Is starting BJJ at 50 a good idea or a pipe dream?
Myself and a friend are both interested in starting BJJ classes but have concerns with our ages and past injuries. There are some great schools im my area but many are geared towards competition and the classes are full of young athletes. At our age we are more concerned with self defense and staying injury free.
Would you consider doing private lessons only? What do you expect to pay for privates? Is there any specific reading/DVD focusing on the over 50 crowd? Any school recommendations in the Boston area? Would you train Judo too? Travis Stevens teaches at Jimmy Pedros school which is down the road from me.
We are both pretty fit for our age, but flexibility is horrible. Any advice for us old farts is appreciated.
No, I would not consider doing privates with out rolling.I wouldn't do Judo if I was over 50.Train twice a week and look for a school which has self defense classes such as Gracie combatives. I am 40 and have been off the mats because of injuries and it sucks.I think once you hit 40 you want to avoid injuries and health is number 1 in your life.
A guy I train with right now is 65 and has been training for a few years. I personally don't roll hard with him but I also don't go super light as if I take pity on him either. I say pick and chose your training partners wisely, do what your body can handle, and fall in love for the first time again while wishing you would have started 20 years ago. You definitely aren't a spring chicken but that doesn't mean you can't learn to fight
Well since hitting 40, I've basically stopped, haven't trained since Feb with a torn meniscus. Have no real intention of going back anytime soon, but thats more. Due to work commitments (opening 4 new businesses in a 6mth span will take up a little time)
Will I go back, sure. But only to. Keep fit. I'm way past the learning and competing aspect. I do it mainly to catch up with old friends and shoot the shit on the mats while getting a sweat up. Kinda like the weekly pickup game
Of course, do it. Just make it very clear to the instructor and young guys that you're not there to roll hard 7 days a week. I personally think it's awesome when older guys drop in and I would never try to kill them to prove a point. A good instructor wouldn't allow it either.
We have a 73 yr old who wrestled d1 and had those injuries.
His motto is keep moving or else.
I'd wait a bit for Travis. He's training for olympics right now and might be out of town/country.
Do it. Travis is unreal good and mixing in judo is a plus. Just tell people your concerns. Tap early.
I've found reputable schools have a good handle on these things.
Our school competes ALOT. Guys that do worlds, and other ibjjf tourneys year round. The killers on the mat can still get a workout in with the old timers without hurting them. Good dojos have this mix.
He has a free email list named something like "40 Plus BJJ" targeted at your (our) demographic.
His gym is in the Boston area (not exactly sure where).
I've known Steve for a number of years through SBG-he's a great coach, and has a specific interest in teaching a game and training approach that is useful at all ages.
I second most of what is been set on this thread. Judo it's got a really high injury rate: approach it with care. Stephen Whittier is an excellent guy, consider training with him. Travis's skills are exceptional. Go check out a lot of different schools. You are about to make a big investment of your time and your energy, so you owe it to yourself to do your research first.
As someone who started judo at 25 and only lasted two years due to injuries, I would suggest staying away from it. Getting thrown over and over again is really hard on the body. Not to mention that when you're a beginner, you don't know how to move and fall properly so the probability of injury is much higher than someone the same age as you but with more experience. Also, the gripping is terrible for your fingers. You have much more control over how much to get into the gripping game in bjj. It's essentially unavoidable in judo.
I started bjj after quitting judo and have been at it for the past 8 years. I loved doing judo, but I'm glad I made the switch. It's been much easier on my body.
Also, I train at a competitive club with a bunch of younger MMA fighters that roll really hard. We've had several guys over 50 join and stick with it. As others have mentioned, listen to your body and try your best to avoid rolling with guys that will hurt you.
Look at Anthony Bourdain, the chef, then re-ask yourself the question. Yes there are some "BJJ over 40" resources, but now 53, and a recent black belt (little over year ago) never paid much attention to that. I am not even sure what is advocated, I don't want to start setting limits on who I roll with or what positions to avoid, etc. I began Judo at 33 and BJJ at 37. BJJ is much more rewarding now than ever.
I am a very big advocate of the manner in which the Gracie Combative's are taught: Slow, methodical and precise prefaced by a thorough conceptual explanation.This is what you should look for in instruction and training environment.
Someone talking you guys through your rolls would be a great way to learn after some basics are understood. This is what I would look for in a private lesson. The intensity will be ratcheted up on it's own. In time. You may get some injuries, I had a number of injuries over the years, but I had no doubts about BJJ life, so I kept working through.
***This may be one of the greatest, most pivitol decisions you ever made in life. Your life, purpose and outlook will be renewed. You will find new reasons to approach nutrition, flexibility and fitness. Give pursuit to thought. Open that door; it's a good door.
we have two guys over 60 in our gym that have been promoted to blue within the past year. Always listen to your body and build a style of jiu jitsu for your body type and age
I will try and answer the questions you posed. Having a buddy means you have a training partner to work with. Not big into privates when you are starting out. Waste on money at this point. Try both judo and BJJ and see which one is for you. Stick to one of them and you will need flexibility workouts to supplement you training. Doing both is not practical. Maybe 2/week in BJJ/Judo at most. Look for a place who has some older guys with advanced belts, they won't mind helping you out.
Beginners need to learn the basics and train their bodies for the rigors of the sports.
Thanks guys for all the great informative responses. Lots of good insight from experienced players. Luckliy I have great choices in schools and just need to find the one that is best for me.
Whittiers info looks fantastic but his school is probably 2 hours or so from me with traffic. I have been boxing for many years and continue to train and spar, but my grappling is non existent. I know I can add a couple days a week of BJJ into my schedule and watfh a few hours a week of videos.
I'm 49. Just be realistic with your physical abilities and limitations and go for it.
Getting old sucks but when your buddies and complaining about pulling a muscle from sneezing, or their legs are sore from playing a round of golf, you will be sore from training.
Just wanted to add, if you're the competitive sort that automatically starts to go hard when in a bad position, be careful. You often get back what you give when sparring, so make a conscious effort to keep a slow pace in the beginning.
