1 month until I get the first of two knee operations which I hope will allow me to return to training as good as new. My knees have definitely gotten worse recently so there is no doubt that I need the operations.
I haven't actually done any Judo for months now which i'm quite sad about considering how big a part of my life it has become over the last 6 years. The only thing keeping me sane is BJJ which I am now as enthusiastic about as I once was about Judo. The advantage BJJ has over Judo, with regards to my dodgy knees, is that the vast majority of the training and focus is on groundwork. Being thrown repeatedly, even if tori is an experienced Dan grade and knows how to do the technique properly, puts a massive strain on the body, just from getting up off the mat time and time again.
So will I ever return to Judo?
Assuming the operations are a success, I would like to but probably only for the odd class. I feel my future lies with BJJ now and the club I go to offers me everything I need.
I haven't actually done any Judo for months now which i'm quite sad about considering how big a part of my life it has become over the last 6 years. The only thing keeping me sane is BJJ which I am now as enthusiastic about as I once was about Judo. The advantage BJJ has over Judo, with regards to my dodgy knees, is that the vast majority of the training and focus is on groundwork. Being thrown repeatedly, even if tori is an experienced Dan grade and knows how to do the technique properly, puts a massive strain on the body, just from getting up off the mat time and time again.
So will I ever return to Judo?
Assuming the operations are a success, I would like to but probably only for the odd class. I feel my future lies with BJJ now and the club I go to offers me everything I need.
Hi Stuart
ReplyDeleteJust finished reading your entire blog from the start to to your last post here.
I have found it a fascinating read as I too started judo about a year ago aged 41
I got my red belt quite easily and am due to grade for yellow next week, illness might mean I miss out but we'll see.
What I like about your blog is that you express what I often feel in class. Some weeks I finish on a low, maybe I can't get a technique right or I don't have any success in newaza. I figured it was just me that felt like this, but in turns out I was wrong (happily).
I also like your take on some techniques not being right for your body shape, again I used to beat myself up about not doing techniques perfectly, for example, my knees make doing ippon seoi nage quite awkward. I saw a post where you said you just want to get better at judo. That is how I am now now looking at my training, just looking to get better rather than perfect.
I see you don't post much any more which is a shame, but with two kiddies and a full time job I can understand. Having said that it's not like your football team will be playing in midweek next season ( I did read every post) so you can use the time to blog.
All the best
Steve
Hi Steve, thanks for your comments and apologies for not replying sooner but I've literally not looked at this page since my last post in March.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you've gotten something out of the blog and enjoyed reading it. My aim was to give a view of what training is like for an older person who was just happy to turn up once a week and was not looking to win the Olympics. Of course, once I progressed up through the belts I realized that training once a week just wasn't going to be enough so I had to train at other clubs and read and study as much as possible.
Presently I'm recovering post surgery and it doesn't look like i'll be training for at least another month but I will return to Judo in some capacity. However BJJ is my new love and I've been training consistently since October 2015 and will really concentrate on that when I return to full fitness.
Good luck on your journey and let me know how your yellow belt grading went. Also, if you have any Judo related questions then i'll be happy to help, if I can :)
cheers
Stuart
How did the knee operation go?
ReplyDeleteIt's been slow progress to be honest Neil, partly due to me being a little over cautious with it.
DeleteI had 4 physio sessions post op and after that I was sort of left to get on with it so everytime I felt pain in my knee I would stop what I was doing.
The problem with that is that the pain was most likely stiffness, which means I should have stretched the area more rather than just stopping what I was doing.
To cut long stories short, I have been stretching and exercising my knee a lot over the last month and have seen real progress, so much so I'm considering returning to Judo in the new year.
I have, however, been training BJJ 2-3 times a week since August and am really enjoying that so any Judo will be in addition to the BJJ.
Thanks for asking, glad someone is still reading :)