At 35 years old, I decided I wanted to pursue Judo. Way back when, during my Marine Corps days, I loved doing MCMAP. I particularly enjoyed having an instructor who was also a BJJ purple belt and had a passion for martial arts. For the years after, I always wanted to pursue some form of martial arts, but never had the time.
Judo Is Perfect at Any Age
I finally reached a point in life where I had the extra time to pursue a martial art. I immediately began researching the options available in my area, while trying to avoid anything that resembled a McDojo. In my head, I wanted to do Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It’s kind of the main zeitgeist of martial arts at the moment.
Then I watched a YouTube video of 6th-degree Judo black belt, Shintaro Higashi, demonstrating a Utsuri-Goshi, and I decided that Judo looked more up my alley.
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Why Judo?
Judo is a grappling martial art, a descendant of Japanese Ju Jitsu and the father of Brazilian Ju Jitsu. Unlike BJJ, Judo places greater emphasis on standing techniques, incorporating throws and foot sweeps alongside ground fighting. Ground fighting emphasis can vary depending on where you train, but it’s a core part of Judo.
That captured my attention, and the more I researched Judo, the more I came to appreciate it. I’ve punched people before, and I’m happy to say it’s had an effect. However, Judo encourages you not to punch them with your hand, but to punch them with the entire earth. It’s tough to make any assumption about a self-defense situation, but Judo made sense to me from that perspective.
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If someone tries to fight me, my first instinct is to defuse, de-escalate, and retreat if possible. If I can’t do that, but I can execute a throw that puts someone on their back, it opens up my options to escape, especially if they are gasping for the air that just got knocked out of them.
Training Without the Head Trauma
That’s not all that drew me into Judo. I liked that Judo encourages full-force sparring with full-force attacks and resistance. Unlike boxing, karate, or other striking martial arts, I can do this without getting hit in the head over and over and getting CTE. I’m not going to the Olympics or the UFC; I don’t want head trauma.
I also like sparring—I like it a lot. I like that at the end of every Judo training, I get to do Randori, which is Judo for sparring. At my club, we have a focus on ne-waza, or ground work. We spar on the ground and in a standing position.
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Additionally, a lot of Judo is taught at clubs. Clubs are nonprofit organizations run by volunteers. You aren’t getting sold anything because no one’s making any money.
A huckster attempts to separate you from your money. However, the instructors do it because they love Judo, which creates a fantastic training environment. It’s also very affordable, and price can be a significant inhibitor for people looking to practice martial arts.
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Judo As an Old Man
Starting martial arts in your mid-30s can be a bit more hazardous. I have a history of physical injuries thanks to that Marine Corps career. With Judo, there is a big focus on learning to fall correctly. It’s called Ukemi, but it’s more commonly referred to as breakfalling.
This is a big focus when you begin, and something you’ll constantly practice because you are continually being thrown. If you’re the guy being thrown (aka the uke), you’ll need to execute a proper break fall, or it’s gonna sting. You’re training on mats, but I’ve failed my break fall and still gotten the air knocked out of me.
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Slams can hurt, holds can hurt, but at the end of the class, I’m never injured. You will get bruised from some techniques, but you either get a little better or your skin toughens up. I never leave a Judo class limping, and I’m never sore for more than a day.
One thing I learned quickly was that size can matter, but technique matters more. I’m six feet five inches tall and I weigh 300 pounds. I have years of weightlifting experience and consider myself stronger than the average person. That doesn’t stop a 170-pound brown belt from flipping me over his shoulder during randori.
The founder of Judo, Kanō Jigorō, said that Judo was about achieving maximum efficiency with minimal effort.
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A Solid Workout
Each class at my club is 90 minutes, and it’s a brilliant workout. I’m soaked in sweat at the end of class, and I can’t wait to climb into my car and sit down when I’m done. My core, shoulders, chest, and legs are all thoroughly worked out. I lost about 12 pounds in my first two months of Judo. After one particularly vicious day of sparring, I could barely get off the mat.
Coming in as an older guy doesn’t have the physical benefits of youth, but seems to have the mental benefits of age. I don’t come in with an ego, and I don’t mind losing that much. I’m not chasing belts, and I just want to learn the art of Judo. Younger me would have been much more competitive and would have been chasing belts.
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Mental and Physical Health
Before Judo, I had reached a point in my life where I was pretty good at everything I did. I was bored and unchallenged. Judo changed that. It reinvigorated my drive to learn something new and has led to a significant improvement in my mental health.
Additionally, it has given me an objective, something to work towards improving. Now I tailor my weightlifting around Judo, and have implemented a lot more cardio. Having that objective makes me work harder. I’m not just chasing a faster mile time or a higher weight. I want to throw better, I want to be able to fight longer, and I don’t want to be gassed after a workout.
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Judo: Martial Arts for Everyone
As a humble white belt, I’m not here to tell you Judo is the best martial art ever. It could be, but I’m too inexperienced in martial arts as a whole to make such a claim. I can tell you I enjoy it, and from my limited experience, it seems incredibly effective. What I do feel confident in saying is that I think all the old men out there should try their hand at martial arts.
The mental and physical health benefits alone are worth the time and investment. If you’re in a slump and might be a bit bored with life, give Judo a try. Trust me when I say it’s a better investment than a sports car or motorcycle. You’re midlife crisis should at least be good for you.
