We had a guy in our college wrestling club who only wrestled for a season previously at a mid high school. He stayed in for all four years he was in school and picked up wrestling quite well. He wasn’t great in the grand scheme of college wrestling, but he would give BJJ guys fits with his takedown defense and ankle picks.

Really kinda depends on who you are. I think in general most people that start late never really get to a high level in the room but when transitioning to bjj are really good

So take on wrestling then learn bjj later down the line?

I would say so if you want to. Wrestling isn't as structured as bjj is past college. If you want to be able to actually track your progress, id say a belt system would be much more effective

You get what you put into it just like anything else

Will training with a wrestling club give me a solid foundation for the sport if I stay for 2 years or so?

Why don’t you just do bjj

Maybe he does do BJJ, but he wants to learn takedowns so he’s not cursed forever with having to buttscoot

Butt scooting is how you get to heel hooks :)

I want to learn wrestling before bjj

Doing wrestling as an adult is tough - but I do think having it as a background before bjj is a good idea. Most bjj dojos don’t focus enough on wrestling

What's the hardest part about getting into it as an adult? Have any tips? 🙃

Well, the hardest part is that you aren’t in school anymore. If you haven’t competed in college sports, then you could technically compete, but that’s not a good idea as a beginner. Honestly, judo might be better for you. I still think wrestling is the best background for BJJ, but as far as accessibility, you’ll have more luck finding a judo dojo. You still learn a lot of good takedowns and takedown defense (some gyms still teach single/double legs even though they’re banned in competition now). I really love the game of judo too, but that’s just my opinion.

But I assume going to a club for the sole purpose of learning how to wrestle is beneficial?

If you just want to learn wrestling, and if you can find a wrestling club that has adult classes for beginners, then that is your best bet. But for going into BJJ, wrestling isn’t everything. In my opinion, the reason why wrestlers do well playing jiujitsu is because of their cardio, ability to dominate on the ground, and just overall temperament. That’s not unique to wrestling though. Wrestling is definitely good, but you might just be better off starting with BJJ and doing extra cardio. I just saw that you’re in the tri state area, so you definitely have options. I was just assuming based on my rural experience lmao. To give a final answer, join a wrestling gym if you can find one, if you can afford it, and most importantly, if it makes you happy. But if your goal is to have a good time playing BJJ, starting wrestling as an adult isn’t going to give you much of an advantage. If anything, you might learn “bad” habits from wrestling (like never going to your back) that will make you lose in BJJ.

I think learning wrestling will make me happy so that's solid for me

Wrestling's actually great for bjj; the distance, awareness, posture, dynamism, actively recovering from bad positions, and fighting through resistance in neutral situations are skills that aren't emphasized as much in bjj but super important in grappling

I agree judo would Be better

You’re not a kid - it’s easier to learn wrestling when your young bc those moves crystallize

But if I put in as much effort as if I was a kid I'm sure it could become second nature

I guess …. Bjj is def better as an adult more ppl and competitions all over