 “I said whoooooo’s the master?” “I am!” - Masters 2 actually. If you don’t know this quote, you’re not old enough to be in the Master’s division of an IBJJF tournament. :) 1985’s, “The Last Dragon” is the story of Leroy Green aka Bruce Leroy learning a little something about himself. I don’t want to ruin the movie if you haven’t seen it yet, let's just say he's been in the wrong division. Go see it! But nonetheless, WE are the masters! Training jiu-jitsu in our 30’s, 40’s and 50’s is not the same as training in our teens and 20’s. There’s more to risk. Our physical recovery time is slower. Our strength may still be there, but injuries caused by using strength over technique is more likely. Our energy levels are depleting. Yet, we still train! I asked a bunch of friends to fill out a questionnaire regarding training as we age. Meet the participants, and let’s see what they have to say:
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This one is for the half guard enthusiasts. If you follow my Instagram, @greglewjitsu, you’ll notice that I favored deep half guard as my, sport, a-game at purple belt in competition. I started my deep half journey when I saw my professor, Monroe Hall (Baltimore BJJ), was having success in the black belt division utilizing this guard. Deep half is one of those positions where you can relax, and your opponent feels weightless. This is because when your opponent is directly on top of you, without a proper base, or kickstand, you get a seesaw effect. The weight is in the center, and can be tilted either way easier than picking someone up and moving them to the other side of you.   Competing as a white belt, 2011 or 2012. The hardest part of jiu-jitsu is signing up. Just kidding, we like to say that to make you feel better. It will always be hard. The hardest part is not quitting, which is why there are so many blue belts compared to black belts. For those of us who know that we’ll never quit, let me give you a guide to feeling good about getting your ass kicked on the regular. Today I’m going to discuss some positions and moves that I suggest you work on at the beginning of your journey. White belt! Please tag all of your white belt friends. This is for adults, as I treat youth differently. Please keep in mind, that this is a lot, and it won’t be overnight.
The hardest part of jiu-jitsu is signing up. Just kidding, we like to say that to make you feel better. It will always be hard. The hardest part is not quitting, which is why there are so many blue belts compared to black belts. For those of us who know that we’ll never quit, let me give you a guide to feeling good about getting your ass kicked on the regular. Today I’m going to discuss some positions and moves that I suggest you work on at the beginning of your journey. White belt! Please tag all of your white belt friends. This is for adults, as I treat youth differently. Please keep in mind, that this is a lot, and it won’t be overnight. One thing that you must remember when training is that jiu-jitsu is forever. It doesn’t matter what belt you are at now, you will still continue to train, right? I always hear, “enjoy the journey,” and I agree. You know, it’s going to take you x amount of years to get your black belt. Then the rest of your life, you will be a black belt, so no rush! If you love jiu-jitsu, keep training. But what happens when you hit a brick wall? Out of nowhere, jiu-jitsu isn’t fun. You feel like you’re getting beat up all the time. The technique that worked for so long is failing!  My student, Rennan, is a great example of consistent progress.  Dawn Lew, my wife :) As we slip further and further away from the origins of the art, one thing stands. Jiu-jitsu techniques, when applied properly, allow a smaller person to defend him/herself against a larger, stronger opponent. Obviously, this takes time. Not just LEARNING the technique, but a lot of mat time, and tons of drilling and rolling.
Your typical academy has way more men than women, hence why my academy has a women’s only class. I feel as though it’s important for women to train with other women for a few reasons. Welcome to my new blog. To get started, I’d like to share a little bit about myself, and some of my thoughts regarding jiu-jitsu.
I’ve been training since 2008, heavily focused on jiu-jitsu since 2010. I’m a 37 year old, academy owner, active competitor, and also teaches a few of the adult classes each week. I teach all of the youth jiu-jitsu classes. I’m a very active coach, and you can see me at just about every competition that takes place in the state of Maryland. I believe strongly in fundamental jiu-jitsu, for both self-defense and sport. In self-defense, you’ll never play deep half guard, or lasso. In sport, you’ll never have a functioning deep half guard or lasso guard without fundamental jiu-jitsu working on autopilot. |
Author-Greg Lew - 
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