Jiu Jitsu is bad for your body.

[franklinstower]

The longer I follow MMA the more I appreciate TMA like Tai Chi and King Fu.

It is true that everyone in MMA can kick my ass and for a while when MMA first came out that bothered me but the way we train and the benefits of what we train last a lifetime and heal the body rather than hurt it.

Tai Chi ensures that I have full range of motion in all of my joints-- its like magic the way it heals injuries and Kung Fu keeps me dynamic, strong and flexible.

 

[Coconutwater]

43 year old blue belt. Broke my ankle yesterday. I llke to believe that I am the same man I was in my mid 20s. I lift more than I did back then and cardio wise I am not too far behind but I am 35 lbs heavier. It makes me wonder if I had been injured the same way if I was younger? Is age all in the mind if you are able to maintain more or less the same strength and endurance levels? Thoughts?

Bones become more brittle with age, no matter what you do. You almost never hear about breaks in BJJ when the person is young, unless it's a complete fluke like some other grappler falling into you while you're rolling with someone else.

 

[805rob]

New guy here, and read the entire thread. As a fella about to hit 40 next year, I was thinking about getting into BJJ. After reading this thread, it sounds as if maybe not? Most gyms charge per month, so I don't know how prudent it would be to pay the fees for going only @1 time per week....maybe just to drop-ins? If you guys were @40yo, and had never done BJJ and were looking to get into it, what would you do? Thanks

 

[RightToBareKnuckles]

New guy here, and read the entire thread. As a fella about to hit 40 next year, I was thinking about getting into BJJ. After reading this thread, it sounds as if maybe not? Most gyms charge per month, so I don't know how prudent it would be to pay the fees for going only @1 time per week....maybe just to drop-ins? If you guys were @40yo, and had never done BJJ and were looking to get into it, what would you do? Thanks

how pricey are gyms in your area? i pay $40 a month to do one class a week. it's a Kajukenbo gym, so they offer a little bit of everything. so i either go to the grappling class on wednesday or a cardio boxing class on friday. i'm 35, and i know i should go twice a week, but once is just enough to maintain some level of cardio/skill. so i'd recommend paying so you can go at least weekly

 

[805rob]

how pricey are gyms in your area? i pay $40 a month to do one class a week. it's a Kajukenbo gym, so they offer a little bit of everything. so i either go to the grappling class on wednesday or a cardio boxing class on friday. i'm 35, and i know i should go twice a week, but once is just enough to maintain some level of cardio/skill. so i'd recommend paying so you can go at least weekly

Wow, that is cheap! I highly doubt you live in Southern Cali, I see you are in NC.....The average around here is @$185-200 a month for unlimited training. There aren't any gyms that do a price for one class a month. Drop-ins average @$35 per class.

 

[beat...people...up?]

New guy here, and read the entire thread. As a fella about to hit 40 next year, I was thinking about getting into BJJ. After reading this thread, it sounds as if maybe not? Most gyms charge per month, so I don't know how prudent it would be to pay the fees for going only @1 time per week....maybe just to drop-ins? If you guys were @40yo, and had never done BJJ and were looking to get into it, what would you do? Thanks

I think it very much depends on your background in other sports (any previous martial arts or grappling specifically). I know a guy who started at your age and got good very fast, but he'd also done a ton of other martial arts training and settled on BJJ as one less likely to injure him than, say, boxing, as he got older.

It also depends on your financial and schedule situation. It's a hobby that can get expensive and time-consuming quickly.

 

[mrsenor]

I’ve been injured for the past 5 months or so, im 38, damn I’m old.. and I have trained like 3 or 4 times in these past 5 months... in don’t know what will happen to me... but I got a bulged disk on the l4 l5 that just keeps on fucking with me... I feel fin and every time I come back, shit gets worse, numbed legs and stuff. Doc says I should quit Bjj, i can’t see my life out of this sport, that will have a mayor impact on my life...

keep it playful/

 

[updowniri]

Bones become more brittle with age, no matter what you do. You almost never hear about breaks in BJJ when the person is young, unless it's a complete fluke like some other grappler falling into you while you're rolling with someone else.

To be fair injuries happen all the time in every high school sport

 

[asian-glow]

New guy here, and read the entire thread. As a fella about to hit 40 next year, I was thinking about getting into BJJ. After reading this thread, it sounds as if maybe not? Most gyms charge per month, so I don't know how prudent it would be to pay the fees for going only @1 time per week....maybe just to drop-ins? If you guys were @40yo, and had never done BJJ and were looking to get into it, what would you do? Thanks

Dont let this thread bum you out too much man. There is only bad stuff here. Nobody talks about the good things bc they're obvious- friendships, self confidence, self expression, etc. Those are all good reasons but no really unique to bjj. Only real reason to do bjj in 2019 as a grown ass man with a job and kids is because its fun.

Go in, try it and let the experience speak for itself. Bjj wasn't meant to be talked about anyhow.

 

[Coconutwater]

To be fair injuries happen all the time in every high school sport

True, I’m just saying they pile up once you get older.

 

[updowniri]

True, I’m just saying they pile up once you get older.

True, but its made worse by the push through everything mindset. As well as people seeing recovery and stretching as a joke.

 

[TheJewBear]

I'm a 30 year old brown belt and have "advanced" lifts in the weight room.

There's a BB I train with in his 50's who is 50lbs lighter than me, who pushes my shit in at will.

He rolls hard, aggressively and with tons of technique. I've tapped him or so much as put him in trouble, ever.

So to me, if he can be that skilled and roll hard and fuck up 30 year old brown belts at his age, there's no reason why I shouldn't be like that when I'm his age, too.

 

[EGDM]

So to me, if he can be that skilled and roll hard and fuck up 30 year old brown belts at his age, there's no reason why I shouldn't be like that when I'm his age, too.

Survivorship bias.

 

[TheJewBear]

Survivorship bias.

It's possible, but pretty much anyone that I've rolled with who has 20+ years of experience is pretty fucking good. This one guy in particular stands out as particularly tough. Definitely not the "norm".

 

[Boomb]

Any sport at the highest level is bad for your body. That's not a secret.

 

[EGDM]

It's possible, but pretty much anyone that I've rolled with who has 20+ years of experience is pretty fucking good. This one guy in particular stands out as particularly tough. Definitely not the "norm".

Right, the point is the guys whose bodies couldn't take training into their 50's aren't on the mat. While it's great that it worked out for the guys we DO see, they don't provide a predictive example for us unless their count is weighted against all their peers who didn't make it that long.

For every Helio who trained until 90 there are hundreds who got a knee or hip replacement at 55/60 and stopped. Looking at that from your 30's you don't know which group you'll land in - and the a priori odds aren't great.

 

[cugnao]

For the moment at 40 years old a purple belt training 6-8 hours a week without counting the gym in my 7th season of training, I am still able to berimbolo and start to do some crab ride. I alternate light rolling with some light beginning and some hard sparring with young seasoned competitors but I prioritize positionnal sparring to work my weaknesses. I even participate to a 24h rollathlon for a charity event last week end with 200 participants for donations (well it wrecked me I admit). I do a lot of stretching and having a day of between my days of training and sleeping a lot help me to maintain the body

 

[DatCutman]

If you enjoy it, then do it and pray you've got a strong body. If that's too risky for you though, no big deal. Find a physical activity you enjoy within your risk parameters. I gave up boxing because brain damage was too scary for me. I've been doing BJJ for 17 years, but enjoy it such that I'm willing to gamble on permanent physical disabilities. We're going to fall apart at some point anyway, but it should at least be a fun process.

 

[yetanother]

It's possible, but pretty much anyone that I've rolled with who has 20+ years of experience is pretty fucking good. This one guy in particular stands out as particularly tough. Definitely not the "norm".

People age and get injured differently.

 

[805rob]

If you enjoy it, then do it and pray you've got a strong body. If that's too risky for you though, no big deal. Find a physical activity you enjoy within your risk parameters. I gave up boxing because brain damage was too scary for me. I've been doing BJJ for 17 years, but enjoy it such that I'm willing to gamble on permanent physical disabilities. We're going to fall apart at some point anyway, but it should at least be a fun process.

Thanks for sharing...pretty much where I'm at. It would be for no other reason than to get a good workout and have fun learning something new. i'll give it a go