Is it a bad idea to take up a grappling art(Judo, BJJ etc) with a bad back?

I agree with Rasta.





How bad is your back? That will determine if you really can do it or not. Talk to the teacher tell them your problem and even go over it with a Dr and Physical Therapist. Make sure this will help you and not hurt you.





If the teacher knows and is a good teacher they can work around it and actually help you build more strength, but a bad teacher will just make it worst.





Check em out make sure they are for real and your Dr OK%26#039;s you to participate and the teacher says OK too.





Good Luck!|||If the problem is muscular as strange as it may sounds having strong abdominal muscles will compensate and overcome that.


If it%26#039;s spinal or spasms due to hip joint problems I would procede with a great deal of caution.Where it hurts is sometimes just a symptom and not the real problem.|||easiest and simplest answer with minimal time and risk involved.





Go consult your doctor, if you have any physical ailments before taking up a new exercise regime, consult your doctor, they should be able to tell you if whats your doing will be good / bad|||The yoga and pilates suggestion is an excellent idea. That and a few sessions at the chiropractor before you start to roll (and continue going an a regular basis). Of course let your instructors know you have limitations due to your back. There is no reason just because you have physical limitations that you couldn%26#039;t learn Judo, or BJJ, etc. Just focus on learning and drilling your techniques for self-defense.


If the instructors will not modify go to a better school. We%26#039;ve had a student with MS and currently have one with scoliosis. So a bad back should not stop you.


Good luck!!|||How bad is your back? If it is just always %26quot;sore%26quot; that could be from insufficient muscular development, and something like judo or bjj might help you long term. If it is actually bad from some kind of injury and if you have trouble actually lifting weight with your back, I would be careful. Grappling is hard on your back--I am generally pretty sore in my lower back the morning after a rolling session. You need to make sure you are warming up properly and that you stretch well afterwards and every day. There are good stretches and yoga positions you can specifically use to target whatever part of your back is bad.





Pilates and Yoga would definitely be two things you should look into.Pilates, and the right sort of Yoga, will gently strengthen your core muscles a lot, and that should help your back situation. Then you might consider grappling. I hate to discourage anybody from grappling--it is an awesome sport and activity, and it can be pursued by people of older ages and more broken down bodies. But if your back already hurts just from existing, you might want to build it up some as you introduce yourself into grappling. If you get advanced enough so that you are rolling against guys who are really good, it will work your back out a lot. Even as a beginner, against other beginners, your going to be asking your back to do a lot. Just drilling technique with no resistance from your partner might feel tough.