Getting Inured in BJJ (At 45 Years Old) 

Good stuff! For me these come to mind as a 40y/o training since 2018: 1)Dealt with severe soreness with my body overall especially with my shoulders & hips when I first started. 2)Right shoulder injury from not knowing how to defend from americanas early on. 3)Then had a knee injury from a nogi roll. 4)Pull my lower back after rolling with a tall & heavy partner (Gi) 5)Elbow injury from a kimura sweep in nogi, tried to tap but fell on the tapping hand lol Should have just said tap! Lessons I've learned - 1)Tap early/tap often especially in when first starting 2)Devote more time to defensive drills & techniques 3)Stretch before & after class with a foam roller if at all possible. 4)Keep body "tuned up" see a chiropractor or masseuse therapist (1 to 2x a month) 5)Give your body time to rest & recover (don't roll more than 2 classes in a roll eg Mon/Tues - Class, Wed. OFF Thurs/Fri - Class, Sat/Sun OFF) 6)Use knee and/or elbow pads for supportive or prevention. 7)Take hot Epsom salt baths and sauna frequently if at all possible. 8)Try to increased core strength via endurance related workouts/conditioning via kettlebelling, biking & wght training. 9)Use ice & hot packs with Advil (any pain reliever that's anti-inflammatory) often especially after classes to help with inflammation and increase blood flow for active recovery. 10)Let rolling partners know of any injuries prior to sparring accordingly. 12)When recovering try to avoid rolling especially in nogi because it's so much faster & explosive, so they'll be a higher likelihood of re-injuring yourself. 13)Don't roll with a spas (usually an erratic newcomer & avoid being one yourself lol) Seek higher belts who are more controlled & willing to help your learning curve. 14)REST Get at least 7 to 8 hrs of solid sleep daily (I use a sleep mask & white noise.) 15Have determination - BJJ isn't for the faint hearted, you gotta have grit especially in the beginning to get over all the rough parts of this 'gentle art'. You'll thank yourself in the longrun though! The key is to find what works for you (listen to your body, not how others feel/felt after their injuries) & find the right balance btwn rolls, rest & recovery.

I think mindset is key with injuries. I think that the first step is to allow sufficient time for the injury to get better or heal. I would say still go to class but just drill and don’t roll. Second, I think that you should prepare yourself mentally for the next time you get injured. It’s pretty common for people to let injuries be the reason to become discouraged or even worse, quit. Just be at peace w/ the fact that injuries will come, but they will also pass and you’ll be back on the mat before you know it!🙏🏻

Elbows from getting caught in Americana too many times and not tapping. Ribs from getting smashed by heavy higher belts. Pinkie almost dislocated from getting caught in blue belts Gi top. General joint soreness from being in my late 40s and thinking I’m 20 when rolling...lol

as a 40+ year old my back is sore usually. For some reason the soreness disappears when I step on the mats. I also do judo and that took an entire year for my body to get accustomed to being thrown. The first 6 months I couldn't figure out how anyone could get tossed constantly and not be sore. My BJJ injuries have mostly been my neck and fingers. Judo injuries has mostly been shoulders and ribs.

I am 41 & started BJJ 2.5 weeks ago. My 3rd class; myself, a blue belt and another white belt (military) were practicing sweeps. I know I am bigger than the blue belt, so I made sure that I did not try to smash him or put all of my weight on him and he was making sure to allow me to practice the moves. When it was my turn with the other white belt; he was overly aggressive, and he ended up popping my rib. I stopped in the middle of the move to try to catch my breath. I was able to finish the sweep, but I was done for the day. Lucky for me; when they were rolling, the blue belt made him tap 5 times. Now almost 2 weeks later, it is starting to feel ok, but I am dying to get back out there to train. Must resist the temptation and let myself heal. Thanks for your video!

I’ve had my share of injuries. Started doing BJJ almost 5 years ago, when I was 48. In that time, I have had 2 major injuries and 2 minor ones. After the first year, I had some pain in my shoulder, turned out to be a fully torn labrum. Never did anything in BJJ where I thought, wow that hurt my shoulder, Doc says it was probably slowing tearing for years. 3 pins in my shoulder and 8 months later, I started to get back on the mat but very limited, probably took 18 months before I could confidently roll. Will never get my full range of motion back and I still deal with some pain almost 4 years later. About 2 years ago, I tore my triceps tendon fully from my elbow. This did happen on a takedown. 2 pins and 6 months later, I was able to get on the mat again, limited, and about 10-12 before I felt confident again. Also had a grade 2 hamstring tear, not while doing BJJ and a tear in one of my abs during a roll, both those took about 2 months a piece to heal. What I found was there were always things I could work on, even when I was recovering. It may have seemed small, but it kept my mind engaged in getting better even on some small things. I keep modifying things in my life to help to help get extend my BJJ life. I stopped heavy weights, just too much on my joints. I powerlifted in my 20’s and still kept fairly strong until my late 40’s, but my joints just told me, time to back off. Still workout now, but very light weights and body weight only, as well as some yoga. I also use knee pads, which help a lot, and some good arm sleeves with padding for the elbows. I think the main thing is, when you get injured, don’t just use it as an excuse to lie on the couch and eat poorly. Keep your mind engaged and stay in shape, there is always things you can do to keep your body moving, with a focus on healing, getting stronger and improving your skills.

Rib/sternum injury is so painful. Short breaths for days now and can't sleep on my side. I like the idea of going and drilling, but not rolling. Problem is I'll talk myself into it, and will end up rolling.

broken finger (fell back and smashed my own hand under my ass), broken rib (was about to throw a kid, realized the rule was to not throw, stopped mid throw and he crushed me), broken toe (dragged my foot across the mat in GST, still finished the last three days). Getting old is hell.

I’ve had a separated rib from heavy top pressure and just some minor aches and pains. Doing BJJ for about year and a half.

So far I've had multiple rib injuries. The worst was a knee on belly move but done on my ribs. This caused several of them to pop out of place. Since then I've popped ribs out in my back as well as front. I'm currently recovering and only able to drill or flow roll. I can't roll full speed as a result of this injury :(

At the beginning of March, I experienced what felt like a separated shoulder while rolling, but then it just so happened that the quarantine kicked off soon after my injury! 😂😂 It took a while but now I’m back at 100%. Thank you Rona!!😂🤷🏻‍♂️

Quitting as a WB after a 250lb brown belt did a falling knee on belly. Most likely my gym, because I've been to other gyms with zero problems, No matter what pace I roll at, I can't control my opponent(ironic huh),and it ends with me getting injured. Sick of jiu jitsu now.

It might be rotator tendinitis. I thought i tore mine in the gym doing ohp. Doctor said it was tendinitis. Took me 5 months of physical therapy to get it back to the 90ish% range. A small band and some exercises with it will help it. You can get some good information on a RU-vid channel callld squat university

Interested to know how your shoulder injury played out in the 6 months since this video? Did you get it looked at & diagnosed by your Doc? I injured myself during a Krav class & was diagnosed with a partial RC tear after an ultrasound scan...8.4mm x 3.6mm partial thickness articular tear at anterior end of supraspinatus tendon to be precise. I spoke with my Doc & his surgeon who both said they wouldn't operate on this size & type of tear as it can heal (Physio has since advised the same) so I'm now at the start of a 12 week physiotherapy program. I have full range of movement & can do daily bodyweight cardio inc push ups etc without any issue so I'm hoping for a positive outcome. Taking a good range of daily supplements inc ZMA & a Ginger / Turmeric / Bromelain mix. Also keeping protein up high to help muscle build. Was planning to start BJJ over the next few months now things are starting to open back up here in the UK. Age 50...wish me luck!

I tweaked my shoulder too. We were working armbar escapes (bend elbow, hand under the butt, bridge and rotate away into side control). My shoulders were not designed to rotate that sharply. I can't do pushups at all right now. I hope I didn't tear my rotator cuff. Last good one I had was a dislocated rib. Got it while trying to pass a closed guard. I was off the mat for about three weeks. Had to sleep sitting up on the couch. Pain was absolutely miserable. Laughing, coughing.......Horrific. That and all the other little annoying ones. Turf toe, spider guard fingers, draining the ears.....etc.

I thought I'd torn my rotator cuff doing krav maga. I had sharp pain when moving my arm in certain directions. But my doctor said it was either bursitis or tendonitis (doesn't really matter which since the treatment is the same). He also said that if it was a torn rotator cuff I probably wouldn't even be able to lift my arm. I worked with a physical therapist for a few weeks and the problem went away. Definitely no surgery was required but I did stop doing krav for a while.

What's up ladies and gents..What BJJ injuries have you had or overcome! How long were you off the mats for due to the injury?

I got Medial Epicondylitis or also known as golfers elbow and it sucks🤦🏻‍♂️

Hi bjj Friend, Love your vlogs!! I am bjj fan the netherlands Why follow the rickson gracie systeem. Just do judo and krav maga But now only bjj i really Love it Greetings Jeroen Chrispijn Ps are originally a canadian?

26 well it's all dwon from here

Mmmh, let's see...cronic tendonitis in my right frontal deltoid, something in my right knee, an ill healing tallonitis in my right foot. Oh, I broke my left ankle 9 years ago. And I'm not even a white belt.