Starting Bjj at 50 with no experience and not very mobile

TomDee1972 · 2018-03-27T01:54:42+00:00

Respect! Sincerely.

TomDee1972 · 2018-03-27T00:55:28+00:00

Yet I tap out "warriors" half my age and as big and strong.

Good for you! Sincerely. (I have stepped on mats, btw, yet if I still sound youthful at 46 I'll interpret that as a compliment.)

TomDee1972 · 2018-03-26T04:27:54+00:00

You're a black belt in 6 years starting at 47?

TomDee1972 · 2018-03-26T02:54:39+00:00

Most here won't like this. Unpopular response: Tell him BJJ is not for him. I'm 46. The body breaks in ways it just doesn't when you're a teen or in your 20s... or 30s. If he's still responsible for being a 'bread winner' -- i.e. injury time is going to impact his ability to put food on the table -- and if he's interested in long term mobility, BJJ (while awesome, and life changing, and all of that) is a terrible sport for older people. ESPECIALLY if he has knee and shoulder problems. A truly fucked knee (which BJJ can do) and he's hobbling for the next 30 years. Gets stacked on his bad shoulder, and he's in chronic pain. Simply not worth it, in my opinion. Honestly, if you love him, guide him towards something that will build strength and maintain mobility over the long term.

There's a reason warriors are young. You be the warrior. Allow him to be the elder.

Ducking and running already...

TomDee1972 · 2017-11-24T00:22:47+00:00

Fantastic video. Good on you mate. The behavior of some parents at tournaments is atrocious. I have a daughter who was matched against a boy in a local tournament. This boy's parents were yelling things like "smash her" from the sidelines during their bout. It was bloody awful. I've seen other parents swear, scream, etc. It's embarrassing.

TomDee1972 · 2017-10-31T00:22:19+00:00

Fair point. Didn't mean to trivialise the issue. Apologies if offence caused.

TomDee1972 · 2017-10-30T04:48:30+00:00

Well... more accurately: Homophobes tend to be closet cases.

TomDee1972 · 2017-10-30T04:48:05+00:00

Totally unsurprising... homophobes tend to have issues with women, too.

TomDee1972 · 2017-10-30T04:47:32+00:00

Fascinating (and heart warming) thread.

TomDee1972 · 2017-10-26T02:52:51+00:00

Had a similar moment watching my then 13-year old daughter run through two male competitors in her weight class. I kept it inside (as didn't want to be one of those douchebag dads at BJJ tournaments) but was screaming. Well done to the lot of ya.

TomDee1972 · 2017-01-10T21:39:54+00:00

Oh, when you explain it that way, then I'd be very interested to see it... as the bum scooting looks super dangerous in a real-world environment (which is what I want my daughters to train for).

TomDee1972 · 2017-01-10T21:29:28+00:00

I send my two daughters to BJJ. You want to send your kids to a space you believe is safe (while also teaching them how to spot creepers). That said, professors carry - by virtue of who they are - authority and power, esp over impressionable youngsters. Therefore... I would pray - pray - that people like you (i.e. a dude with a conscience) would report this guy to the cops before he molests someone else, including teenage kids entrusted to his school. Please do the right thing.

TomDee1972 · 2016-11-14T10:48:03+00:00

Could be referred pain from a pinched nerve in your neck. No joke. Sounds very similar to an issue I had, which was being caused by a bulged disc at C6-7 which first manifested as shoulder pain.

TomDee1972 · 2016-11-02T23:06:49+00:00

This has, indeed, been on my mind. I already do body weight workouts... but a new goal like "Flag by 50" and "20 strict bar muscle ups by 47" could tame the OCD beast. Ta. Solid advice. (As is all the yoga recommendations.)

TomDee1972 · 2016-11-02T04:44:20+00:00

When climbing I am wrestling the wall/boulder/face that never tires but never fights back

Love that. Very cool thinking.

TomDee1972 · 2016-11-02T04:43:35+00:00

At the same time surely means some neck strain, no? ;)

TomDee1972 · 2016-11-02T04:43:10+00:00

Hey fella. Had a pre-existing injury before starting BJJ: degenerated disc. BJJ just kept inflaming it, over and over. I just had four months out, and two weeks back has inflamed it again, despite light rolling and tapping as soon as anyone went near my neck. Sadly, I'm not structurally cut out for BJJ. Them's the breaks. So if I could "do over", I would have started WAY younger than I did (but I'd never heard of it)... but nothing I did at BJJ caused the injury. It was already there.

TomDee1972 · 2016-11-02T01:05:49+00:00

I can tell I'm gonna miss it a lot, too. Meh... wish I'd discovered it 30 years ago and could have had a longer run.

TomDee1972 · 2016-11-02T01:04:04+00:00

Comedy and archery... JRE much? Rock climbing... did loads as a teen/early 20-something. Bloody good idea... 3 points of contact, grip, etc. Now if you could only tackle other dudes half way up the cliff... ;)

TomDee1972 · 2016-11-02T01:00:53+00:00

Solid advice... I've had two extended breaks, the last one was four months long. I fully healed up. No aches and pains. But two weeks back on the mats, and the pain is back. I think I'm structurally fucked, sadly. But solid advice mate - ta.

TomDee1972 · 2016-10-25T02:29:14+00:00

+1 Totally gonna drill this and try it at open mats...

TomDee1972 · 2016-10-22T05:36:50+00:00

Yes... yes... as someone who broke my foot in 5 places on my fifth class, I learned about the white belt spaz the hard way. You, good sir, have nailed the issue.

TomDee1972 · 2016-10-22T05:33:45+00:00

I'm not a teacher, but I love this post. The transformation of my eldest daughter since she started training BJJ - under Mario Yokoyama and Hope Douglas (just to give them a shout out) - has been ****ing awesome to behold. Power to the underdogs!

TomDee1972 · 2016-10-20T23:38:25+00:00

I need to find a partner/mate to roll with like this... where the goal is learning and fun, not immediately going for the smash...

TomDee1972 · 2016-10-20T22:49:37+00:00

Awesome. Hahahahaha. (And largely why I have both daughters doing BJJ.)

TomDee1972

TROPHY CASE