MMA or MA

[Fruitbat]

I like the idea of learning some MMA or MA but here is the issue. I have a form of arthritis which my doctors have advised against contact sports. I still play soccer but nothing more than that I.e it is not a good idea for me to have a hobby where I have regular hitting of neck and spine.

Also my flexibility is minimally impacted but if you twist say my neck, it is a little more brittle. It will snap a bit before it will for others.

Is it worth learning anything at all with this condition? I presume the benefit of the sport is in the grappling and combat.

I am not sure which sports have repeated neck/spine twisting and heavy blows. If there’s one which isn’t hard going in this regard I might take it up

any ideas?

 

[AmsterdamAssassin]

Is it worth learning anything at all with this condition? I presume the benefit of the sport is in the grappling and combat.

If you do competition (M)MA, you train for 'combat', which contra-indicates your condition. However, for health and exercise and physical control, you could look at aikido (for seniors) which features non-competitive physical contact, but you will have to be able to do ukemi rolls / break falls. Plus aikido revolves around twisting and locking joints, so that could lead to injuries.
Another martial art is Tai-Chi, of which I briefly studied an older combat style. Tai-Chi is mainly solo exercises together with others, so your body is rarely in contact with others during the classes.

 

[Pandora]

I like the idea of learning some MMA or MA but here is the issue. I have a form of arthritis which my doctors have advised against contact sports. I still play soccer but nothing more than that I.e it is not a good idea for me to have a hobby where I have regular hitting of neck and spine.


Also my flexibility is minimally impacted but if you twist say my neck, it is a little more brittle. It will snap a bit before it will for others.

Is it worth learning anything at all with this condition? I presume the benefit of the sport is in the grappling and combat.

I am not sure which sports have repeated neck/spine twisting and heavy blows. If there’s one which isn’t hard going in this regard I might take it up

any ideas?

Start with Brazilian Ju Jitsu. Take one class and see if you can handle the stress on your spine. It is relatively easy on the body because it is done on the ground.

Then take an intro boxing class. You might be surprised and the training helps your medical condition.

 

[Fortune_favors_the_bold]

MMA for few years and couple of low tier competitions.

What I find the most dangerous is the wrestling part especially true when it comes trying the techniques with your partner where you actually have to withstand it rather than defend yourself 100% as you would do in a sparring setting.

Given your condition I would consider boxing or kick boxing cause muay thai may be a problem with all the clinches techniques given your issues, plus altough less than wrestling, still has some take downs.

Ground and pound or brasilian jiu jitsu are generally safer unless you're a low IQ emotional person or those around you are but given your condition I would avoid it just like the wrestling.

If neck and spine are an issue, avoid anything wrestling related.

 

[plumber]

All the contact sports are good, most BJJ groups are a good thing. Neck and back are primary targets and most groups spar hard every training. Depends on exactly how damage is your neck and back, consult with your doc more about it. For self defense nothing beats a small gun for an older not trained man. If you go gun rout take a few classes on how to if needed and remember to keep distance.

Your knees... if your knees are good maybe something like Taekwondo. Most of the time its long range striking with feet and sparing is not usually hard, its more about form. It is effective if you can land a kick as taught. Kick boxing you are going to be in tighter with opponent and often grappling for the NECK as you strike them with other parts of your body.

Boxing is good, you will get hit more than training Taekwondo.

How about Zumba

 

[ManFromTartarus]

TaiChi is the only MA I would suggest for someone in your condition.

I've trained several different systems over my life (Boxing, TaeKwonDo/Hapkido, Karate, & JiuJitsu) and I have to admit over the years it has taken it's toll on my body.

 

[CAPSLOCK BANDIT]

Just depends bro, some people are built different, here's Brock Lesnar jumping like 10 feet in the air and landing squarely on his head, anybody else would be dead, he walked away from this

 

[Bible_Belt]

Every martial arts gym is different. You would want one with strict supervision, where the person leading the class doesn't let people beat each other up for fun. I trained with the best fighters around, but our classes had people of all skill levels. One guy brought his 9 y/o step daughter. People who are good know how to control the amount of force they use and also understand that there is no reason to want to injure your training partner.

 

[AmsterdamAssassin]

Every martial arts gym is different. You would want one with strict supervision, where the person leading the class doesn't let people beat each other up for fun.

That's why I would choose a martial art that doesn't have competition, like aikido or tai-chi, to start with if you have no experience and your health is not 100%. You can easily go from aikido to BJJ if you want something more competitive.