Would you consider BJJ a low impact art?

[Tony Dismukes]

I'd like to revisit this topic and get a bit of advice. I've been considering getting into BJJ with my 16 year old son at a family oriented club with good credentials. It be a great complement to my other MA experience in WC and Escrima. And maybe it would get my kid off the dang videogames. But my friends tell me I'm crazy. I'm 59 and have some joint issues including limited movement in my ankles and knees as well as herneated/bulging discs in my back (L-5, S-1).

The back pain and sciatica comes and goes these days, but after repeated injuries and surgeries, my knees won't bend enough for me to squat down and sit on my heels, much less go into full seiza posture, and they always ache some if I bother to pay attention.

In other words I can probably about do this (without the support shown):




But there's no way I can do this (or hunker-down and sit on one heel like I've seen people do in many BJJ techniques) :



In spite of these issues I can still work my Escrima and WC effecively. I just try to be careful.

So could I also try BJJ and get anything meaningful and functional out of it, or is it strictly and art for athletic youngsters under 50???

In my opinion, you could certainly train BJJ safely and get some functional skill out of it. Your WC could even help,due to your understanding of structure and sensitivity. The catch is, you need the right teacher and the right training partners.

if you sign up at a testosterone packed gym full of competitive meatheads, where classes consist of a couple of tournament techniques followed by an hour of rolling, you're unlikely to get any good benefit and you may get injured. You want a gym where a) you can get a foundation in the self-defense aspects of the art, b) the instructor is willing to come up with whatever technical modifications you might need for your physical limitations, and c) you can find training partners willing to do lots of drills and some light* grappling without getting all competitive.

*(that's real light grappling as opposed to "light grappling until I get the slightest bit frustrated whereupon I will spaz out and go full force")

There are gyms out there which would be a good fit for you, but I don't know what's available in your area.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Geezer with the right coach I think you would be fine. It is just finding that right coach and BJJ Training Hall and the right people to work with. If you two could do privates that might really be good for you. I roll regularly, Tony rolls regularly and while we are a little younger than you it is not that much. I will say I am very careful now a days as in the past when I was younger and rolling I had significant injuries. ie. knee blew out, elbow hyper extended multiple times, shoulder fried, etc. Most of that occurred when rolling really competitively or with someone who simply didn't have a clue or a different idea on safety. My concern for you would be your knee's and the stress that BJJ would place on them. The only way unfortunately to know if you could do it is to do it. Hope that gives you some food for thought.

 

[Steve]

Can I ask what school you have in mind down there?

 

[geezer]

Can I ask what school you have in mind down there?

Bear in mind that I'm really ignorant about this stuff. Anyway, here's one website that caught my eye. The location is fairly convenient, the price seems reasonable, their instructors appear qualified, and their description of their club seems welcoming. As soon as I can get my schedule cleared up, I plan to contact them and arrange to visit a class.

Home Page

BTW: I just emailed them to arrange a visit.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

Bear in mind that I'm really ignorant about this stuff. Anyway, here's one website that caught my eye. The location is fairly convenient, the price seems reasonable, and their instructors appear qualified and their description of their club seems welcoming. As soon as I can get my schedule cleared up, I plan to contact them and arrange to visit a class.

Home Page

That looks like a very promising academy for your purposes. Definitely check them out.

 

[Hanzou]

Bear in mind that I'm really ignorant about this stuff. Anyway, here's one website that caught my eye. The location is fairly convenient, the price seems reasonable, their instructors appear qualified, and their description of their club seems welcoming. As soon as I can get my schedule cleared up, I plan to contact them and arrange to visit a class.

Home Page

BTW: I just emailed them to arrange a visit.

You really can't go wrong with a Relson Gracie academy run by a Relson Black belt.

Relson is notorious for giving out very few black belts, so if you run across a guy who got a BB from Relson, suffice to say that the guy is legit. Also their schools tend to offer more old-school Bjj than other schools. Relson is really big on his father's version of Bjj, which is very street/self defense-based. However, there's also competition classes, no-gi classes, and even a Judo class.

So you and your son should be able to go in any direction you want. If your son wants to go sports/competitive, he can go that route. If you want to explore the more "traditional" side of Bjj, you can do that as well.

Also Relson WILL be there from time to time. He makes it a point to visit all of his academies when he's on the mainland. He's a pretty cool guy, and a great instructor. He's also quite the character. If you stick around long enough, you'll know what I mean.

Good luck!

 

[Steve]

Looks great. Good luck!

 

[drop bear]

Light rolling at that club.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jzNTK7Ej_NA

 

[geezer]

OK, they didn't get around to answering my email or phone message, so I just dropped in to watch a class. My first impression was totally positive. A great, roomy facility, people of all ages, everybody positive and upbeat, and they don't seem to think my being an arthritic old geezer will prevent me from participating.

On the down side, the beginner class is scheduled on exactly the same days and times as the classes I teach. So now I have to try and totally change my schedule before I can start. Well, nothing comes easy.

Oh and I've got to convince my son to switch over from his TKD class. And hardest of all, I will have to tell my wife that I'm doing WC, Escrima, and BJJ. I'll let you know how it all turns out.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

Jiu-Jitsu Over 40 (5 Rules to Roll Till 95)

 

[punisher73]

BJJ is great and does not have near as heavy an impact nature as Judo but..... it is hard on the joints when trained with intensity.

I have two friends that train in BJJ extensively. One is a BB, but does not train alot of competitions and has alot of joint issues through the training. The other guy is ranked and competes in the Worlds'. He is a young guy and has told me several times that as he approaches 30, he is going to give up on the competitions because his joints hurt so bad.

Neither one had prior injuries through sports etc.

 

[Buka]

Training in any of the fighting Arts creates stress on the body. It's even more so when practitioners spar/roll/fight with each other. Especially as the years pass.

Tell you one thing, though. You can roll with almost any high level jits guy all day and he won't hurt you. It's as if you are a babe in arms. I suppose it could be frustrating to some, but it's actually rather humorous. And they can move sooooo very slow and still do anything they want. I don't find that to be the same in striking. At least striking as I know it.

 

[geezer]

Training in any of the fighting Arts creates stress on the body. It's even more so when practitioners spar/roll/fight with each other. Especially as the years pass.

Tell you one thing, though. You can roll with almost any high level jits guy all day and he won't hurt you. It's as if you are a babe in arms. I suppose it could be frustrating to some, but it's actually rather humorous. And they can move sooooo very slow and still do anything they want. I don't find that to be the same in striking. At least striking as I know it.

Interesting. That's pretty much what the boxing coach at my gym said: "You can spar heavy or light, but you never go slow".

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

I have two friends that train in BJJ extensively. One is a BB, but does not train alot of competitions and has alot of joint issues through the training. The other guy is ranked and competes in the Worlds'. He is a young guy and has told me several times that as he approaches 30, he is going to give up on the competitions because his joints hurt so bad.

Neither one had prior injuries through sports etc.

Joint issues are certainly one of the negatives in jiujitsu training. Having good training partners who are relaxed is really important. That is probably the number one thing to reducing your injuries. That and tapping early if you are caught. There is no shame in tapping in submission grappling. Tap, protect your joints and move on in your training.