I disagree, all though a lot of these nagging injuries do add up and can even make life difficult if they are aggravated or go to long untreated. Overall Bjj is going to keep you mobile/flexible and keep your heart/lungs in decent condition.
Loved your entire post but this in particular is something I really need to work on. I pulled my hamstring in the 2nd to last roll last night and pushed through and did that final round. Today I'm wishing I hadn't done that.And something else I do is, when class is over and the rolling has begun, if something gets hurt, not just a little twinge, but actually hurt, I'm done for the day. I just stop, I don't care if I wanted to get five or six rounds in. Even if it's the first minute into my first round.
Compared to a non-active lifestyle yes, and compared to a lot of other martial arts/combat sports, yes. But there are other forms of anaerobic and aerobic exercise that are easier on the body than this.I disagree, all though a lot of these nagging injuries do add up and can even make life difficult if they are aggravated or go to long untreated. Overall Bjj is going to keep you mobile/flexible and keep your heart/lungs in decent condition.
Compared to a non-active lifestyle yes, and compared to a lot of other martial arts/combat sports, yes. But there are other forms of anaerobic and aerobic exercise that are easier on the body than this.
I mean I love grappling. I will do it forever or until I physically can't. But I do think I could've found a healthier form of exercise.
Honestly I think the biggest health benefits from grappling come from the tribal nature if it, and the bonding, and the fact that human beings need touch, and need to play. I think a lot of mental health related benefits in some of those areas are even more beneficial than the physical health benefits.
I disagree, all though a lot of these nagging injuries do add up and can even make life difficult if they are aggravated or go to long untreated. Overall Bjj is going to keep you mobile/flexible and keep your heart/lungs in decent condition.
I disagree, all though a lot of these nagging injuries do add up and can even make life difficult if they are aggravated or go to long untreated. Overall Bjj is going to keep you mobile/flexible and keep your heart/lungs in decent condition.
Also, all the forum regulars on here are old now (for BJJ at least). We were all in our 20s when we started posting and now we're all bitchy middle aged men complaining about chronic injuries. I know I certainly am.
Lmfaooo, so much true in this... we’ve been posting for a freaking decade... so much has changed in my mind... i remember someone said one time... I used to think there was no life without Bjj... now I see there’s much more... i was like “blasphemy!!!”
As you get older, yes there’s life after Bjj, i might start running a bike or something...
35Out of curiosity, how old are you?
I hear you.Lmfaooo, so much true in this... we’ve been posting for a freaking decade... so much has changed in my mind... i remember someone said one time... I used to think there was no life without Bjj... now I see there’s much more... i was like “blasphemy!!!”
As you get older, yes there’s life after Bjj, i might start running a bike or something...
I think there can be old man injured life WITH BJJ, just maybe not hardcore super athletic tournament competition focused BJJ.
I hear you.
Man I've been hardcore into lifting weights recently and I love it. I hated on it for so many years and didn't want to skip BJJ to lift and any free time to work out I just wanted to roll. After lifting for a few months I feel so much better. I look better, feel better, have a testosterone boost, my posture has improved, and I had no idea how much technique was involved on the actual lifts. It's also a cool way to meet new people.
My BJJ buddies think I've left them behind but I'm just excited to be passionate about a different form of exercise now. BJJ will always be my first love and I won't leave it behind. But right now I'm primarily enjoying lifting.
This may be suited for another discussion but I also am starting to see why a lot of black belts I know either get into other passions or go all in and open up schools.Going through the same process man...
This may be suited for another discussion but I also am starting to see why a lot of black belts I know either get into other passions or go all in and open up schools.
We are all complaining a bit but the bolded is true. I know people in their 60's that are able to roll with at least moderate intensity and I don't know how doable that would be in Judo or striking arts.
There's a way that BJJ is tough on the body that no one talks about much. Everyone talks about how no-gi can be rough and even though it's more athletic and people are more likely to eat some elbows and knees, I think that having your gi used against you in leg drag/leg weave style positions where your spine and ribs can be twisted up and held there by someone else is rough after a while. That aspect of someone being able to just fucking hold you in a leg drag position with your head facing one way and your hips facing the other way for extended periods of time is the shit that adds up and really causes pain and aches for me. If I were at a school with a more extensive no-gi program I would honestly choose to probably do 2/3rd no-gi and 1/3rd gi going forward. Right now it's 2/3rds gi and 1/3rd no-gi.
Yessir. The only real isometric stuff I feel without the gi is applying strangle holds or doing body triangles from the back. That's a good point re: inverting. And when I do invert I find it easier to do without being compressed because no one can grab fabric as I'm inverting to pressure in and squash me.I find no-gi to be much easier on the body than gi. It's easier on your fingers and your neck and spine, because unless inverting is a big part of your game you rarely get stacked. It's also much easier to make small adjustments to relieve pressure whereas in the gi as you correctly note people can put you in a terrible position and just hold you there. I find the sort of constant tension that's necessary in the gi much more stressful than the more fluid positions in no-gi, even though no-gi can often require somewhat better cardio as opposed to isometric strength (though of course you need quite a bit of both for either type of training).
I've noticed changes in my 30s.
I still feel I can roll with just about anyone, and I still do. The difference is though I no longer feel I can always dictate how I roll with them.
Sometimes I just have to resign myself to the fact that I need a break that day. Accordingly, I won't do as well in the roll as I potentially could if I went with a more aggressive strategy. I might need to just play slow and defend more than I usually would. And playing slow + defense = losing most of the time.
I feel like I am better than ever in my 30s. But it's a different kind of better than how I felt in my 20s.