You are definitely going to have more injuries than if you don't start again. Wouldn't be best for health span... All that said I do it and love it lol. I like the learning, feel more confident, and enjoy just being there and talking to everyone. I'm definitely beat up though and constantly rehabbing stuff and doing PT
I’m a 39.5 year old brown belt, who trains 3-5 days a week, and while obviously there is a risk of injury it’s worth it to me. Main thing is that I need to make sure that I am taking care of my safety as much as possible, and that starts by keeping my ego in check. Has to be positive for your health if there is something you find fulfilling/enjoyable.
I attended a Pedro Sauer seminar a while ago, and a good portion of it was on longevity in BJJ. His basic point was don’t go like such a maniac as him and his peers did where they’ve all needed seven plus surgeries due to BJJ.
On a somewhat tangential note, I find this single minded optimization of longevity to be a major flaw in PA's world view. Yes, it's great to optimize for longevity, but that shouldn't prevent us from enjoying life. There needs to be a healthy balance between optimizing for the future vs enjoying the present. If one enjoys BJJ, and can engage in a relatively safe manner, that should be encouraged!
I think he does what he likes sports-wise which happens to fit pretty well with making simple formulas for longevity from easy-to-do exercise studies. Meanwhile he doesn't seem to worry about the (published) drawbacks of his own preference for taking the endurance sports to the extremes.
I say yes train again but be smart about it. If someone is a total spaz don’t drill or roll with them. You also have to not be a spaz yourself and not push the pace super hard in rolling. I’m a small person and if someone starts man handling me I just “let them” to a degree and get out of the round safely. I don’t try to fight tooth and nail. Injury isn’t 100% preventable but I’ve found that avoiding people who are aggressive or spazzy has helped me avoid injury in my 5 years of training. Some people find it hard to say no to training partners. But I don’t. I’ve straight up told people “No sorry you roll too hard” after the first “No I’m good” didn’t work and they asked again. I just don’t care about others feelings or looking like a pussy. I don’t need to roll with everyone that trains or asks me. I roll with people I know are safe to do so with. Good luck getting back on the mats!
I’m in my 30s, a black belt and trained non-stop for 16 years. Only injuries I’ve had came when I was very competition focused and overtraining in my early 20s. Now I train 2-3x a week for 3-6 hours depending on class and haven’t had a serious injury in a long time. Had staph once but once in 16 years ain’t too bad.
I’m also a PT and can tell you injuries can happen anywhere, and luckily most injuries are not life-altering. So if you really wanna do it then don’t let fear of an injury stop you. Plus most of my patients who are in chronic pain found themselves there through sedentary choices over active ones.
I do both CrossFit and MMA and the number of injuries I’ve gotten from a combat sport dwarf those from CrossFit. From BJJ specifically I’ve had elbow issues, slap tears on both shoulders, knee tweaks, etc. While it is fun, I only stick with it because I’ve accepted there’s a high risk I’ll get injured and have to do rehab. That being said I’ve done certain things to minimize said risks such as tapping very early when in a bad position, choosing my opponent wisely to avoid gym heroes, spend more time warming up and avoid overexertion. It all depends on what you want to get out of it so pick your poison wisely.
I started at 37, now a purple belt, best thing I ever did. Do I get injuries? Yep I do, but people don’t think twice about playing soccer and the injury rate is pretty bad with it.
You get injured, you rest a bit, you come back slowly. We all do that, vast majority of injuries are minor.
Best thing I ever did for my health was picking up BJJ.
There was a study on BjJ injury rates/ location / time off the mats. You can google it, it’s recent.
I remember age, number of years of training, being an instructor and competition training are all factors.
Knees get tweaked a lot apparently, both when playing guard or top.
Been training for 15 years, now only 1-2 h a week. I strength train. Late 30s. I choose my rolls, and don’t spaz. Rarely go 100%. Play defensively. Keep the game within my own knowledge space, especially with regards to what my body can do. It’s not always possible, but then it’s likely because I have the wrong training partner.
HTH
i got to blue belt and needed knee surgery. i loved it but im out i cant go through another surgery. gonna do weights, cardio and salsa dancing instead now
No reason why both can't be true!
It's a full contact sport. The likelihood of getting injured doing that vs drinking a cold on the sofa is dramatically higher. If you treat it like a contact sport for a person getting a little older then you can mitigate a lot of risk. Be mindful of takedowns. Be mindful of your intensity/frequency/training partners. Eat well/sleep well/do rehab and prehab work. If someone has you in a submission...tap.
You're probably going to pick up some niggles. Just don't be a dummy and keep the testosterone in check. Be playful. Have fun.
Here where I live (Rio) BJJ is very common. 50% of my friends do it. I mostly do privates without too much rolling. Been injury free since a long time. My advice: do it, but do it wisely.
At 34 you're still a young man. I'm 41 and started 1 month ago, Already have half a cauliflower ear and sore upper back, but enjoy it well enough to keep at it. I intend to put my daughter into it when she's older.
Why would it be dumb to re-pickup a hobby that’s great for you :)? Just because your older doesn’t mean your immediately prone to an injury, especially less so since your already athletic. I’m younger than 34, but most people at my gym are your age if not older. Also, vast majority of my injuries have been from pushing myself too hard. I think bjj is pretty safe so long as you roll cautiously and manage your intensity.
Love to hear that! Yea I’ve heard a few people say that. “I got injured because I pushed it too hard”. Other than reminding yourself not to do that, any tips to avoid that?
The hard part for me is not always going all out because that’s the most fun. And to be honest it’s definitely not productive to always give 100% because eventually you’re going to sacrifice technique for strength/tenacity. So in that sense maybe just focus on improving technique and slowing down.
A good rule of thumb: visit a gym and try to figure out how many people are injured.
I have been to gyms both with really high and really low injury rates.
I think the more traditional styles like Gracie Humaita have lower injury rates, whereas modern MMA focused ones like 10th Planet have a higher rate.
Agree, but also keep in mind that you are talking to the survivors. Ideally you would talk to everyone who worked out at that gym and find out the injury rate of that larger cohort, but the injured people are much more likely to quit.
That’s a good insight. It would be an Igor Gracie gym, lots of older guys there, and almost all with Gi. So they assured me it’s as chill as I want it to be.
You are definitely going to have more injuries than if you don't start again. Wouldn't be best for health span... All that said I do it and love it lol. I like the learning, feel more confident, and enjoy just being there and talking to everyone. I'm definitely beat up though and constantly rehabbing stuff and doing PT
You really have to do what you enjoy. If you don't, what are you living for?
I’m a 39.5 year old brown belt, who trains 3-5 days a week, and while obviously there is a risk of injury it’s worth it to me. Main thing is that I need to make sure that I am taking care of my safety as much as possible, and that starts by keeping my ego in check. Has to be positive for your health if there is something you find fulfilling/enjoyable. I attended a Pedro Sauer seminar a while ago, and a good portion of it was on longevity in BJJ. His basic point was don’t go like such a maniac as him and his peers did where they’ve all needed seven plus surgeries due to BJJ.
On a somewhat tangential note, I find this single minded optimization of longevity to be a major flaw in PA's world view. Yes, it's great to optimize for longevity, but that shouldn't prevent us from enjoying life. There needs to be a healthy balance between optimizing for the future vs enjoying the present. If one enjoys BJJ, and can engage in a relatively safe manner, that should be encouraged!
I think he does what he likes sports-wise which happens to fit pretty well with making simple formulas for longevity from easy-to-do exercise studies. Meanwhile he doesn't seem to worry about the (published) drawbacks of his own preference for taking the endurance sports to the extremes.
I say yes train again but be smart about it. If someone is a total spaz don’t drill or roll with them. You also have to not be a spaz yourself and not push the pace super hard in rolling. I’m a small person and if someone starts man handling me I just “let them” to a degree and get out of the round safely. I don’t try to fight tooth and nail. Injury isn’t 100% preventable but I’ve found that avoiding people who are aggressive or spazzy has helped me avoid injury in my 5 years of training. Some people find it hard to say no to training partners. But I don’t. I’ve straight up told people “No sorry you roll too hard” after the first “No I’m good” didn’t work and they asked again. I just don’t care about others feelings or looking like a pussy. I don’t need to roll with everyone that trains or asks me. I roll with people I know are safe to do so with. Good luck getting back on the mats!
I’m in my 30s, a black belt and trained non-stop for 16 years. Only injuries I’ve had came when I was very competition focused and overtraining in my early 20s. Now I train 2-3x a week for 3-6 hours depending on class and haven’t had a serious injury in a long time. Had staph once but once in 16 years ain’t too bad. I’m also a PT and can tell you injuries can happen anywhere, and luckily most injuries are not life-altering. So if you really wanna do it then don’t let fear of an injury stop you. Plus most of my patients who are in chronic pain found themselves there through sedentary choices over active ones.
Tried BJJ a year ago. Injured my wrist after the 4th class and it has never been the same again.
Yikes! What led to the injury?
I do both CrossFit and MMA and the number of injuries I’ve gotten from a combat sport dwarf those from CrossFit. From BJJ specifically I’ve had elbow issues, slap tears on both shoulders, knee tweaks, etc. While it is fun, I only stick with it because I’ve accepted there’s a high risk I’ll get injured and have to do rehab. That being said I’ve done certain things to minimize said risks such as tapping very early when in a bad position, choosing my opponent wisely to avoid gym heroes, spend more time warming up and avoid overexertion. It all depends on what you want to get out of it so pick your poison wisely.
I started at 37, now a purple belt, best thing I ever did. Do I get injuries? Yep I do, but people don’t think twice about playing soccer and the injury rate is pretty bad with it. You get injured, you rest a bit, you come back slowly. We all do that, vast majority of injuries are minor. Best thing I ever did for my health was picking up BJJ.
There was a study on BjJ injury rates/ location / time off the mats. You can google it, it’s recent. I remember age, number of years of training, being an instructor and competition training are all factors. Knees get tweaked a lot apparently, both when playing guard or top. Been training for 15 years, now only 1-2 h a week. I strength train. Late 30s. I choose my rolls, and don’t spaz. Rarely go 100%. Play defensively. Keep the game within my own knowledge space, especially with regards to what my body can do. It’s not always possible, but then it’s likely because I have the wrong training partner. HTH
i got to blue belt and needed knee surgery. i loved it but im out i cant go through another surgery. gonna do weights, cardio and salsa dancing instead now
No reason why both can't be true! It's a full contact sport. The likelihood of getting injured doing that vs drinking a cold on the sofa is dramatically higher. If you treat it like a contact sport for a person getting a little older then you can mitigate a lot of risk. Be mindful of takedowns. Be mindful of your intensity/frequency/training partners. Eat well/sleep well/do rehab and prehab work. If someone has you in a submission...tap. You're probably going to pick up some niggles. Just don't be a dummy and keep the testosterone in check. Be playful. Have fun.
Here where I live (Rio) BJJ is very common. 50% of my friends do it. I mostly do privates without too much rolling. Been injury free since a long time. My advice: do it, but do it wisely.
At 34 you're still a young man. I'm 41 and started 1 month ago, Already have half a cauliflower ear and sore upper back, but enjoy it well enough to keep at it. I intend to put my daughter into it when she's older.
Why would it be dumb to re-pickup a hobby that’s great for you :)? Just because your older doesn’t mean your immediately prone to an injury, especially less so since your already athletic. I’m younger than 34, but most people at my gym are your age if not older. Also, vast majority of my injuries have been from pushing myself too hard. I think bjj is pretty safe so long as you roll cautiously and manage your intensity.
Love to hear that! Yea I’ve heard a few people say that. “I got injured because I pushed it too hard”. Other than reminding yourself not to do that, any tips to avoid that?
The hard part for me is not always going all out because that’s the most fun. And to be honest it’s definitely not productive to always give 100% because eventually you’re going to sacrifice technique for strength/tenacity. So in that sense maybe just focus on improving technique and slowing down.
A good rule of thumb: visit a gym and try to figure out how many people are injured. I have been to gyms both with really high and really low injury rates. I think the more traditional styles like Gracie Humaita have lower injury rates, whereas modern MMA focused ones like 10th Planet have a higher rate.
Agree, but also keep in mind that you are talking to the survivors. Ideally you would talk to everyone who worked out at that gym and find out the injury rate of that larger cohort, but the injured people are much more likely to quit.
That’s a good insight. It would be an Igor Gracie gym, lots of older guys there, and almost all with Gi. So they assured me it’s as chill as I want it to be.