BJJ After 40: Am I Too Old to Start?

"Am I too old for this?" If you are thinking about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at 40, 50 or 60, that is probably your first question. Often it is less a doubt about the technique than worry about your back and knees, fear of getting hurt, and the picture of having to roll against much younger, stronger people. Here is what the research says about martial arts later in life, where it falls short, and how we train late starters at Imperial Ground.

Is there an age limit for BJJ?

No. There is no rule that says you are too old to start. Our Foundation Gi page puts it this way: "You don't need to be athletic. You don't need to be young." What matters is how you start: at what pace, how often and with which partners.

If you have health issues or haven't done any sport for a long time, talk to your doctor before you start. And tell your coach before class if your knee, shoulder or back has a history. Then the coach knows what the two of you need to watch.

What does BJJ really do for you as you get older?

The research here is thinner than many articles online suggest. For our overview What BJJ Really Does we went through 159 papers and found only one training study on BJJ with older people. On top of that there are studies from judo, the sport BJJ developed from.

The BJJ study: older men, twelve weeks

In this study, 62 older men were split into two groups (de Queiroz et al., 2016). One group trained BJJ twice a week for 90 minutes over twelve weeks; the other was the comparison group.

Afterwards, the BJJ group had improved on all six parts of a standard fitness test for older adults, including arm and leg strength, flexibility and endurance. Between the two groups, though, the researchers found no statistically significant difference, neither before nor after the twelve weeks.

So the study shows that the scores of the men who trained BJJ went up. It does not show that BJJ made them fitter than the comparison group, and it does not report random allocation either. Whether BJJ makes older people fitter for everyday life is therefore not proven. An encouraging hint, nothing more.

Judo: a randomised study with older adults

In judo there is a small randomised study of 40 previously inactive people with no judo experience, on average almost 68 years old, most of them women (Kujach et al., 2022). People with certain pre-existing conditions were excluded. The judo group trained three times a week for 45 minutes over twelve weeks, guided by experienced judo coaches.

Compared with the control group, the judo group improved on a test of concentration and impulse control (the Stroop test), on standing balance and on leg muscle power. The judo participants also showed a rise in blood levels of BDNF, a messenger substance that matters for nerve cells. What that means in the long run is open.

Important for context: the control group did no training at all. So the study shows that judo training beat no training, not that it beats other training. And it was judo, not BJJ.

How safe is grappling later in life?

A systematic review analysed 23 studies of judo with middle-aged and older people, 1,392 participants in total, on average 63 years old and almost half of them women (Palumbo et al., 2023). Only a few of these studies recorded adverse events at all. Where they did, there were none or very few, under 1%, such as lumbago, and none of them needed treatment, in hospital or otherwise. Where it was recorded, adherence to the judo programmes was above 65%.

The authors rate 70% of the training studies in the review at serious risk of bias. And these are judo programmes, not BJJ. For BJJ with older adults, no such figures exist yet.

Am I more likely to get injured after 40?

The data suggests the risk tends to rise a little with age. In a worldwide online survey of 1,140 BJJ practitioners from 62 countries, older age was one of three factors linked with more injuries, alongside competing regularly and a higher belt (Hinz et al., 2021). It counted injuries over three years that meant at least two weeks off training.

How big is the difference? The injured were about 32.5 years old on average, the uninjured about 30. Respondents overall averaged just under 32. So the survey says little about late starters at 50 or 60, and it cannot tell whether the cause is age itself or the way older athletes train.

The same survey also shows where most injuries happen: just over three quarters (77.6%) during sparring, and only just over one in ten during technique drills. That is where a sensible start makes the difference, not your year of birth.

Competing often was a risk factor of its own. Whether you ever enter a tournament is up to you. It is not a requirement for training with us. And plan your recovery before your body forces it on you.

How common injuries in BJJ are overall, where they happen and what we do about them is covered in detail in our article Is BJJ dangerous?

How often should I train as a late starter?

The training programmes in the studies used two to three sessions a week:

• in the BJJ study, twice for 90 minutes;
• in the judo study, three times for 45 minutes;
• in the judo review, on average two sessions of about an hour.

Our recommendation for adult beginners is twice a week. Monday and Wednesday, for example, give you a rhythm with a free day in between. If your body feels good after a few weeks, you can add a third session.

We teach Foundation Gi on Mondays and Wednesdays at 19:00 (90 minutes) and on Fridays at 18:00 (60 minutes), and Foundation No-Gi on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 19:00 (90 minutes). For women there is also the women's class with Coach Anke on Thursdays from 18:00 to 19:00.

At our academy, Foundation Gi is the starting point. The gi gives you and your partner grips on the collar and sleeves to work with, under control. More on the Foundation Gi page.

Do I have to roll with younger people?

Younger, stronger partners are not automatically the problem. The problem is a partner who doesn't roll with control. That is why control before intensity applies here to every age group, and our code of conduct applies in sparring too. It asks everyone to match their intensity to their partner and to mind big weight gaps.

Three rules from the code are on your side in every round:

• If you say "stop" or "slow down", your partner stops immediately. No negotiation.
• Whoever taps is released immediately, without exception.
• If anything feels wrong in your body, you stop, tell the coach and sit out if needed.

In your trial class we pair you with a training partner your size. In regular classes too, you can sit out a round, turn down a partner, or tell the coach you want to avoid certain positions. You don't have to give a reason.

One of our values is Kaizen (改善), self-improvement: "Better every day." For late starters, that is the right yardstick. You measure yourself against who you were last week, not against someone half your age.

What we do at Imperial Ground for late starters

We built Imperial Ground as a place where everyone feels safe and welcome, at 25 just as much as at 55. We believe Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu can improve people's lives: physically, emotionally and socially. That is not a promise, and the studies above show why. What we do control is how we train:

• Safety first. You learn to tap on your first evening with us. Whoever taps is released immediately, without exception.
• Control before intensity. Our Foundation classes put control ahead of pace. Sparring with us does not mean winning at any cost.
• Supervised sparring. In Foundation classes you roll under a coach's eye.
• A partner your size. In your trial class you train with someone who suits you.
• A structured curriculum. After every class you know what you learned and why, so you feel yourself getting better class by class, at your own pace.
• Respect, on the mat and off it. We have a written code of conduct and a published infraction system. Reckless training has consequences.
• No pressure to compete. You train for yourself. Whether you ever compete is entirely your call.
• Belts. How we award belts is set out on our Belt Promotion page. How long the road to your first coloured belt takes is explained in How Long Does It Take to Get a Blue Belt in BJJ?

To be honest: what the research doesn't show

• There is hardly any data for ages 40 to 60. The training studies on martial arts later in life mostly involve people from around 60, the large injury surveys people around 30. What applies to a late starter at 45 is largely a transfer.
• Martial arts are not automatically better than other training. A meta-analysis of 10 randomised trials with just over 400 people aged 60 and over, covering taekwondo, Muay Thai, judo and Ving Tsun (no BJJ), came to a mixed result (de Mendonça et al., 2025):
  • In the Timed Up and Go test (stand up, walk three metres, turn, sit back down), the martial-arts groups were 0.72 seconds faster on average.
  • On balance and grip strength, the comparison groups did better; the authors describe them as physically active.
  • The researchers rate the certainty of the evidence as low.
• The only BJJ study with older adults we found included only men and found no significant difference from the comparison group.
• Much of the evidence comes from judo. Judo is closely related, but it is not the same.
• The injury data comes from surveys. People who quit because of an injury rarely respond.
• No study has shown that BJJ extends life or prevents falls. So we don't promise it either.

Frequently asked questions

Am I too old for BJJ at 40?

No. There is no age limit. What matters is how you start: roll with control, tap early and train twice a week to begin with.

Can you still start BJJ at 50 or 60?

Yes, there is no age limit. The research on it is thin, though: in the only BJJ study with older men, those who trained improved over twelve weeks, but the difference from the comparison group was not significant. So it is not proven that BJJ makes you fitter as you age.

Do older people get injured more often in BJJ?

In a large survey, older age was linked with somewhat more injuries, and so was competing regularly. Most injuries happen during sparring, so what matters most is how much control you roll with.

How often should I train as a beginner over 40?

Twice a week to begin with, with a free day in between. The studies with older adults, in BJJ and in judo, used two to three sessions a week.

Do I need to be fit before I start?

No. Fitness comes from training, not before it. Start with two sessions a week and build up at your own pace.

Do I have to roll with younger, stronger people?

In your trial class you train with a partner your size. If you say "stop" or "slow down", your partner stops immediately, and whoever taps is released immediately. In regular classes, you can sit out a round, turn down a partner, or tell the coach you want to avoid certain positions, without giving a reason.

Sources

1. de Queiroz JL, Sales MM, Sousa CV, da Silva Aguiar S, Asano RY, de Moraes JFVN, Soares BRA, Neves RVP, de Moraes MR, Simões HG. 12 weeks of Brazilian jiu-jitsu training improves functional fitness in elderly men. Sport Sciences for Health 2016;12:291–295. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-016-0287-8
2. Kujach S, et al. Judo training program improves brain and muscle function and elevates the peripheral BDNF concentration among the elderly. Scientific Reports 2022;12:13900. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-17719-6
3. Palumbo F, Ciaccioni S, Guidotti F, Forte R, Sacripanti A, Capranica L, Tessitore A. Risks and Benefits of Judo Training for Middle-Aged and Older People: A Systematic Review. Sports 2023;11(3):68. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports11030068
4. de Mendonça DLC, Raider Junior JM, da Silva LBB, et al. Benefits of martial arts on the functional capacity of elderly people: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinics 2025;80:100830. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinsp.2025.100830
5. Hinz M, Kleim BD, Berthold DP, Geyer S, Lambert C, Imhoff AB, Mehl J. Injury Patterns, Risk Factors, and Return to Sport in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: A Cross-sectional Survey of 1140 Athletes. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine 2021;9(12). https://doi.org/10.1177/23259671211062568

About the author. João Macedo is a 1st-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, has been on the mats for more than 14 years, and is co-founder and head coach of Imperial Ground Martial Arts in Düsseldorf-Derendorf.

Read on: Is BJJ dangerous? · Our essay: BJJ in the second half of life · Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Düsseldorf: all questions