Is BJJ for me?

[LeeMcClellan]

Hi folks.

I used to study Karate and reached Brown Belt. Since then, Covid, lockdowns and moving to the other side of the world! The beautiful city I now live in is short on Karate, but Gracie BJJ is located on the street I live on. My question is…would I be capable of participating in BJJ because me vestibular system is awful. For example if I do a forward roll I’m dizzy for the next 30 seconds. I did a trial Aikido class and was nearly sick with all the spinning around. Would BJJ suit me, or should I look for something else? I’d really like this to work and would appreciate your advice.

TIA

 

[Tony Dismukes]

1) If you don't have problems with dizziness while doing Karate but you get dizzy from doing a forward roll, there's a decent chance that you are unconsciously holding your breath as you roll and that is causing the problem.
2) Even if it isn't due to holding your breath, the odds are pretty good that your body will adapt after you do a few classes.
3) Some BJJ schools will do forward and backwards rolls as a warm up, but it's generally not a huge part of the art. Certainly much less than in Aikido.
4) If you do have some sort of non-treatable inner ear problem that causes balance problems, the ground fighting aspects of BJJ might actually be easier than many stand-up martial arts. You can't fall down if you're already fighting off your back.
5) There are a lot of other reasons why BJJ might or might not suit you, but you won't know until you give it a try.

 

[LeeMcClellan]

1) If you don't have problems with dizziness while doing Karate but you get dizzy from doing a forward roll, there's a decent chance that you are unconsciously holding your breath as you roll and that is causing the problem.
2) Even if it isn't due to holding your breath, the odds are pretty good that your body will adapt after you do a few classes.
3) Some BJJ schools will do forward and backwards rolls as a warm up, but it's generally not a huge part of the art. Certainly much less than in Aikido.
4) If you do have some sort of non-treatable inner ear problem that causes balance problems, the ground fighting aspects of BJJ might actually be easier than many stand-up martial arts. You can't fall down if you're already fighting off your back.
5) There are a lot of other reasons why BJJ might or might not suit you, but you won't know until you give it a try.

Hi Tony,

Thanks for your reply. That’s very helpful.

 

[skribs]

Hi Tony,

Thanks for your reply. That’s very helpful.

He usually is.

 

[Buka]

Hi Lee, welcome to Martial Talk.

You should go watch a few classes at the BJJ school. Especially if it’s on your street. And I say “a few classes” because classes are always different, in my experience. Especially in BJJ.

Check it out, get a feel for the place and what they do. And enjoy watching, enjoy the process. Best of luck, brother.

 

[skribs]

One thing I'll add - if there are certain things you just can't do, a good school won't expect you to do them.

So for example if you're doing great with the basics, but then you can't do a berimbolo or an inverted ballerina sweep, the coach should just have you do another drill or maybe take a break.