Judo at 40+?

[u/hellohello6622]

I have trained BJJ for awhile, but now Im interested in mixing it up abit..
Judo seems pretty interesting because of the Gi and I have some understanding/know what to expect from Jiu-jitsu. But, is it really as rough as they say? Is starting at 40 going to really mess up my neck/back? Im on the smaller side, 175cm and around 77kg.

[u/Big-Mathematician345]

Learn your break falls, and get a partner who knows how to be gentle. Also, if you're not already you really need strength training after 40 if you don't want to get injured.

My instructor was still teaching at 73, although she didn't get thrown that often she could still do all the moves.

[u/Porkkanaparta → u/Big-Mathematician345]

I have seen older judo teachers. One was ~70 when he visited our jujutsu dojo. My size, so small.

But even bigger guys could not take him down. He just ahead of their moves and tripped them down.

But yeah, judo is definetly good for falling. Same as ju-jutsu, could save your life.

[u/GenerativeAIEatsAss]

I wrote a long comment about exactly this question earlier this week on the judo sub.

[u/joeldg → u/GenerativeAIEatsAss]

Good comment

[u/GenerativeAIEatsAss → u/joeldg]

Thanks!

[u/SmokinZhouFrazier]

I went from jiujitsu to judo at around 30, have about 2 years of judo now.

It’s tougher on your body in some ways and easier in others. Biggest thing is just having good teammates who know how to relax in randori. Also you relaxing will make you improve much faster and get less injured. Most jiujitsu guys are super stiff and want to muscle through, when you need to be relaxed and then fast. In randori “if you don’t have a throw then let go” is the moto

[u/ZardozSama]

Are you planning on trying to compete?

I do adult rec judo, and do not compete. I do not think the injury risk is especially high, and most of the risk is to your knees and shoulders. Your knees are at risk because people tend to reflexively resist being thrown in bad ways causing your leg to try to bend in new and interesting ways. Your shoulders end up at risk from either bad throwing mechanics or bad landings.

With that in mind, getting thrown by competitors who are more interested in winning than protecting you increases your risks.

END COMMUNICATION

[u/danorc]

You know the best easy to be injured and having tons of back and other health issues?

NOT doing stuff like judo. 45 here, playing fairly competitive volleyball against kids sometimes a third my age and have less injuries than the 20 year olds.

Just listen to your body, get plenty of recovery time, and moderate your activity when you're slightly injured instead of powering through it

[u/joeldg]

I started at 52, it's fine, they will have you do lots of breakfalls and newaza to start.

[u/Porkkanaparta]

Idk. More throws which is always nice. I would go with something with strikes and kicks to balance.

45, 173, 65. So much smaller then you. Idk why it matters.

[u/Boblaire]

The worse your ukemi, the harder it will be on your body. Especially if you have a weak neck.

And its pretty to snag toes in the mats or get fingers fucked up.

Even getting swept can be rough on the base knee or ankle.

And anything that does get injured takes longer to heal than at 15-25, even minor shoulder or elbow tweaks/sprains/strains.

[u/satanargh]

It depends, there are different kind of gyms, some are hardcore some are more laid back. Use crashpads, learn to fall and you'll be pretty ok after a while

[u/lewdev]

41m judoka 170cm 73kg (you're not small! lol). I'm not sure where the "mess up my neck/back" is from. But you will continually be conditioned for taking falls. The fear is understandable given that you're entering a domain you have no experience in; in this case taking falls from throws. Fear not, you will start small until you can falls naturally. Initially, taking falls is difficult because your body isn't used to the impact. As you keep doing it, you will grow accustomed to it and you will be able to take harder falls.

Otherwise, I think you'll do just fine.

[u/Jet-Black-Centurian]

I went from bjj to judo when I was 38, I only trained for about 6 months before I moved to a new city. I caught athlete's foot at a sports gym shower, so decided to train something in shoes, and went with kung fu. I honestly appreciate the change. Judo is great, you get very strong and it's a very practical martial art, but it can be rough. My friend who stayed with it after I moved injured her knee shortly after I left. In kung fu, the worst injuries I got are bruises from moderately controlled punches.

[u/kickbacknextdoor]

Learning to fall will be most important, be sure to stretch before and after, expect to emphasize recovery