Jiu Jitsu after 35

[Mikael Chay]

Awesome post . I am turning 35 next month . I have been on/off with Jiu Jitsu in the last couple of years , mainly because of my level of confidence is rock bottom due to the way of how I feel about my weight and the way I look and how I perform . Also , the fact that I keep thinking its too late to start at this age . [...]

Nick, it's NEVER too late to start.

One of the newcomers at our gym this year was a 60-year-old gentleman with a big beer belly and poor body control/coordination.

His first couple of months, he couldn't keep up at all with the rest of the group.
2 minutes into our warm-up routine (nothing hardcore, just run-of-the-mill BJJ warm-ups) and he was already taking the first of many breaks.
He couldn't shrimp at all and had big difficulties drilling basic techniques.

He was probably thinking along the same lines as you.

But he didn't throw the towel. And we kept encouraging him, pointing out that we all felt like a fish out of water at first, that it took time for your body to adapt to Jiu-Jitsu-specific movements so he had to be patient, ignore the frustration and keep at it.

He kept coming for 6 months, improving his stamina and motor coordination slowly but steadily. And we kept giving him props for small victories like lasting longer during the warm-ups, going half the length of the mats shrimping (instead of just a couple of shrimps) or applying good pressure/control while drilling a technique.

He's now lost a lot of weight, moves a lot better and can do the whole warm-up routine without taking a break, something in which he takes great pride.

Will he ever be a world champion? Not very likely.
Will he ever be a black belt? Probably not.

But he's having fun, challenging himself and improving constantly, which is what really matters in the end.

Sorry for the long-winded story but my point is that you shouldn't look at any end goal you may have and think it's too late to achieve it. You should instead enjoy your journey and take pleasure in small victories along the way, as cliché as it may sound.

[Jason Bruton]

Some good advice in here. I'll throw a couple of recovery items in the mix. BCAA's and Glucosamine/Chondroitin seem to help this old dude not feel like he got hit by a car after training.

[Nick Tiganis]

Nick, it's NEVER too late to start.

One of the newcomers at our gym this year was a 60-year-old gentleman with a big beer belly and poor body control/coordination.

His first couple of months, he couldn't keep up at all with the rest of the group.
2 minutes into our warm-up routine (nothing hardcore, just run-of-the-mill BJJ warm-ups) and he was already taking the first of many breaks.
He couldn't shrimp at all and had big difficulties drilling basic techniques.

He was probably thinking along the same lines as you.

But he didn't throw the towel. And we kept encouraging him, pointing out that we all felt like a fish out of water at first, that it took time for your body to adapt to Jiu-Jitsu-specific movements so he had to be patient, ignore the frustration and keep at it.

He kept coming for 6 months, improving his stamina and motor coordination slowly but steadily. And we kept giving him props for small victories like lasting longer during the warm-ups, going half the length of the mats shrimping (instead of just a couple of shrimps) or applying good pressure/control while drilling a technique.

He's now lost a lot of weight, moves a lot better and can do the whole warm-up routine without taking a break, something in which he takes great pride.

Will he ever be a world champion? Not very likely.
Will he ever be a black belt? Probably not.

But he's having fun, challenging himself and improving constantly, which is what really matters in the end.

Sorry for the long-winded story but my point is that you shouldn't look at any end goal you may have and think it's too late to achieve it. You should instead enjoy your journey and take pleasure in small victories along the way, as cliché as it may sound.

Thank you Mikael , very encouraging post !

[Marty McLaren]

As a fellow "older" dude (I'm 36 in body but in my head I still think I'm in my early 20's) I can echo pretty much what everyone else is saying. Listen to your body and try to take it easier if you are getting sore. I take krill oil and glucosamine everyday and I definitely feel these both help.

One thing I have been trying this year is taking a cold shower as soon as I get home from training. I run the shower with no hot water and stand underneath for approx 2-3 minutes. The cold water takes your breath away and isn't a very pleasant experience but as soon as I get out I feel invigorated and I believe it has been beneficial in my recovery the next day.