Apologies as I suspect this is an unanswerable question. But I'll ask anyway!:evil: Do you think that grappling based arts or striking based arts are easier to participate in (and retain usable skills in) as you get older (50+)? A couple of qualifying points - for usable skills I am thinking about sparring or rolling rather than kata based training. And in both cases it could be very light sparring, but I think there needs to be some, as well as drilling, pads etc. And I am not talking about being a UFC contender, just enough capability to be confident and have a workable plan in an altercation (i.e. I don't care if I need to drop someone with a seionage or a left hook, I just want to feel I can drop them!) In my mind the concern with both is injury from regular training - grappling arts because of their wear and tear on the joints (neck, back etc) and striking arts because of the results of heads shots (increasing evidence seems to point to repeated concussions, even when very mild, as being a bad idea) Thoughts?
My own take on this is that it's almost impossible to answer because we all vary so much. For example, I'm over fifty, but in most respects I'm probably in better shape than I was ten years ago. My cardio is certainly a lot better due to taking up running, so I'd absolutely love to spar again or do some judo, because my cardio really let me down back when I was doing that. Whether my creaky joints would stand up to it better or worse is hard to say, because most of them were pretty creaky back then too. Actually, most of my joint problems started when I was in my teens, so I'm not even sure how much age has actually weakened me at all! That's just my personal situation, and everyone else will have their own version. I think ultimately you have to listen to YOUR body and what you think YOU are capable of. So long as you aren't doing something which is giving you physical pain or feels like it is doing you harm then I'd say do what most appeals to you whether that be grappling or striking (or both.)
I find grappling much more of a steady grind on the body while striking is a bit hit and miss. Meaning grappling tends to leave me aching, sore joint, sore muscles, etc but otherwise not too bad. Recover for a day or so and I'm fine to go again. It's ongoing but fairly manageable. Whereas striking doesn't leave me aching generally but can sometimes cause a bigger injury from time to time (the last one being a kick in the elbow that ached for days after). Obviously the way to go is to do both so you ache all the time AND are nursing an injury.
The way you've framed the question makes it a bit of a Hobson's choice. Osteoarthritis and damaged back/knees or chronic traumatic brain injury? Doesn't sound like much of a choice when put like that! However, I do think it's easier to spar striking in a body-friendly way than grappling, because it's easier to pull head shots than it is to avoid joint or spinal damage during grappling. There's no reason you can't do both though, especially as variety is key to avoiding repetition injury. Just avoid full-power head shots, extended gi grip fighting, and spending a lot of time training from a kneeling position. http://www.powering-through.com/2012/01/arthritis-and-brazilian-jiujitsu.html?m=1
Some good advice here maybe... [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGk_urw1_hA&list=UUNMZWa1QP42jHrmmzayFEeg"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGk_urw1_hA&list=UUNMZWa1QP42jHrmmzayFEeg[/ame]
Who's the "them" in question then, and what's abilities do "they" have? You've stated that the "them" isn't a rival UFC contender, so "dropping" elite martial arts competitors in their primes isn't the goal; what level of ability do you intend for your martial arts practice to be "a workable plan in an altercation" against?
Both should be fine with a good attitude in a good gym and good partners. If your attitude is good but the other two are lacking then grappling is safer as long as neck cranks and leglocks are taught with control or omitted for beginners.
I would say both. In my case I'm only doing striking at the moment, but the BJJ bug has bitten, and the only reason not doing both yet is money. But surely I'll be doing both.
Thanks for the answers guys. I think Fusen has nailed the key point - finding training partners that aren't hooligans
My vote would be for grappling. But that's just me. I think it's easier for us 40+ to grapple as opposed to get hit.
I've found that as I've ... matured... my disdain for coming into contact with the floor and the disdain for being hit in the face are inversely proportional to each other. In other words, at 19, being struck bothered me whilst being thrown to the ground and my arms, legs, neck and joints being nearly pried from their sockets wouldna made me to think twice about grappling. Now its just the opposite. That's the thing I've noticed most - yer bones feel hard surfaces much, much more 'n they did before. It also takes longer to 'shake-out' from having them bent at odd angles - a good leg lock and you're not going to be scrambling back to your feet, should you manage to get out of it, without hopping around a bit as your limb recovers. By then you're going to be on your **** again. Taking head strikes? Maybe my brain's addled so much I don't know the difference anyway. The preponderance of evidence seems to suggest that its the accumulation of blows over time, which I think has already been mentioned here, that do the damage. If one is just taking up the sport - boxing, MT, etc., - I don't think that would be so much of an issue in the same way as it would for someone who may have boxed as an amateur when they were young and then returned to it as an older person years later - or suffered a number of concussions as a rugby player and wants to enter a striking art when they are older. Is the logic sound here? It is possible, perhaps probable, that one is more susceptible to concussions when they are past a certain age and I can tell you that the slower reflexes that an older athlete brings will result in more blows being absorbed. I'd really make it a point of staying well-hydrated in any event.
hilarious dude. i get what you're saying. for some reason, while not exactly the most comfortable thing in the world to get thrown or to get kimura/omoplata/leg-lock/whatever, i've found--myself, personally--i'm less likely to feel severe after-effects during grappling than after a hard boxing session where i've taken several shots to either the head or body. i tell my wife this all the time, because she worries about me more doing bjj/judo than hapkido or aikido or boxing, but i really think i'm much less likely to get hurt doing what i do now than when i did hapkido or aikido. i can actually protect myself actively at all times now. whereas in hapkido or aikido, there's always a moment of compliance where your partner is doing something to you. like i said, this is just me and i wanted to share my experience. i totally get not wanting to feel the earth as you're slammed into it. i'm in my forties too, and sometimes just getting out of bed stinks. cheers.
You have to train smarter the older you get. Tap early, take ukemi quickily, and you can train pretty hard, pretty safely.
Belltoller has a good point, the joints feel it much more acutely, and getting up after a takedown is hard. the head shots don't hurt, but I worry
