The FB BJJ / MA Thread

Fuengi

rivercider said:

Hall v Strickland tonight could be a special fight. Hall has some incredible finishes to his name and seems to be finding consistency.

Incidentally, my days of MA are long gone now, even more so following scans showing I have three tears in tendons in my shoulder following a fall down a riverbank last September.  So I can't see myself ever going back to it, as I'm now into my 50s.  But fair play to everyone here who keeps at it.

I'm 51 and had Achilles tendon reconstruction surgery 3 and a half years ago. Since then I got my blue belt in BJJ and train 3 times a week. If you train smart it's achievable. 

rivercider

I'm still at the stage of steroid injections into the shoulder, I think they're hoping to avoid giving me surgery, but everyday tasks hurt, even 10 months on, including playing guitar.  Apparently I also have degenerative arthritis of the shoulder but I guess lots of people my age do. I think I've simply conceded that martial arts, whilst maybe still possible, might not be advisable if I don't want to wear my body out any more.  

stimpsonslostson

Ah, the joys of aging! 
I turned 40 recently and in the light of a series of injuries, I have reassessed my approach to training. 
Gone are the days when I could train hard, do a bit of stretching, go to bed and then get up and do it all over again the next day. 
I train BJJ Mon, Weds & Sat, taking time for 30 mins of stretching each day with weights sessions on the non BJJ days- focussing on areas of known weakness: knees, hips and back mainly- I saw a specialist physio during lockdown who told me I have "loose" ligaments so regular conditioning work will help minimise risk of injury. 
 I have at least one day a week where I don't do anything more strenuous than a walk and some yoga. Now actually feel fitter than I did when I was training more intensely, I think it's because I'm not so tired and run down any more. 

I'm also keeping a training diary and approaching my learning in a more structured way. In the past I just did whatever the coach was teaching that day and tried to absorb it. Writing things down seems to help me remember details and also puts techniques in context so I can "see" where they fit with the rest of my game. It's not easy to sit on the side of the mat after class and write things down when all I want is some food and a hot shower! 

Fuengi

stimpsonslostson said:

Ah, the joys of aging! 
I turned 40 recently and in the light of a series of injuries, I have reassessed my approach to training. 
Gone are the days when I could train hard, do a bit of stretching, go to bed and then get up and do it all over again the next day. 
I train BJJ Mon, Weds & Sat, taking time for 30 mins of stretching each day with weights sessions on the non BJJ days- focussing on areas of known weakness: knees, hips and back mainly- I saw a specialist physio during lockdown who told me I have "loose" ligaments so regular conditioning work will help minimise risk of injury. 
 I have at least one day a week where I don't do anything more strenuous than a walk and some yoga. Now actually feel fitter than I did when I was training more intensely, I think it's because I'm not so tired and run down any more. 

I'm also keeping a training diary and approaching my learning in a more structured way. In the past I just did whatever the coach was teaching that day and tried to absorb it. Writing things down seems to help me remember details and also puts techniques in context so I can "see" where they fit with the rest of my game. It's not easy to sit on the side of the mat after class and write things down when all I want is some food and a hot shower! 

Really interesting hearing other people's approach to training. My coach made a point on saying to me when I reached blue belt that is should consider training three times a week with lower intensity. It's proven to be good advice, my game has definitely developed quicker doing three sessions a week. 

meltedbuzzbox

rivercider said:

I'm still at the stage of steroid injections into the shoulder, I think they're hoping to avoid giving me surgery, but everyday tasks hurt, even 10 months on, including playing guitar.  Apparently I also have degenerative arthritis of the shoulder but I guess lots of people my age do. I think I've simply conceded that martial arts, whilst maybe still possible, might not be advisable if I don't want to wear my body out any more.  

The body doesn't necessarily wear out from use. Usually it's the complete opposite.
Bad use (or technique in application) can cause wear and tear as well as will over use.

Train smart, alway keep moving. The worst thing you can do is nothing in a bid to preserve yourself

stimpsonslostson

Fuengi said:

stimpsonslostson said:

Ah, the joys of aging! 
I turned 40 recently and in the light of a series of injuries, I have reassessed my approach to training. 
Gone are the days when I could train hard, do a bit of stretching, go to bed and then get up and do it all over again the next day. 
I train BJJ Mon, Weds & Sat, taking time for 30 mins of stretching each day with weights sessions on the non BJJ days- focussing on areas of known weakness: knees, hips and back mainly- I saw a specialist physio during lockdown who told me I have "loose" ligaments so regular conditioning work will help minimise risk of injury. 
 I have at least one day a week where I don't do anything more strenuous than a walk and some yoga. Now actually feel fitter than I did when I was training more intensely, I think it's because I'm not so tired and run down any more. 

I'm also keeping a training diary and approaching my learning in a more structured way. In the past I just did whatever the coach was teaching that day and tried to absorb it. Writing things down seems to help me remember details and also puts techniques in context so I can "see" where they fit with the rest of my game. It's not easy to sit on the side of the mat after class and write things down when all I want is some food and a hot shower! 

Really interesting hearing other people's approach to training. My coach made a point on saying to me when I reached blue belt that is should consider training three times a week with lower intensity. It's proven to be good advice, my game has definitely developed quicker doing three sessions a week. 

The less is more approach was a revelation to me too! 
The hardest part for me is knowing when to ease off- breaking the "go hard or go home" mentality that I've developed over the years. I think making the switch from NoGi to Gi has helped- I have to be more strategic and can't just scramble for position. 

Picking training partners wisely is a good strategy too- as I'm trying to focus on technique, not having a war, there are certain people I avoid rolling (or even drilling) with as they can't comprehend going anything less than 100%. 

I'm quite lucky in that there are a few great women who train at my gym- I love going with them as it's always a technical roll and never turns into an ego battle. As a result, the variety of techniques I'm actually USING is increasing rather than me going for my tried and tested a->b->c->d chains.

I'm just so glad to be back on the mats after such a long break! I'm really enjoying and appreciating BJJ again in a way I think I'd lost somewhat in the past. 

Fuengi

stimpsonslostson said:

Fuengi said:

stimpsonslostson said:

Ah, the joys of aging! 
I turned 40 recently and in the light of a series of injuries, I have reassessed my approach to training. 
Gone are the days when I could train hard, do a bit of stretching, go to bed and then get up and do it all over again the next day. 
I train BJJ Mon, Weds & Sat, taking time for 30 mins of stretching each day with weights sessions on the non BJJ days- focussing on areas of known weakness: knees, hips and back mainly- I saw a specialist physio during lockdown who told me I have "loose" ligaments so regular conditioning work will help minimise risk of injury. 
 I have at least one day a week where I don't do anything more strenuous than a walk and some yoga. Now actually feel fitter than I did when I was training more intensely, I think it's because I'm not so tired and run down any more. 

I'm also keeping a training diary and approaching my learning in a more structured way. In the past I just did whatever the coach was teaching that day and tried to absorb it. Writing things down seems to help me remember details and also puts techniques in context so I can "see" where they fit with the rest of my game. It's not easy to sit on the side of the mat after class and write things down when all I want is some food and a hot shower! 

Really interesting hearing other people's approach to training. My coach made a point on saying to me when I reached blue belt that is should consider training three times a week with lower intensity. It's proven to be good advice, my game has definitely developed quicker doing three sessions a week. 

The less is more approach was a revelation to me too! 
The hardest part for me is knowing when to ease off- breaking the "go hard or go home" mentality that I've developed over the years. I think making the switch from NoGi to Gi has helped- I have to be more strategic and can't just scramble for position. 

Picking training partners wisely is a good strategy too- as I'm trying to focus on technique, not having a war, there are certain people I avoid rolling (or even drilling) with as they can't comprehend going anything less than 100%. 

I'm quite lucky in that there are a few great women who train at my gym- I love going with them as it's always a technical roll and never turns into an ego battle. As a result, the variety of techniques I'm actually USING is increasing rather than me going for my tried and tested a->b->c->d chains.

I'm just so glad to be back on the mats after such a long break! I'm really enjoying and appreciating BJJ again in a way I think I'd lost somewhat in the past. 

Completely agree with everything you say here. Drilling and rolling with the right partners, at the right intensity makes a big difference.

grungebob

Just watched one of the old guys from my gym win on the Polaris prelims. 

What a star!

stimpsonslostson

How's everyone enjoying being back at training properly? 
I've been managing three sessions a week & it's made a huge difference. I almost feel fit again! 
For me BJJ is a couple of hours when I'm not Dad, or the manager, I'm just me & I can simply play. 

I must be doing something right because I received my blue belt at training today & am quite proud of the new belt. 

 It's been a LONG road: I did nogi for a decade before switching to the gi when my old gym closed down. 
The transition to the gi was hard- I thought I knew BJJ, but came to realise there are gaping holes in my game that I'm slowly filling in. 

Fuengi

stimpsonslostson said:

How's everyone enjoying being back at training properly? 
I've been managing three sessions a week & it's made a huge difference. I almost feel fit again! 
For me BJJ is a couple of hours when I'm not Dad, or the manager, I'm just me & I can simply play. 

I must be doing something right because I received my blue belt at training today & am quite proud of the new belt. 

 It's been a LONG road: I did nogi for a decade before switching to the gi when my old gym closed down. 
The transition to the gi was hard- I thought I knew BJJ, but came to realise there are gaping holes in my game that I'm slowly filling in. 

Congratulations! Fantastic achievement, takes a lot of hard, difficult work to get there. 

Going well with our gym. We got loads of new guys starting, it's more popular than ever. 

drpbier

@stimpsonslostson Congrats on the promotion! I got mine last year, 2 years into my training. Blue belt is something else and I don't feel I'm very far from where I was a year ago. But being able to really drill and roll is fantastic!

grungebob

Yeah congratulations dude, we’ll done. 

I’m loving being back, my fitness is coming back I’ve  stopped being sore after every role and bruises only last a day. 

I’m loving being back, we’ve got a few new people and a returning blue belt (who I don’t like, I think I know why but I’m not sure). 

Let’s hope we all continue to enjoy it. 

AK99

Are judo chaps allowed in here ? (There's also a lot of BJJ guys cross-train at our club if that helps..)
Back on the mat here last week for the first time in 18 months - flippin' great to be back

grungebob

AK99 said:

Are judo chaps allowed in here ? (There's also a lot of BJJ guys cross-train at our club if that helps..)
Back on the mat here last week for the first time in 18 months - flippin' great to be back

Welcome, just don’t correct our takedowns or judge our kuzushi

AK99

I won't - especially since your lower grade players invariably have most of our higher grade players tied up in knots on the ground without breaking sweat 

Will also readily concede btw I'm envious of the better fitting and cooler looking gis you guys get to wear. I'd love to be able to rock up for training with a seriously cool faded black suit..

grungebob

My instructor’s first black belt was in Judo and we originally trained out of the towns Judo club (wonderful mats!). There was always a lot of banter come change over times. 

Fuengi

I've trained with a couple of Judo guys, crazy strength you chaps seem to have and the break falls sound like shotgun blasts. 

AK99

^ It's kind of an odd one that big slap on the mat: does look and sound impressive when you're doing break-falls or demonstrating throws, but if you're daft enough to forget and do it in a competition - it's practically a guaranteed Ippon for your opponent  

Yeah there's a lot of friendly rivalry and banter between the clubs here too.  There's a fair amount of people cross-train, and any b0ll0x about one being better than the other soon disappears when people see just how capable and skilled the good guys in the other disciplines are. From a judo perspective, the average judo player round here has had to seriously up his/her ground game to keep up with the influx of new techniques and skills coming across from BJJ - and rightly so!

I've trained a few times at local BJJ clubs, and always had a ball. Wish I had the time to train at both.

Fuengi

AK99 said:

^ It's kind of an odd one that big slap on the mat: does look and sound impressive when you're doing break-falls or demonstrating throws, but if you're daft enough to forget and do it in a competition - it's practically a guaranteed Ippon for your opponent  

Yeah there's a lot of friendly rivalry and banter between the clubs here too.  There's a fair amount of people cross-train, and any b0ll0x about one being better than the other soon disappears when people see just how capable and skilled the good guys in the other disciplines are. From a judo perspective, the average judo player round here has had to seriously up his/her ground game to keep up with the influx of new techniques and skills coming across from BJJ - and rightly so!

I've trained a few times at local BJJ clubs, and always had a ball. Wish I had the time to train at both.

Do you get many injuries training Judo? 

AK99

Fuengi said

Do you get many injuries training Judo? 

Not too many really. Over a lifetime of training, one torn A/C joint, and a broken ring finger on my left paw (my own fault) is about all. Maybe a few broken toes, but it's genuinely hard to tell - you stub them and it hurts, and there's no point going for an X-ray as they cant do anything for them anyway.  I've only ever seen one major injury - a brown-belt fighting in a Dan grading competition who put his arm out to try to stop a fall instead of taking the throw, and landed badly with his full body weight (and most of the other guy's) going on to the outstretched limb.  My finger injury was at brown-belt level too btw, grip fighting with a brown-belt from another club prior to yet another Dan grading (there could be a pattern here). I just caught a loose finger during the exchange in training. Bloody sore thing  Learned to keep my fingers together when grip-fighting after that one..

In general though, the rule-makers are ultra strict on keeping an eye out for and banning techniques that are potentially dangerous, and coaches are generally very good at sussing out and dealing with who's ready for which techniques at kids and adult beginner levels. They also spend a huge amount of time teaching you how to fall and break-fall to the point where it just about becomes instinctive - before they teach you how to throw. 

I've actually picked up far worse injuries from 5-a-side football and falling off mountain bikes

Mostly players only end up with minor sprains and strains that tend to build up over the season, and then clear when you're not training in the close season over the Summer. (You can always tell how far through the year you are btw by the amount of tape you see going on to fingers and toes when folk are kitting up..)

One of the things I think they do well in judo is constantly reviewing the rules and techniques to keep it as one of the fighting sports where you can  (usually...) use all the force and power you can muster with relatively little risk of injuring or damaging other players.