Picking up Judo after 30...

Hellboy31

Hellboy31

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I've been training BJJ for a few years and would ultimately love to teach some day. I'll be 32 years old next birthday and lately I've been thinking a lot about cross training Judo a few times a week. I'm a bit leery because I know Judo is pretty hard on your body and I have a fair amount of aches and pains from BJJ already.

Can any of the Judo players give me a realistic idea of what to expect if I added a few hours of judo training to my schedule. Is there a big difference between BJJ and Judo in terms of how hard it is on your body? Also (and I'm sure the answer will change depending on the person) but how enjoyable is Judo sparring compared to rolling (all answers will be 100% opinion but I'm ok with that).

Thanks in advance... Also, if anyone has a recommendation for places to train Judo in NYC, I'm all ears. Thanks!
 
I'm in the same boat. my academy is joined with a pretty strong judo club. I just turned 30 and am a bit dinged up from years of soccer, football, bjj, and various foolishness. I think judo is awesome and fun, and I train judo occasionally but I find it to be hard on the body (I have a suspect knee and shoulder). the randori at my club can be downright violent.

I'm not scared of being humbled and tossed on my head, but I am very scared of not being able to train due to injury. I've been toying with making a new years resolution to train judo once per week, but I don't want to regret it. also it seems like some of the judoka have something to prove to the bjj guys, and I don't want to be involved in any style vs style rivalry BS...
 
If you learn how to breakfall properly Judo can be fun and safe. I say do it. I'm around your age.
 
BizarroPutin said:
I'm in the same boat. my academy is joined with a pretty strong judo club. I just turned 30 and am a bit dinged up from years of soccer, football, bjj, and various foolishness. I think judo is awesome and fun, and I train judo occasionally but I find it to be hard on the body (I have a suspect knee and shoulder). the randori at my club can be downright violent.

I'm not scared of being humbled and tossed on my head, but I am very scared of not being able to train due to injury. I've been toying with making a new years resolution to train judo once per week, but I don't want to regret it. also it seems like some of the judoka have something to prove to the bjj guys, and I don't want to be involved in any style vs style rivalry BS...
Click to expand...

I am in the same boat. I started Judo at 31, I'm almost 34 now. I have decent Ukemi so getting thrown is not that bad, but I also have an ACL reconstruction and a bad shoulder. I get more injuries in Judo than BJJ. Hands, feet etc take a beating... but the torquing on the knee during entries and throwing worries me. I don't do a ton of stand up randori...maybe once a week. Judo is way harder to learn than BJJ too. I feel like my ground makes huge gains and my stand up constantly sucks... but that is prob a result of the time and effort I put into each one.

I'd say you can do it, just train smart.
 
I'll be turning 32 in February and I started JJJ in September. The system I practice involves a lot of Judo-style throws from standing, so I can understand your apprehension.

Since you've done BJJ for a while, you're probably in much better shape than the average 32 year old (at least as far as average cardio and getting banged up). So, assuming you can learn to breakfall, I'm sure you'll be fine.

And this is coming from a guy with a bad back.

Hope this is encouraging!
 
Being mature will help your Judo learning process TONS.

Being young has it's physical advantages, but understanding what your sensei actually means and being mature enough to apply is a much bigger advantage.

Learn and be safe. Kick some ass while you're at it.
 
You'll learn to break falls first. It'll be okay :)
 
Thanks for the feedback guys... If I can find a place that fits into my budget, I'll definitely give it a shot. I've done a couple of searches and have found a few Judo places in NYC but if anyone has any firsthand experience with any of the clubs in the area, I'd be very interested to hear your experience. Thanks in advance.
 
Yeah, we train takedowns at my gym and my break falls are absolute shit... I'm sure the beginning is going to be tough but nothing good ever comes easy. Thanks for all the advice guys.
 
I started taking judo at 35. There is a reason you do ukemi (breakfalls) in every warm up. Learn to properly breakfall and realize that, just like bjj, sparring does not equal Pan Ams intensity. Be ready to be absolutely hooked once you hit a decent throw. It's like the first time a golfer hits the ball straight.
 
starting at 30 is a bit late imo, but if your already learning BJJ its a good addition I suppose.

Like already told Ukemi is very important. I never broke anything by know how to fall correctly.
Its really important to learn the basics so that you do them blindly.
I read story of guy here on this forum who broke his teeth? while falling down wrong. Dont let that shit happen to you, learn it correctly. Dont be a moron.

There a lot of throws and sweeps and sometimes they seem confusing so its a bit hard to learn but once you get into it, it will be fun I promise.

succes
 
houjebek said:
starting at 30 is a bit late imo, but if your already learning BJJ its a good addition I suppose.

Like already told Ukemi is very important. I never broke anything by know how to fall correctly.
Its really important to learn the basics so that you do them blindly.
I read story of guy here on this forum who broke his teeth? while falling down wrong. Dont let that shit happen to you, learn it correctly. Dont be a moron.

There a lot of throws and sweeps and sometimes they seem confusing so its a bit hard to learn but once you get into it, it will be fun I promise.

succes
Click to expand...

Thanks man... The old bones are still holding up ok and I'm only getting up a few times a night to pee lol. Yeah, I'm not trying to win any titles, I'm just sick of pulling guard every tourny. Thanks for the advice though!
 
I am also considering taking up Judo. I am 34 going on 35. I have the same concerns as you being that I can't afford to get injured. I have a previous neck injury and I get flareups from it a few times a year. The thing is I really need to improve my standup and would like to become more of a complete martial artist!
 
Its harder to start at 30, no doubt about it. And the heavier you are the worse it is ... and I don't even mean being fat, just gravity hits you harder at 250 pounds than at 120 pounds. And concerns about knees are valid; one bad tai otoshi can cause a lot of trouble as you get older.

Having said that, a lot of that can be mitigated just by being smart. Most guys are quite safe to do randori with, ie you'll get thrown but not hurt. The guys are aren't safe (either because they're clumsy and awkward, or because they're just plain dirty players) you can simply refuse to do randori with ... you've got a job and family, your sensei should understand.

Things like crash pads for learning throws become more enticing as adults as well; kids and young adults don't need them. Middle aged folks on the other hand ...
 
Auspex said:
Being mature will help your Judo learning process TONS.

Being young has it's physical advantages, but understanding what your sensei actually means and being mature enough to apply is a much bigger advantage.

Learn and be safe. Kick some ass while you're at it.
Click to expand...

I disagree. Nothing can replace youth in Judo, nothing... both in physical recovery and learning the movements, kazushi, learning how to fall ect...

Its not impossible to do by any means, and its not to say that you cant get good at it, but you'll have a much harder time doing it then 15 or 20 years ago. Thats not to say you shouldnt do it, I believe that you should certainly do it. It will improve you BJJ game exponentially.
 
I started Judo last year with a friend after several years of doing BJJ, both of us are over 30. It's been awesome and Judo is pretty much the highlight of my week. No injuries so far.
 
Ryo said:
I disagree. Nothing can replace youth in Judo, nothing... both in physical recovery and learning the movements, kazushi, learning how to fall ect...

Its not impossible to do by any means, and its not to say that you cant get good at it, but you'll have a much harder time doing it then 15 or 20 years ago. Thats not to say you shouldnt do it, I believe that you should certainly do it. It will improve you BJJ game exponentially.
Click to expand...

this!

damn you hongkong & van damme for making me think that actual fighting looked like dancing.:icon_sad:
 
The first three weeks I tried judo, I injured myself in some fashion and had to not train for about 5 days....just in time for the next judo session.

Since then (about 5 months ago), I've not gotten hurt once, but simply put judo is tougher on my body than BJJ (I'm 36).

But it's so worth it to me in competition to have more than just guard pulling or random attempts at a takedown without any real understanding.

When I start from the feet, I have confidence and a plan and that makes all the difference.
 
I've started judo at 26 and it was way tougher on my body than BJJ.
As I mentionned on other threads it was so tough physically and mentally that I tought about quitting a few times. Hopefully I've been surrounded by great guys, who helped me a lot, much more welcoming and encouraging than in BJJ I must say, and I'm starting to get comfortable.

Throwing my first blackbelt felt like a great achievement to me. Much more than pulling a sub. ^^
 
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