Starting Judo at 28. At what level can I compete?

[sonic44]

I'm asking this because everywhere I seem to look makes it sound like you can't do Judo after 20 or something. I remember this one post that was telling some 24 year old kid that he was too old to start judo and become proficient. Really?

Maybe I just don't limit myself like other people, but I never thought 28 to be that old. Heck, I feel exactly the same as I did when I was 18.

I want to start Judo, and I'd like to compete. Now, I have no delusions of being an Olympic champion or anything but, honestly, what's the highest level you imagine I could compete? State level? National? This is, of course, assuming I really enjoy it and end up dedicated a lot of time to it.

Note: when I say I'm 28 and I want to start Judo, I don't mean I'm rolling off of the couch from drinking a beer having never done any sports or martial arts in my life. I've been practicing and competing in martial arts my whole life, taekwondo, Muay Thai kick boxing, wushu. I pick up martial arts quickly and am very athletic.

Honest answers?

 

[SummerStriker]

I don't know man. Are you a little bitch or are you a bad ass?

 

[SummerStriker]

I guess if you are a legitimate bad ass, you can do anything.

 

[Bayonet]

As far as I know, you can compete as soon as you get your yellow belt, and it's like you can compete at the provincial/state and national levels in a few years.

 

[freaky]

I know this University professor who didn't start learning Judo until he was a professor (30+?) at the same University. And he won the states championship. But he trained everyday and is super dedicated.

You can become a champion too if you train enough.

 

[lechien]

I know this University professor who didn't start learning Judo until he was a professor (30+?) at the same University. And he won the states championship. But he trained everyday and is super dedicated.

You can become a champion too if you train enough.

did he win it at masters?

 

[freaky]

did he win it at masters?

No idea but he was in last year's USA SR. Not sure if he won that. I think he did.

No wait I lied. He was in masters 5. Not sure if he won. I'm digging more details.

Okay looking at the brackets I think he won 2nd place?

 

[SFCFighter]

If you are a freak athlete you could make the Olympics by your mid 30s, especially if you are very big

 

[Thrawn33]

Start at the local/state level in the newbie division. You'll know where to go after a few of those.

 

[DCnMO]

28 isn't too old to start Judo, not at all. You should consider though that it's a rough sport, especially if you train hard and frequently enough to be a serious competitor. So even though you may feel good physically, don't be surprised by frequent injuries, Judo is a different beast.

 

[lecter]

Well a lot of guys will tell you that you can become a Olympic Gold medalist/reach whatever goal you want etc.
And it's kind of the right mindset, but it rather applies to somebody who puts his life into this from now on.

If you're just a regular guy, average talent who likes to train 2-3 times a week it will be pretty hard to compete against guys who train Judo since they are 6.
There are no belt classes like in BJJ.
But at the end of the day just do it and try it for yourself.

I know enough examples of really athletic guys with some martial arts backgrounds who droped in really late into a certain martial art but were able to 'close up' quite fast.

It's just nothing that can be answered in a forum

 

[QingTian]

It depends on:
1) Your access to good coaches.
2) Your previous athletic background.
3) How much time and money you have.
4) Which weight class you are in.

If all stars align, you might win at a point tournament one day, but unlikely to win at Nationals.

Don't get me wrong though, having all 4 line up is very unlikely in the US. Most likely you will just be good enough to just not be a pushover at a local tournament.

 

[RJ Green]

like everyone's said, it's mostly about athletic ability and giving a shit. be willing to break yourself and climb a steep learning curve. hooray!

 

[RJ Green]

for competition it helps to live near a population center, preferably not in a flyover state, not that they're devoid of competition, but most of the tournaments in the great 48 are along the coasts. usa judo does a pretty good job of posting the schedule for competition opportunities on their website, and there's www.judocalendar.com too.

good luck!

 

[SuperSuperRambo]

There's a different between becoming proficient and becoming competitive on a high level. You can become proficient and virtually any age where you are still physically able to train.

On the other hand, it depends what you mean by being competitive. There are, at least on regional/local tournaments, different skill divisions. Then there are different age divisions as well. If you're talking about being able to win tournaments filled with black belts in their 20s who have been training Judo their whole lives, it's gonna be hard, especially when you go beyond that regional level. That's the same for any sport - wrestling, boxing, muay thai, BJJ, etc. But if you are looking to compete in age-appropriate divisions, then there's no reason you can't have competitive success if you train hard and are dedicated.

Also, as someone who is 29 and has been grappling since age 13, BJJ since 19, I can tell you that while you might think you feel the same as you did 10 years ago, that feeling might change when you actually go up against someone 10 years younger. I'm by no means old, but I already realize that I get injured more by doing the same things, and have less energy than I did when I was 20, even though I'm a lot more skilled.

Lastly, this is all really premature. Train first, then test yourself and see where you're at.