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I am very interested in trying jiu jitsu, but am afraid of injuring my knee and not being able to run distance. I've read many accounts stating tearing a knee is inevitable when rolling as a beginner with beginners. Is it reasonable to train jiu jitsu if distance running is your primary objective? Or is it just too risky?

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I've been training BJJ for just over 8 years (Brown belt) and I've only hurt my knee once... wrestling, and I train at an academy that has a strong emphasis on leg locks. The best way to avoid injuries, regardless of if they are to your knees or other, if to learn when to tap. Take the time to go slowly, and take care not to go too hard.

Most of the injuries from BJJ happen when you're stubborn about tapping, or when people go too hard on a move they don't understand. BJJ is a long journey, so you want to train with injury prevention in mind. Hope that helps.

You don’t need to damage your knees. Find a school that doesn’t let white belts do leg locks on each other. Lower back is what to watch for, as keeping posture can take some power at the start. The biggest challenge is total hours. Adding 4-6 hours a week of Jiu Jitsu to the 8-10 required for distance training is a lot of overall wear and tear.

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