

[Patrick F Carey]

Find good wrestlers. Easy as that.

Wrestlers will do private lessons for pennies on the dollar compared to BJJ guys. I have a D2 wrestler that does privates for me 15/hr when I pay up front for 10 lessons

 

[devante]

Wrestlers train for the sole purpose of competition.

BJJ is for everybody. You can train BJJ in hope to be the next Marcelo or you train BJJ as a hobby when you hit your midlife crisis.

probably why wrestlers translate so well into mma, or just in general in regards to combat; it's never really just fun, the purpose is to get good..get better..beat the other guy exclusively.

noone really wrestles to get in better shape or learn something new, they do it because they want to compete.

 

[platfox]

BJJ is funner.

 

[winterbike]

Wrestling is mostly taught in schools, not as many hobbyists.

That's it. You'll never get good in most sports if you didn't start young because there are no structures aimed at adult beginners. BJJ is an exception, like triathlon or golf. Good luck trying to start gymnastics, ice hockey or javelin throwing after 30 though.

 

[Renegadewonder1]

That's it. You'll never get good in most sports if you didn't start young because there are no structures aimed at adult beginners. BJJ is an exception, like triathlon or golf. Good luck trying to start gymnastics, ice hockey or javelin throwing after 30 though.

Yeah, don't forget about discus throwing, pole vaulting, and hammer throwing as well. This are some other sporting events that would be difficult to pick up after 30.

 

[tenktriangles]

in my personal experience and withy students at my academy, people that try to learn to shoot (just as an example) as adults end up with a slow shitty shot. This is because people with a brilliant shot learned it by, literally, the ten thousand reps method, starting as children.

when i see guys try to shoot (and this happens a lot at tournaments) it's easy to tell who was a wrestler as a kid and who wasn't. i can teach a good sprawl quickly, but a good shot is either there or it isn't. you can learn to counter wrestle, though, which is great.

wrestling is much more about muscle memory enabling speed and power. it's fast paced, overpowering people is fine, and it's really tough on your body. go find someone who has been wrestling regularly and is 45. they're pretty wrecked. same for competitive judo.

 

[BJJ_Rage]

knees.

 

[Uchi Mata]

Good wrestling teachers are focused on the scholastic scene. Why take the time to open a wrestling school and try to recruit people when you can just get a job coaching a high school team? Also, most good wrestlers have college degrees (having wrestled in college) and have other outlets besides teaching wrestling. In addition BJJ has a competition scene that is divided by belt so that even newer guys can compete and not get killed, wrestling has no such divisions that I know of. You get divided by weight and age, and if you wrestle a former All American in the first round, well, you lose quickly. So for newer guys the competitive element isn't really there (since you'll basically always lose to guys who wrestled in high school and college). In addition, the culture of wrestling mandates practices be at a much higher intensity than the man on the street can stand, and while you don't have to practice wrestling that way good luck finding a former wrestler who won't run all their practices in a vomit inducing fashion.

Wrestling in the US just isn't set up to be a hobbyist sport. Selection through attrition seems to be the way wrestling produces good wrestlers, but that's a really bad business model.

 

[RTD1]

I think the question that needs to be asked is - what exactly do you want to learn with regards to wrestling, what is your objective?

Do you want to actually learn the full disciplines of folkstyle/greco/freestyle and compete in those sports in some sort of adult league?

Or do you want to learn the aspects of wresting (takedowns, takedown defense, how to come out on top during scrambles on the ground, etc.) that are relevant to no gi submission grappling and/or MMA?

I have a hunch a lot of people want the latter when they say they want to learn how to wrestle.

 

[Gojujutsu]

Find good wrestlers. Easy as that.

Wrestlers will do private lessons for pennies on the dollar compared to BJJ guys. I have a D2 wrestler that does privates for me 15/hr when I pay up front for 10 lessons

How did you go about finding someone like that?

 

[350 lbs fist]

I tried Greco myself as an older guy and my body just couldn't handle it. The sparring wasn't the issue but the gymnast warm-up and the crazy strength just was too much for me.

I'm a HW so that might explain it but I guess lighter guys would get mauled even more in sparring so I don't know.

It's just plain hard.

 

[otwobjj]

One thing to consider as well is that Grappling can be picked up really late in life and you can still compete. For an example, you can start BJJ at 30, and be a blue belt masters world champion at 31, so its never "too late" in terms of competetion.

Wrestling is another thing. If you pick up wrestling even at 20, its too late. The only events to compete at in Wrestling have no "skill levels" so you are thrown to the sharks right of the bat, You can't really compete at that point because you aren't gonna catch up...

BJJ is also therapeutic and can be done as a sport much like soccer. Wrestling is way too hard. No old man or recreational athlete is going back after their first Wrestling practice unless they have a good reason...

 

[eembach]

I have personally seen wrestlers that span the age spectrum, just like BJJ you have to train smart and know your limits, that said if you haven't had your ass whooped by some old guy in wrestling you haven't really wrestled....

 

[Dogstarman]

In college I joined a school wrestling club, having never wrestled before ever. I got murdered non-stop, but loved it, and I regretted never having tried it when I was younger.

I'm now 28, and it seems all but impossible to pick it up and practice again. Meanwhile, there are BJJ schools everywhere.

Why is that? There aren't even personal wrestling trainers out there, but there are hundreds of "boxing trainers" on craigslist. Frankly, due to the scarcity, I'd be creeped out by a personal wrestling trainer if I did see one.

But what gives? I also hear people say it's impossible to become a good wrestler if you start late, even if you could train. Meanwhile, everyone says its never too late to learn BJJ, and even become a black belt at it. You hear about 30 year olds picking it up and becoming extremely proficient at it.

So why is wrestling so unique in that (1) its not available anywhere and (2) even if it was, everyone says you're probably too late?

Where do you live?

 

[number9dream]

I have personally seen wrestlers that span the age spectrum, just like BJJ you have to train smart and know your limits, that said if you haven't had your ass whooped by some old guy in wrestling you haven't really wrestled....

Yeah at the 2012 trials for the olympics I know there were one 50 year old and a few 40 somethings.

They didn't start late in life tho, obviously.

 

[MadSquabbles500]

In college I joined a school wrestling club, having never wrestled before ever. I got murdered non-stop, but loved it, and I regretted never having tried it when I was younger.

I'm now 28, and it seems all but impossible to pick it up and practice again. Meanwhile, there are BJJ schools everywhere.

Why is that? There aren't even personal wrestling trainers out there, but there are hundreds of "boxing trainers" on craigslist. Frankly, due to the scarcity, I'd be creeped out by a personal wrestling trainer if I did see one.

But what gives? I also hear people say it's impossible to become a good wrestler if you start late, even if you could train. Meanwhile, everyone says its never too late to learn BJJ, and even become a black belt at it. You hear about 30 year olds picking it up and becoming extremely proficient at it.

So why is wrestling so unique in that (1) its not available anywhere and (2) even if it was, everyone says you're probably too late?

Have you tried Judo or Sambo if any is around you?