Any over 40's competing in MMA / Wrestling?

[DWBOX2000]

Anyone do it? Any secrets to not getting hurt? I am not talking about sparring with pads at 75%, but full contact.

Why? I am looking into wrestling again at 47 and haven't done it competitively for 25 years. Maybe it is suicide but I like challenges. I do currently wrestle with a small club I run for kids so I can still do the same moves I once did, but without the speed and power I had as a 20 something. I have no false visions of winning anything, I just like to compete.

I unfortunately would need to drop another 20lbs to have a chance of not getting immediately pinned or tech falled. Can I? I don't know but willing to try. I just lost over 15 so why not keep it going. I would still be 10lbs over my college weight.

Anyone take on a similar situation and what happened?

If you don't hear from me in 4 months, you can guess what happened.

Thanks.

[Grimm]

Originally Posted by DWBOX2000

Anyone do it? Any secrets to not getting hurt? I am not talking about sparring with pads at 75%, but full contact.

Why? I am looking into wrestling again at 47 and haven't done it competitively for 25 years. Maybe it is suicide but I like challenges. I do currently wrestle with a small club I run for kids so I can still do the same moves I once did, but without the speed and power I had as a 20 something. I have no false visions of winning anything, I just like to compete.

I unfortunately would need to drop another 20lbs to have a chance of not getting immediately pinned or tech falled. Can I? I don't know but willing to try. I just lost over 15 so why not keep it going. I would still be 10lbs over my college weight.

Anyone take on a similar situation and what happened?

If you don't hear from me in 4 months, you can guess what happened.

Thanks.

When I was 50 I entered an old timers wrestling tourney (150 lbs). The 'old timers' in my bracket were all from 19 - 22 years old, and one of them had just been a D3 All American.

When I walked on to the mat for my first bout the ref had a funny look on his face and asked "how old are you?" When I told him "50" he laughed and yelled out "1 point for this guy for old age."

Anyway, he didn't actually give me the point and I ended up losing 3-2. I realized throughout the entire match I was simply hanging on for dear life. So, I bowed out of the tourney and hung up my singlet.

I have gone to open mats at the local high school since then and it's been a blast. My claim to fame was keeping a match to a 2 -2 score against a D3 college wrestler.

I tried jiu jitsu for a while and absolutely love it but gave it up after my last heart attack (my 3rd one).

I now train 4 - 5 times a week at local karate dojo and will enter a sparring tourney in May.

Good luck!

[Mark Henry]

Problem is the younger guys all think they're the next MMA champ and they're out to hurt you.

Pick a martial art, and find a club where they expect you to be your best and don't beat the carp out of you.
I do Okinawan Goju Ryu karate, it's not as militaristic as other forms and a good sensei should know when he's pushing your limits.
I still get hurt, but mainly broken fingers and toes, happens at least once a year. Just part of the deal.

[Rikao4]

[QUOTE=Mark Henry;9504465
I do Okinawan Goju Ryu karate, it's not as militaristic as other forms and a good sensei should know when he's pushing your limits.
I still get hurt, but mainly broken fingers and toes, happens at least once a year. Just part of the deal.[/QUOTE]

my Lady does this..
does it hard..and results show in those yoga pants..
has her Blk belt..& competes..
bought her a sword while back..
she has qual. for State..
and brought home a statue a few times..
crazy thing..
the women break up by age not weight..
@ state last yr..
her opponent..easy 100 pounds heavier..
she all but bounced of her..
but won the match anyway..

Rika

[flipper35]

My daughter and I do Muay Thai and even sparring hurts but the main thing is at age 48 I don't recover as fast.

[stomachmonkey]

If I want to get my ass kicked I just go to the local bar, slam a few shots then smack some random big dudes girl on the ass and its on.

[bkreigsr]

One thing you'll find out in a hurry is that the key joints - shoulders, elbows, and knees, aren't as flexible as they were in your prime. They are more susceptible to injury because the muscle mass that once protected them has changed in composition and volume, and recovery will be very long, if at all.
Bill K

[Gogar]

lose weight, get strong, train hard. Get hurt anyway. That's what you can expect.

[DWBOX2000]

I am use to the soreness. My shoulders hurt, my groin muscles feel like that are ready to tear, my knees lock. The strange thing is, you get on that mat and the pain goes away.

Long term, who knows what will happen. I could get hit by a bus tomorrow.

Just a bit of history. I started this wrestling club because my son now goes to a school that involves a 1.5 to 2 hr commute each way because of a DL (Dyslexia). He's a trooper. Anyways, he wrestled for his jr high team before moving to this new school this past October. He use to wrestle 2 days a week. Well with his commute, he could only make it one day a week. I thought why not start a club one day a week tomake up the difference. I tried going through the town to start a club but they wanted $100 an hour with a 2 hr minimum for Janitorial fees and 1m insurance policy. Just not feasible. Fortunately, there is a MMA place one town over. Thank goodness for this place. The owner charges us $5 per kid for 2hr or so, up to $50 max. Basically just covering the cost of having us there (lights, heat, maintenance). We are still in the growing stage. I have 3 kids so far.

What I have learned so far is that 1st, there are some really great people out there. Without this gym owner, this could never have happen. I've met him only several time but he still trusts me to turn the lights off and lock the door when I leave. His generosity is off the charts. 2nd, kids love to learn, but they all have to be handled differently. What works for some, does not work for everyone. Part of the challenge of it. 3rd, I really enjoy doing this. It is just great watching the kids absorb this stuff and grow. I think that even though I set out to help my kid, this has really added some value to my life that was missing. It is so rewarding. My advice is, if there is anything you can coach, do it. It's the best.

I will likely post another question later regarding marketing. I really need more than 3 kids for the benefit of everyone involved. Definitely strength in numbers here.

[masraum]