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How hard is Jiu Jitsu/BJJ/Judo on your body?

post #1 of 12
9/21/09 at 1:13pm
Thread Starter 
I used to do boxing and karate back in the day when I was a little kiddie. Now I kinda wanna take up something again, and don't really want to do boxing or MT, as I get older I don't think I can handle it and I don't like some of the trauma striking and being hit places on your body. But I am in a pretty good shape overall, probably my best shape ever. And I still want something that's rooted more in sparring than katas and crap like that.

Are Jiu Jitsu/Judo any better on your body in terms of severe trauma? I know shit it still tough, but I guess dislocating something worries me less than having a head/neck injury or getting my back fucked up.
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post #2 of 12
9/21/09 at 1:15pm
judo is very hard on the body, but your body adopts quickly. I am 42, and heavy, I was really scared that judo would kill me, but after a few weeks I was doing fine. for the first 2 weeks, don't count on any major meetings/presenations the day after practice. after that it should be ok.
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post #3 of 12
9/21/09 at 1:59pm
Judo is tough on the body at first, but as globe said, you adapt. As you learn how to break-fall and get more comfortable with your classmates the falls get easier on the body. If your dojo is any good they'll spend some serious time training you how to fall and how to roll. Most of that is just getting comfortable with idea, falling is easy and the body knows how to protect itself, if you let it.

If you decide to do this my advice would be try Judo and later if you want to increase your ground game move on to a BJJ school. Judo is more widely practiced so you have a much better chance of finding a dojo near to where you work/live. You also generally avoid the wannabe MMA tough guys at judo dojos, which makes the experience that much more enjoyable and safe. The last thing you want is some excited kid who thinks he's the next Royce Gracie cranking an arm-bar your first time rolling. Judo also fosters an aggressive mind set, where IME with BJJ it's far too easy to just pull guard and work from there. With judo you have to go out looking for that ippon to win the match. YMMV but my experience with judo was awesome, and much better than what I see in local BJJ/MMA schools.
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post #4 of 12
9/21/09 at 2:18pm
Judo is fun. Its only hard on the ribs and toes. Sometimes your partner will land on your ribs, and sometimes a bad foot sweep will flip then backwards. So it's pretty easy going. I've preacticed this for about five years as a kid/teen.

JiuJitsu is a different word. That stuff is tough! Supreme work out and you get fit fast. The first class I tried a little 110 pound girl choked me out during sparing, three times! I was impressed. The techniques are even better than Judo in my opinion, maybe more refined? In Judo, usually the larger person can out muscle the smaller unless your a bad ass. You just need a some good basics for JiuJitsu.

The only bad thing with this and other non-classical martial arts is you tend to blow out your knees. I'm not sure how this happens but I've seen it over and over with the advanced students.
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post #5 of 12
9/21/09 at 2:54pm
I wanted to get into kickboxing, but due to the fact that I can't take a punch....well let's just say it wouldn't work out.
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post #6 of 12
9/21/09 at 5:19pm
Would you put Aikido in the same camp as Judo as far as physicality?
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post #7 of 12
9/21/09 at 5:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr T View Post
Would you put Aikido in the same camp as Judo as far as physicality?

Not most schools that I have seen. You'll typically get a lot of break falls, but it tends to be more cooperative/less competitive in nature.
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post #8 of 12
9/21/09 at 6:12pm
BJJ can be hard on the body, but it really depends on how hard you push yourself. If you go easy, you probably won't get hurt. If you decide to really push yourself, there are more chances for blown out knees, dislocated fingers and even back injuries. The BB who teaches at the BJJ school I attend hurt his back because he (160 lbs) pulled a big guy into guard (250 lbs) and it caused him to slip a disk in his back. I'm sure it isn't common, but it happens.

Also, there is a good chance you will injure an elbow. I've injured mine twice on douches who ripped hard on an arm bar and didn't release as soon as I tapped. Bastards.
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post #9 of 12
9/21/09 at 7:47pm
Thread Starter 
Good stuff, guys.
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post #10 of 12
9/21/09 at 7:53pm
I've been involved with Judo for about two years, and have absolutely loved it. Especially in your early sessions (say, first month), you should be dedicating significant portions of the classes (50% wouldn't be unreasonable) to learning how to fall properly. For your own safety, flexibility is a huge plus, so be prepared for long stretch sessions before you start. The best thing I did was pair up a few times with a nice black belt; you get a great insight into the techniques and tactics as you progress. Plus, there is nothing better than being thrown by somebody who knows what they're doing -- the better the judoka throwing you, the lower risk of getting injured. edit: My brother does the odd MT class -- whilst it rips your body, it rips your body (if you catch my drift).
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post #11 of 12
9/21/09 at 8:03pm
I think with the exception of maybe tai chi, most martial arts are going to leave you banged up...some a lot more than others of course. Take this with a grain of salt, but one of my best friends is a chiropractor. He tells me he knows exactly which of his clients practice judo just by the poor conditions of their spines.
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post #12 of 12
9/21/09 at 11:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr T View Post
Would you put Aikido in the same camp as Judo as far as physicality?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gradstudent78 View Post
Not most schools that I have seen. You'll typically get a lot of break falls, but it tends to be more cooperative/less competitive in nature.

Agreed. You're also often given a chance to fall softly if you can't do a breakfall.
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