Why Judo Is NOT Good For Older Adults

Judo is a very intense and high impact sport. Whilst you can train judo at a slower pace, it is still a grappling based martial art that is going to end up on the floor a large majority of the time. The majority of judo throws need to be drilled at nearly full speed, or they can become more dangerous due to awkward and unnatural landings.

In terms of martial arts, judo is one of the worst for injuries, especially since it is not a striking sport. Whilst you are never going to really have any kind of concussion or boxing type injury from judo, the rest of your body will pay a heavy price once your body reaches a certain age. If you train judo as a child all the way through to an adult, this is generally 100% fine. However, being a beginner in judo in your 40s and 50’s is not advised unless you have a martial arts background and are in very good physical shape for your age.

Injuries

Knees

Judo is extremely hard on the knees.

Hurting your knee in judo is typically done in one of two ways.

Firstly, throwing your opponent in such a way that puts excessive weight or force on your knee at an awkward angle. Although this is completely unintentional, it does happen. Secondly, knees can be hurt when you are being thrown by an opponent. This is often a counter throw in which you attempted a failed throw of your own and now have your leg stuck in a static position.

Unfortunately, injuring knee ligaments is one of the worst things to happen in the entirety of martial arts. Knee ligaments take a lot longer to heal than bones or muscles since the bloodflow they receive is so restricted.

Shoulders

Judo is also a shoulder intense sport due to the amount of pushing and pulling. There is a general wear and tear your shoulder joints will receive, simply by pulling your opponent’s gi non stop. If you already have had shoulder problems, this may make them worse since there is nothing quite like the intensity of grip fighting and throwing within judo.

However, the most common way to hurt your shoulder from judo is by falling. Of course, in an ideal world, everyone would fall gracefully with a propper break fall. Those of us with real world experience know that this is not always possible, since many times you do not see a trip or throw coming until you are face up on the mat. These times you are unable to fall properly can add up and jar your shoulder in ways that can be very painful.

Lower Back

Much like shoulder injuries, lower back problems can happen from being thrown. You can offset lower back problems by having a very strong core muscle group, but as you get older this will not be enough.

Sometimes it only takes a single throw with an awkward landing to jar something in your lower back. As we all know, back problems are some of the worst pain you can possibly have. Any back issue is going to stop you doing judo for a significant amount of time and may affect your day-to-day life such as sleeping and walking.

Injuries Take A Lot Longer To Heal

Anyone who has trained judo for a significant amount of time has picked up an injury or two. It’s not uncommon to hurt your hips, knees, and back over the course of your judo life.

As a youngster, these injuries are often not that serious and can be healed through adequate rest and time off. Once you reach a certain age, this healing process slows down significantly and weeks turn into months. An adult’s body has also had a lot more wear and tear from other life events which a youngster has not yet experienced. Going into judo with a small knee pain in your 40s may only make it worse, whereas a 20 year old will not have this kind of problem.

Not only this but getting injured is also going to be significantly easier in 2 ways. Firstly, you will not break fall as comfortably as someone who has learned how to fall at a young age. Secondly, twisting your knee 90 degrees aged 50 is going to do a lot more damage than doing it when you were younger.

Alternative Martial Arts For Older Adults

One safer alternative to judo is Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Whilst BJJ is no walk in the park, it is a lot more forgiving than judo. Throws are a lot less common, so your knees are less likely to be injured due to explosive power and untimely weight distribution. There is still a lot of pushing and pulling within BJJ, but since most of the time is spent on the ground, this is a lot less physically intense.

Aikido is also a consideration for the older martial artist. Spending just as much time on the feet, Aikido primarily focuses on wristlocks which are applied until a practitioner has to forwards roll and breakfall. This means that going to the ground is a lot more timed and done on your own terms, rather than being thrown full force on your side unexpectedly. It’s not uncommon to find older people practicing aikido since it is relatively light on the body compared to other full contact martial arts.

Exceptions

The obvious exceptions to this rule are people who have trained judo or other physical activities (particularly grappling) throughout their adult life. For example, a man who began to train judo aged 16 and continued until he was 65 would have a lot fewer problems than an office worker who picked up judo aged 40.

This is because your body will become conditioned and accustomed to being thrown, as well as developing techniques that allow you to both throw and fall gracefully. If you never learn these techniques at a young age, your body will suffer learning them at an older age.

Men and women who were great athletes in to their 30s would have a much better time starting judo than an average person. As would others with a physical background in the military or other physical jobs.

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