Jiu Jitsu is bad for your body.

been training since 17.
now 33.
im fucked.
everything hurts.
my lower back being the main thing
docs say due to manuel labour jobs and bjj mma training simultaniously for so long that the muscles in my lower back are so used to making static contractions that they are tight 24 7 and there fore get minimal blood flow and will always be stiff.
my left elbow is fucked and makes my whole arm so weak i can barely grip.
right knee is dodgey on the acl side.
both big toes. dont ask me how.
my neck is the only thing i have thats good.
Do psoas and QL stretches for your back man.
 
It's a crossroads that many come to.

I made it this far because I had fun, learned some stuff, and made some friends. Really, it was almost all worth it just for the few good friends I made. I went to the wedding of one and will be at the other's wedding as well. For others it could mean much more.

What weighs me down are the injuries and (opportunity) costs. I paid a heavy price and ask myself a lot of questions:

1. Why did I begin? What do I want out of the sport now?
2. How much more am I willing to give of my health and money for diminishing returns? For others this could include potential time with kids and loved ones, an extra $125 towards the mortgage, etc.

If you're a "professional" bjj athlete or own a school, these questions are irrelevant. You're probably still fucked up but you are invested in a way that does not allow for backing out - you have accepted a certain quality of life and hope that it doesn't get any worse.

For people who have neither aspiration, the questions are more pressing.

If someone had told me when I first started that I could be a brown belt but told me that I would for sure have all the injuries that I have now, I probably would not have began. I only feel normal because I have become accustomed to living in a functionally impaired state.
Sounds depressing bro. But you're 100% right.

I myself FUCKED my left ankle (toehold) and my right rotator cuff (americana with legs from kesa-gatame position). Both times by dudes who were looking to hurt someone. Seems like peanuts compared to some of the dudes in this thread.
 
This thread is sobering.

My issue right now is that I'm a dumb white belt and don't know how I'm getting all the aches I have. Why does my left shoulder hurt? No idea. (The constantly sore ribcage I understand... I'm smaller than most of my sparring partners and they crush me).
 
I don't know how you guys have so many problems. I only have two from injuries in Judo, and I had to literally fall on my face and the other went with a guy who was 375 lbs. Otherwise I'm much stronger for it.
 
docs say due to manuel labour jobs and bjj mma training simultaniously for so long that the muscles in my lower back are so used to making static contractions that they are tight 24 7 and there fore get minimal blood flow and will always be stiff.

Broscience. Docs aren't good at diagnosing shit like this. You're fixable man.
 
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I'm 43 and can berimbolo. Keeping guys in my closed guard though is killing my hips. Good thing my half guard game is my saving grace.
 
Im 35 years old, this is my 4th year into training BJJ. I have popped my right wrist which took a year to fully heal and popped both my knees (meniscus tear). Pulling off techniques while rolling just feels too good to quit.
 
Broscience. Docs aren't good at diagnosing shit like this. You're fixable man.
well i hoped it would get better with the widely prescribed "rest" . but hurts regardless of how much i rest. hurts to sit. hurts to stand lol.
latest doc basically said your 33 but u have the back of a 60 year old. so that was nice.
 
well i hoped it would get better with the widely prescribed "rest" . but hurts regardless of how much i rest. hurts to sit. hurts to stand lol.
latest doc basically said your 33 but u have the back of a 60 year old. so that was nice.
You have herniated discs?
 
Hey everybody!
I’m feeling great! I decreased the intensity and volume of my training for a while. Last week I trained 4 times. This week 3. I’m lifting twice a week with swimming and dancing almost every day.
I’m doing lots of recovery and stretching. My cardio and strength are good for sparring. I am really feeling a lot better. (Knock on wood)
Being on vacation certainly helps things.
I’m nowhere near done.
 
I'm 43 and can berimbolo. Keeping guys in my closed guard though is killing my hips. Good thing my half guard game is my saving grace.

Go foot in hip, and get off to one side. And keep your knees high.
 
Hey everybody!
I’m feeling great! I decreased the intensity and volume of my training for a while. Last week I trained 4 times. This week 3. I’m lifting twice a week with swimming and dancing almost every day.
I’m doing lots of recovery and stretching. My cardio and strength are good for sparring. I am really feeling a lot better. (Knock on wood)
Being on vacation certainly helps things.
I’m nowhere near done.

What kind of dancing are you doing?
 
Just thought I'd share here, I've been doing the FRC + Kelly Starrett almost daily for a couple weeks now.

Yesterday I found that I could do Hindu Pushups for the first time in my life without my shoulders grinding uncomfortably.
Huge difference.

My left shoulder still grinds in certain positions (will probably see a physio or get an MRI), but it feels way better than it usually does.
 
What kind of dancing are you doing?

Fusion hike dancing... I’m staring a new trend.



Actually, my dance background includes Argentine tango, blues, west coast swing, contact improv, and a few others.
We call it “fusion dancing”. It’s like mma. Mix all the dances together and dance to modern music.
 
I'm a 46 year old hobbyist purple and I've thought about "how much longer" recently. Are there other disciplines that do gym sparring the way jiu-jitsu does where you see people in their 40's and 50's? I'm not talking about TMAs where you can do kata or forms but boxing, wrestling, Muay Thai, etc. I'm not very familiar with judo but are there regularly 45 + judoka in the gym every day?
My Judo coach is 85. But I guess he's a major exception to the rule (former Olympic coach, Judo is his life). His son is a 3rd Dan (in his 40s currently) but he busted his knees in his prime and could't compete since.
 
Damn, this is a depressing thread for when I reach such ages.. judo, wrestling and bjj are best young ahahah. I will take things slightly more easily for years to come to increase longevity.
 
https://www.patreon.com/posts/bjj-is-really-to-18386254 Article by Emily Kwok

From me...
Some people ask me why I take extended periods of limited to no training. Here are some reasons...

1. I like being able to get in my car without using my hands to pull my left leg inside. Multiple groin injuries over the years start adding up.

2. I like being able to put coffee cups on the top shelf. Limited shoulder mobility is a thing.

3. I like hiking without the fear of my knee collapsing. Knee surgery on top of multiple chronic knee issues isn’t my fave.

4. I like being able to hold things in my hands. Let’s face it. Our hands and fingers are wrecked.

5. The whole left side of my body is out of alignment from the asymmetry of my training. I need to rotate the tires regularly.

I plan to train for many years to come. 22 years of training and I’m still going strong most of the time. My coaches know I’ve competed with a torn meniscus, groin pulls, bursitis on my elbow the size of a tennis ball, limited movement in multiple joints. It goes on and on...

Time off lets my body recalibrate. It lets my mind believe that jiu Jitsu isn’t a job and that I have to be there every day all day and accept all challenges from every beast and monster.

Time off clears the way to let me become passionate with other things. I crave learning and reinvention. I don’t want jiu Jitsu to become stale. I am bored with my competition game. I am tired of always bringing my a game.

I take time off because I love the jiu Jitsu lifestyle. I love my teammates and the jiu Jitsu community at large. I don’t want to “be done.”


https://www.patreon.com/posts/bjj-is-really-to-18386254
That article deserves to be stickied in every martial arts and combat sports related forum in existence. Hell, it even applies to team sports, powerlifting, bodybuilding and crossfit. I wish I had that kind of mindset when I started. Spread the truth!!!

https://www.patreon.com/posts/bjj-is-really-to-18386254
 
I only just signed up to comment on this thread

47 yo black belt 1 stripe, been at it for 17 years since starting at 30. The significant injuries are a complete ACL tear a few years ago and C4-C7 herniations that cause some numbness that's mostly been manageable. The grip tendonitis is there sometimes, and I've effed up my thumbs jamming them pretty hard at various times over the years. But a lot of these injuries...could have been any sport. I coulda blown an ACL playing basketball or tennis or something.

The thing I learnt from BJJ is the decline of the body during the 30s. I was paying attention to what my body was telling me. At 32, you think you are young forever. At 34, you start having pains that last longer than the night and you think ah I must have gone too hard or whatever else and you can tend to ignore it. At 36, it becomes undeniable what's happening- age. At 38, if you don't change your game, you will enter a state of semi-permanent injury. At 40, your cardio suddenly goes. I've seen students and teammates go through this, many didn't listen, I guess they thought they were immortal or something.

One of the things that helped me most in BJJ was just not doing it as much. I was a 2-3x/week guy ever tops. Every other day kind of schedule and this helped me get time to recover. I always had enough talent to be able to make progress on that type of schedule. And I never did it on vacation...everyone would ask me oh you went to brazil, how was the bjj and I would say that I didn't do any at all, ever. People thought I guess it should be more of an obsession and I should spar on vacation but I like to relax on vacation, not get beat up. Don't wreck yourself for the love of this, treat it as it is, something that benefits you, not masochism.

Flexibility was always my best asset and kept me away from a lot of injuries but also recognizing what was changing in my body and changing my game. Learning lower-risk guards and being able to keep people's weight off. Not getting tangled up, staying in shape, don't gain weight. As a smaller guy I could never succumb to the use of strength bc I was at a relative disadvantage on that. I used to power armbars from guard on men that outweighed me by more than 100lbs and were 10 years younger. At late 30s, that use of strength started to hurt me. At purple I started to really focus on sweeps, being on top, the traditional, sweep, pass, tap, position before submission approach. That really helped. It's harder to get hurt on top. And don't power through stuff.

And this is something that as an instructor I always try to emphasize- as you age, your own strength will cause you injuries if you apply it injudiciously. You've got to abandon the parts of your game that depend on huge power. If I force an armbar on someone now, I mess my lower back up. Have to start using better technique at some point in your evolution.

The other thing is learn good submission defense- by that I do not mean grab your belt harder to fight kimuras but rather recognize when a submission is a threat and learn to use posture and position and stay a step ahead of it. Don't get surprised by stuff, be hard to tap but not because you're willing to take risks, but because people can't get you locked down. Give ground when you need to and don't fight reality. Learn when you're in danger and take appropriate posture and positional steps immediately to get away from it. If someone is going for a kimura, I can't remember the last time I had to grab anything to fight it...I immediately yank my elbow down and recover it to the floor before they can solidify the position. So what if they get side control? Give ground and concede position where it keeps you safer from the submission.

I've also never been a footlock fan and don't really teach them much...I steer people clear of guillotines and also some stuff that I've had a couple students recently suffer identical collateral ligament injuries from, such as lasso guards. My advice to a lot of guys I've read through this whole thread is listen to your body better and train less.
 
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