This is for anyone who's given up on a sport or some other activity that they've loved. I've been competing in the martial art Judo for many years but have been coming to the painful conclusion that it may be time to hang up the Judo Gi. I recently separated my shoulder in a Judo match but besides that have been dealing with almost constantly aching joints and lots of other minor injuries. I still want to do other things, like run or walk up stairs, and am getting worried if I'm getting to the point that I'm too old to recover from cumulative injuries and strains to remain active. What makes it worse is that I'm not that old, in my mid 30's, and I know people who are my age and older who are still competing at a high level. At the same time though those guys don't seem nearly as injured as I am. I don't expect many people on this forum to know anything about Judo but just wondering if the rest of y'all have had to make the decision to give up something you love because you couldn't do it anymore or doing it more would lead to further injury.
when your shoulder is so bad that you have to toss the ball to your second basemen to make a strong throw to home plate.
Whenever I see/hear a question like this I always think of Earl Campbell ~ if he had hung it up a couple of years earlier than he did he wouldn't be crippled today.
When you find yourself praising, in a persistent aphasic stammer, the guy that bit half your ear off. Actually, though, I think you answered your own question. When you even wonder if continuing can affect living a pain-free life, or basic mobility (walking/running/climbing stairs), it's probably time to hang 'em up. If there is any consolation, find it in becoming like the rest of us, the gluttonous, sedentary masses. In other words, true Americans. I wish you well in recuperation.
I gave up playing basketball at the ripe old age of about 22-24 after I kept hurting my back repeatedly. Even though I did that, a couple of years ago, I herniated a disc in my back (not playing basketball) that I think was what was happening when I was younger.
Julio Franco homered at 46. What are you quitting for. Because you are hurt. That aint no reason. Quit if you don't love the game anymore. But don't quit because you are losing or because you hurt. One good round of kicking ass is worth all the pain. Plenty of great moments out there no matter how bad you feel or how bad you lose.
Who is: Muhammad Ali, right before Larry Holmes bashed his head in. As long as Franco wears a batting helmet, he can play till 50. Baseball is pretty forgiving. Bagwell can sign checks with his left hand for the rest of his life, no problem. The Earl Campbell reference is apt. Barry Sanders is my favorite ballplayer, in this regard. Better to walk away a year or two early than to limp away a year or two late.
Try Tai Chi. There's more chicks. Plus, now you can hyp - no - tize them. Then leg sweep them, and it's on.
HILARIOUS! I'm going to have to share that one. Of course since Berkman tore his ACL doing flag football I'm not sure how safe any flag sports are.
Why don't you continue practicing Judo, but just stop sparring. At least with anyone younger or stronger than you. Maybe just female partners?
My theory is that some people just don't have the body makeup to withstand particular sports, particularly as they get older. I had to give up beach volleyball and indoor volleyball a few years ago when I was 29 because my knees couldn't take it. Now I'm concentrating on sports that I can aspire to excellence at for the next 20-30 years at: golf and rock climbing.
Maybe you can teach it, if you are qualified. This way you wont have to compete but still be able to practice the sport.
I recently had to make the tough decision to quit Judo. This was a very hard decision to make because no sport, other than wrestling, put my endorphins at such a high level. I would leave the Dojo on such a mental high that I would have trouble falling asleep at night. Unfortunately, I tore my tricep and re-injured an old shoulder injury. Also, at 43 my body took a lot longer to recuperate then it had before. It was taking my body 3-4 days to recuperate from Judo training. For these reasons it was time to hang up my Gi. MartianMan had mentioned to just practice Judo and skip the sparring. This is very hard to do. Judo is a competitive sport and even if you don’t compete in a match you still compete with your training partners. It is torture to sit on the sidelines and watch. Judo is a strange sport because it is one of the healthiest and unhealthiest sports you can participate in. It is healthy in the fact that it is one of the best sports for conditioning the body. It is the unhealthiest because the human body was not meant to be thrown around so much. Almost every older Judoka that I’ve met has a bad shoulder. A popular Judo site ran a pole on the healthiest martial art and Judo was in last place. Practicing Judo at an older age is tough on the body. If someone wants to practice it in their late 30’s or even into their 40’s and 50’s, I would suggest adding weight training on the side. This is how someone like Roger Clemons or Nolan Ryan escaped injuries in their later years. Unfortunately, it’s like a double edged sword were it might effect your recuperation
If you're in constant pain, how can you enjoy it? You are certainly not at you best when you are nagged by injuries. Pain sucks. If the pain is getting in the way, don't quit - get on the juice. j/k
I've quit capoeira and acrobatics because I would constantly sprain or twist my ankle. Doing flips and crazy twists in the air was fun and really impressive but its not worth limping around the other 99% of the time.
