Is recreational BJJ something most healthy people can do well into their retirement years? I think this is something positive in a hobby, because you can imagine yourself doing it your whole life. Please share experiences of older guys, whether you train with them or heard of them or are one, training BJJ. Edit: By "healthy people" I mean those people who choose to exercise with BJJ a few times per week throughout their life, to get consistent cardiovascular and strength exercise.
I just posted this in another thread... We have a couple of guys in their fifties, about 6 in their forties, a lot in their late thirties. I'm 41. And as you can clearly see in my sig; I am still going strong... Helio is in his mid nineties. I think it's possible to do this sport for a long time. If you're lucky it can be like a second childhood."
My school has both men and Women that are 55+ and in one case a 60 year old man that gets out on the mat and roles like everyone else and gets treated no differently. I can only hope 30 years from now I am still on the mat. It would seem like the perfect workout for the elderly as it works your whole body and stimulates your mind at the same time.
I have a guy here at my school that is 75 now, and did not even start training until he was over 70. He's also in astounding shape, and even still does competition! Bob is a 4 stripe blue belt now. Though I recently heard an academy on eastern Long Island signed up a 91 year old man! I would say he's probably the oldest to start training. edit- damnit! wrong thread... lol
I was hoping that it is possible for most men who took good care of their bodies to enjoy recreational BJJ in their 60s and 70s.
Any remarks on the long term sustainability of training bjj? Are there debilitating injuries that are eventually sustained in practice that will cause someone to drop out completely? Would you say there are certain types of injuries that are "only a matter of time"? Lots of people say that about judo--that you will eventually get too injured to do it recreationally. There seems to be some old Judo senseis out there, yet they may have beaten the odds (same with Helio). Thoughts?
I've got chronic knee and hip problems from years of competitive basketball, so I have to hit the ibuprofen pretty hard. Other than that, my body likes it. My instructor is a Carlson Jr blackbelt, and he said he's never been injured in BJJ. He specifically said to a judo guy who joined our team "it's not like judo where you get hurt all the time."
I'm really curious at how often and to what degree Helio still rolls around. Fabio Santos and Rorion are both a little bit up there in age aren't they?
I can see myself doing judo bjj or grappling till im around 50-60. Though I don't want to be old man spazz-alot. Hopefully I'll have flowing technique by then
Older judo instructors tend to spend more time on groundwork than standing randori. You certainly see people doing ground randori in judo well into their 60's and even 70's sometimes, so I see no reason why you couldn't do BJJ well into old age. Of course, as they get older and lose flexibility and so forth they have to go lighter, and the people who roll with them have to take that into consideration - I've never heard of a problem with that though. Anyone who goes hard against an older guy who's asked to go light probably isn't long for most clubs anyway.
I asked Royce this at a seminar in the fall. He said Helio still drills technique everyday, but doesn't really roll full tilt anymore. There is a Gracie promotional documentary available on youtube where you see Helio throw around the idiot who is narrating. His technique still looks incredibly fluid. It looks like it was made in the last couple years.
BJJ is a tough sport. I'm 23 and after rolling at night the next morning I feel like I was in a car wreck. I feel stiff and sore. For older people, it would be good if they just stuck to drilling technique. Rolling is very hard on the body.
There's a lot of guys at one of the schools I train at that are in their mid 40's (about 5 of them). There's another guy (brown belt in his mid 50's). All of them still roll fairly hard in class with younger guys.
theres a guy i know that just got his brown belt and hes 68 years old. he regularly competes in gi and nogi comps. hes in better shape and way stronger that most people at his academy. the dude has a six pack still, its pretty amazing.
My favourite example when it comes to the "am I too old" question is this guy. He started training at RGA when in his eighties, earning his blue belt in 2007. So while it's a cliche, it really never is too late to start. However, when I've seen him in classes, he's always worked with one of the assistant instructors, rather than just rolling with anybody. Which would indicate to me that you can train until well into your twilight years, but you'll most likely have to make a few concessions to your venerable age.
