“Who’s the master?” “Sho Nuff!” - Training in your 30's, 40's and 50's

“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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With any athletic activity, injuries are going to happen. Hence why I don’t go bowling. I get hurt every time!

Question 1)  Do you train through injuries?

• Dan - I do usually. At this point in my life I’ve been involved in sports long enough that I like to think I know the difference when it comes to the types of injuries that you will inevitably make worse without time off. So to answer the question, pain would almost never make me stop. The fear of prolonged time off will.
  

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• Greg - I definitely train through most injuries. Typically it’s fingers and toes. Once in a while it’s shoulders, elbows, every joint basically :). I find that I just have to adjust my training, and pick my partners wisely.
• Neal - It depends.  I listen to my body.
• Alexey - Yes. I have permanent injuries, and occasional injuries. For example: I have arthritis in my fingers, I have torn meniscus’ in both of my knees, I have cartilage broken on my ribs from both sides, which causes pain during rolling. And, my occasional injury for now: my left shoulder is bad, it was pulled out about three weeks ago, don’t remember how, prolly during tournament.
  
• Josh - Depends on the injury.
  
• Brian S - Not serious injuries. I train hurt all the time. But if it's a real injury - no. 
  
• Brian H - Yes, most definitely train through most injuries. I will cut out rolling or only flow roll with people I trust, but still try to keep going.
  
• Mike - Depends.  I worked through some bad shoulder strain.  I was just very careful in who I rolled with and asked partners to flow so that I could still train but protect my shoulder .
  
• Damon - Yes, if the injury is small enough to nurse during training. 
  
• Scott - Yes. I train through injuries.
  
• Dave P - Depends on severity of injury.
  
• Heidi -  I try really hard to train through injuries.  Sometimes there is no training through because of the location (lower back) since training agitates it no matter what
  

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As we age, our bodies need a little bit more time to prepare before physical activity.
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Question 2)  Do you have any special warm ups or cool down routines?

Josh - My warm ups are all functional movements and jumping rope. Long stretching at the end, inversion table and massage

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• Neal - I need to get warmed up before I do any fast or jerky motions.  I like the way we run in a circle at the beginning of class. After class, before rolling, I need to get warmed up again with a light roll or a roll with a white belt or my 13 year old son.  I don’t mind if someone wants to come at me hard, but I need to be warmed up first, sweaty and breathing hard. Otherwise my body doesn’t work correctly and I’m at greater risk for injury.
  
• Dan -Not so much for my daily training. I’ve always been able to warm up rather quickly. I have noticed that it’s more important for me to warm up on cold winter days. I can just tell my muscles are more susceptible to damage. My last couple competitions I have incorporated a fairly intense warm up before my first match. Heavy dynamic stretching, a lot of jumping jacks and jump rope. I work up a good sweat. This is as much for my heart as it is the rest of my body. I feel it really combats the adrenaline dump and when you first step on the mat and your opponent whose powder dry and breathing perfectly normal looks at you and you appear to of already had matches it can be a little bit of a psychological advance as well as physical.
• Alexey - I do have a warm up procedure, which I usually follow before my matches during tournaments, and before my classes in my school, since my current school does not do a designated warm up during class. My warm up procedure is quite standard: little jogging, little shuffling, knee ups, and stretching. I do not have special cool down routine, each time I do different stuff, if foam roller is here, I do foam roller, it is good for cooling down.
  
• Brian S - I always stretch prior to drills, rolling or even teaching. I warm up and do a short yoga flow to loosen up.
• Brian H -  No special warm up or cool down, usually whatever the class is doing.
• Mike - Not really.  I do a lot of hip and leg stretches.  Cool down is not physical but more just enjoying the calm feeling I get after class.
• Damon - No
• Scott - Normal warm up and cool downs- lots of stretching and rolling out my back with a foam roller.
• Dave -  Minor stretching of low back and hips usually first match a flow roll, active warmup.
• Heidi -  I incorporate some yoga poses to loosen up my hips which tend to be tight.
• Greg - I do the standard warm-up with the class, whatever the professor calls for. Typically we are given an open stretch, and I usually have to stretch out my hips, but also do some posture exercises, and stretch out each finger, and roll my wrists out.

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A well balanced diet is likely the key to being able to continue training as we age. Or is it?
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Question 3)  How would you say your diet is?

Greg - My diet is based off of how much I'm training. Since I teach and train just about every day, sometimes two-three times per day, I need to eat A LOT of food. Even consuming 4000 calories a day, I'm sometimes still losing weight just because of the amount of rounds I get each week. With that said, I eat a lot of healthy food, and still eat plenty of unhealthy food. My biggest weakness is chicken parm subs and chocolate (no, not mixed together). Besides that, I have a lot of fruit and veggies throughout the day. I don't eat red meat, so I eat a lot of chicken and fish.

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• Alexey - I do not have special diet, but try not to eat meat and fat food, trying to eat more vegetables and fruits, especially bananas and apples  :)
  
• Josh -  Pretty healthy. A lot of seafood.
  
• Brian S - With kids and work travel, it's not a good training diet. It's healthy - not a ton of meat / no red meat, and limited fried foods. I also don't have a sweet tooth so I don't eat a lot of sugary crap. It's just hard at this point to survive my schedule with kids, work, and life. If I compete again, I'll lock the training diet down to get back into competition shape. 
  
• Brian H -  I'm not too picky with diet. Don't eat too many sweets, no soda, very little alcohol, and mostly drink water. I am careful about when I do eat. Nothing really spicy or heavy during the week since I'm there almost every day. Anything like that is usually after class Saturday or on Sunday.
  
• Mike - Nothing special.   BJJ has made me more mindful of how I eat though.
  
• Damon - Pretty basic and clean for most part. I’m very active so Carbs are higher than most looking to lose weight.
  
• Scott -  My diet is normal. I eat pretty healthy but will also eat whatever I want and not feel guilty about it. The cardio from the gym and BJJ allows me to do this.
  
• Dave - I eat generally a Gluten Free diet, due to an intestinal sensitivity, but switching over has resulted in some fat loss.
  
• Heidi - I generally follow a low carb/no sugar diet.
  
• Neal - I try to avoid junk food and processed foods, but my diet should be better than it is.
  
• Dan - It varies from two extremes. I go from eating everything I want including lots of pizza to prepared meals with perfect nutrient ratios when it’s time to start making weight for a match. 
  

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You know how those young twenty somethings are. They are crazy! Well, not really, but when us old folk are trying to slow things down, they are trying to speed things up!

Question 4) Do you feel as though you have to roll differently than those in their 20's?

Neal - Yes, I try to stay in position at all times and glue myself to my opponent to shut down their game.

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• Josh - Absolutely. I don't roll as hard and a bit pickier with my partners​
• Brian H - Oh yeah. Definitely focus on trying to conserve energy, try to really make sure I'm using technique and stop or change it up if I'm not, and number one - focus on not getting hurt!
• Mike - Yes.  I tend to be more cautious at first to see if they are controlled or wild. 
• Damon - Only when it comes to shooting doubles and singles. Hurts my knees.
• Scott - I do feel as though I need to roll differently than the guys in their 20's and even 30's. I am slower so I rely a lot on grips and keep my game pretty simple.
• Dave -  I certainly don’t have the same speed or overall endurance. But I adapt by imposing my pace.
• Heidi - I feel like I have to pay attention more to what my body says the older I get (to prevent injury).  
• Greg - Yes, but I'm not sure if it's because I'm older, or just wiser. As we are aging, we are also progressing in jiu-jitsu. So i'd like to think that if I started when I was 16, and I'd now be 27, that I'd be rolling similarly to my current self, just because of my jiu-jitsu knowledge.
• Dan -I catch a couple less rounds on average then I used too and it gets pretty hard for me to recover now a days when I do 2 a days or even training at night and then again the next morning. 
• Alexey - No, I do not feel that way, but have to admit that I have to roll differently. Just because I am slow and have less stamina than younger people.

 Brian - I focus on technique, posture and pressure. Younger guys are faster and stronger and more explosive. I want to be a great teacher. Rolling is fun so I'm not trying to be a 20 year old any more. I just want to smash and use base/pressure to slowly kill people.

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I don't know about you, but I wake up with achy joints every morning!

Question 5) Do you pre-tape any joints? Fingers? Etc.

Brian - I tape my fingers. I work on a keyboard most of the day and I really feel it in my fingers some days. Obviously it varies if we're focusing on something like spider guard, but I find that most days I have to tape them.

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• Brian S - I hurt my ring finger on my right hand a while Ago. I think I tore a ligament. So- I tape that and my middle finger for stability.
• Mike - No.  I occasionally wear an ankle brace
• Damon - No
• Scott - I do not pre-tape any joints
• Dave - Right thumb, due to some fairly bad arthritis. Surgery in next few weeks.
• Heidi -  Nope, not usually.  However I have an injured toe that I do on occasion if it hurts.
• Greg - YES! I might as well invest in a tape company! I tape my ring and pinky finger on both hands. Playing a lot of spider and worm guard have killed my hands. Now I just tape them all the time.
• Neal - No.
• Dan -Very seldom, only if it’s absolutely necessary.
• Alexey - No. I did never do that, and I do not have any idea why people do that :)
• Josh - My fingers

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Competition is definitely dangerous. After all, someone is trying to rip your arm off or choke you out cold. So, should we do it?

Question 6) Do you compete?

Alexey - I am trying to do at least two competitions per month.

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• Mike - Competing is not a high priority but I have done it 3 times.  They’ve been great experiences and I plan to do so again. I liked IBJJF because it has brackets that are favorable to my age.  Another time I was matched against someone who was 15 years younger. Great guy, but I could not match him.
• Damon - Yes! I love to!
• Scott - I do compete typically 2-4 times a year.
• Dave - Yes until about two weeks ago.
•  Heidi - No.  I have competed once, and will likely again.
• Greg - Yes. I try to compete as much as possible.  It usually averages out to 3-4 times per year, so I sign up for 4 divisions in the local tournaments, and always do absolute at IBJJF when I qualify.
• Neal - I haven’t for a while
• Dan - Yes
• Josh - Yes, about once or twice a month
• Brian S - I did. I want to, but right now I have other priorities.
• Brian H - Not yet...​​

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Everyone has their own reasons for training. I would take a gander that most who start later are not originally getting into jiu-jitsu for sport. But once you hit the bug, it's hard to stop!

Question 7)  Why do you train? Sport? Self defense? Fitness?

Mike - I train for fitness and for the challenge. I have learned so much and have developed my skills over time. I tend to be very hard on myself because I tend to pick things up at a slower pace. But looking at what I have learned over the last 6 years is amazing. I am fortunate to train with so many awesome people who keep me motivated. They push me and test me but also support me, are patient with me and encourage me. I train because it helps keep me focused and manage stress. I have a job that can be mentally challenging . BJJ has been a way for me to focus on something and let go of other stress.

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• Damon -  Started for self defense, but now definitely sport.
• Scott - ​I train because I love the sport. The fitness part of it is great and I am very competitive. Although I get my ass kicked quite a bit in class I typically do well at tournaments and know that is a real life situation I will be just fine.
• Dave - All three
• Heidi - I train because of the mental and physical challenge of BJJ.  It also is a confidence booster sometimes.
• Greg - At this point I train because I like solving puzzles. It's my way to keep problem solving and keep my mind sharp. Just so happens to keep me in shape too.
• Neal - Purely out of spite.
• Dan - I consider myself to be a lifelong martial artist. That being said my main goal these days are to keep acquiring the knowledge that brings me closer to the coveted, elusive BJJ black belt. My secondary goal is to continue to add to my competitive resume with the hopes of using it to attract students seeking private tutelage in the future. Now that I’ve started teaching I know it’s something I want to do for the rest of my life.
• Alexey - I am training because I have to. I’d like to have a ‘normal life’: eat meat, drink beer, and sit on the couch; but it just happened and I have to stay active.
• Josh - Lifelong martial artist.
• Brian S - I love BJJ.
• Brian H - I enjoy the training. No real focus other than I feel like I have to be doing something physical and BJJ hits all the right notes: fun, fitness, and friends.

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Supplemental training can be very beneficial. Especially if you choose to compete.

Question 8) Do you do anything outside of jiu-jitsu to help your overall training?

Damon - Crossfit. Keeps my endurance and mental toughness above average.

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•  Scott - I work out with weights and do core work work 6 days a week to supplement my training. I focus more on muscular endurance and hand/grip exercises.
• Dave - Weight training , some spin bike work. But both take a back seat to BJJ.
  
• Greg - Yes, I do a lot of corrective exercises because I have terrible posture. I'm at the point where I'm not in pain all of the time, from these exercises. There was a time I was doing crossfit twice per week. I believe it was the absolute best work out for those who compete. I once did 9 matches before I even broke a sweat. I give all the credit to crossfit for that. I had a shoulder injury last year, so I've been rehabbing that. Since then, it's been all correctives, and recently I started adding deadlifts, squats, and tradition exercises back into the mix. However, one of the best rehab tools for me has been steel mace training. One of my training partners, Rob Sullivan, is certified through Onnit, and it's been one of the best tools for my shoulder recovery and fixing my posture.
• Neal - Yoga, which has helped a lot.
• Dan - I’ve been lifting weights since I was 16. I think the size and strength I’ve amassed has been more beneficial then negative for my JJ. I regularly include Chiropratic adjustments and message in my regime. I’m constantly icing strained joints but for true speedy recovery when I need it, nothing compares to alternating ice baths and the sauna. There’s a reason it’s what the pros do.
• Alexey - I do crossfit, running and little weight lifting.
• Josh - I do some running, kettlebell, and resistance bands
• Brian S - Lift weights bro.... gotta be swole.
• Brian H - YOGA!!!!!! I can't say enough good things about it. Every grappler, especially those on the older side, should be doing it!! No arguments, no questions, come to yoga now!
• Mike - Yoga.  I used to run but my ankle bothers me.  I got introduced to yoga at GAMA. It is amazing mentally and physically. It has helped me strengthen, become more limber and improved my cardio. ​

Heidi - I workout about 5 days a week to keep up my strength, and I try to run as much as possible or just increase cardio overall because BJJ will show you just how unprepared you are for cardio every single time.

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As we age, we have to make some changes to stay safe while rolling.

Question 9) Describe some of the major difference in your training from 5 years ago, 10 years ago.

Scott - The way I train is pretty much the same today as it was when I started 9 years ago. If anything it is more intense today as I have started pushing myself and taking competition team classes.

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• Dave -  Much more technical and thoughtful in my rolling.
• Heidi - I'm in my fifth year of training.  I no longer have the drive for more stripes and belts...not that I don't want to grow but I know that they will come with consistency.  I am also way more selective than I was before like when I was "scared" to roll with guys...now it's "I'm not healthy enough to roll with white belts." 
• Greg - My major difference is in Gi. I try to get the rounds to a point where we are both completely stuck. If I am the one that can make us both stuck, I'm usually the one who has the next move planned out. Keeps things slow, and more of a chess match. I still roll nogi exactly like I did back in the day.
• Neal - I’m more careful to avoid injuries.
• Dan -10 years ago I could train 4 to 5 days a week, catching at least 5 to 6 rounds a class and finishing up the week with fairly intense MMA sparing on Saturday. If I did that now, I’d be hating myself as I was walking around like an 85 year old man till probably Tuesday or Wednesday the following week.
• Alexey - I started my Jiu jitsu journey 7 years ago. Difference is quite big: during first years of training I was using force and power; now I am trying to use more technique.
• Josh - The first fourteen years of my training was very much focused on competing in mixed martial arts. Now that I'm no longer fighting, I focus more on the sport aspect and improving my skills as an instructor.
• Brian S - I have less time. I rarely make it to a class as a student. Usually going to the gym to teach or get a fast workout. Years ago I was in the gym 5-6 days a week. 
• Brian H - I really try to focus on being more technical now and realize when I'm using raw strength, even to the point of giving up on a technique/position when rolling to try it again. Definitely focus more on not getting hurt, injuries take forever to heal now. And I try very hard to be more consistent. Had the issue before of being one of those people that would train in hard bursts, get hurt, start over, and repeat. Being consistent is definitely the way to train even if it means maybe not rolling as many rounds everyday. Now I prefer the Firas Zahabi philosphy of Consistency Over Intensity.
• Mike - I am becoming more focus and a year into my purple belt I am starting to form a series.  I am learning myself and my abilities and am less concerned with trying to match others.
• Damon - Only training 2 years.

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If you've read this far, and you're a youngster, here are some tips from elders :)

Question 10) Is there any input you'd like to offer to those younger than you?

Dave - Just show up

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• Neal - Experiment and don’t worry about losing in the learning process.  New techniques won’t work at first, and you get swept or tapped, so what?
• Dan - If you know this is a true passion of yours that you always want in your life, never take more then a week off. Even if your injured, keep your brain active and keep in contact with your teammates. A couple weeks can turn into 5 years before you know it then your playing catch up. 
• Alexey - I’d suggest younger people to stay healthy: don’t drink or smoke, eat good food, do regular checkups with your doctor. That will simplify your life in older age.  Another very important thing is: some BJJ guru’s teach us “Every day porrada”, and they tell you to overcome pain. That is WRONG: if you feel a pain, the best thing is to go to doctor and check if everything is good with your body, otherwise you may have very serious health problems, which may stay with you till the end of life.  Also, I'd suggest to compete as much as you can. It is fun and it will make your life more cool.
  
• Josh - Approach every single training session as if you don't know what you're doing. Ask questions and take responsibility for your own progress.
• Brian S - Just train.
• Brian H- It's cliche but enjoy the journey. In the end it's about family, friends, and doing the best you can. Who cares how many people you can tap if no one even wants to work with you.
• Mike - Don’t try to muscle and don’t use force.  People won’t trust you. Learn positions and stop worrying about the quick sub.  Lastly be a good training partner. Stop trying to figure out how to defend or beat what is being taught.  Just learn the skill. In the long run it will be better and people will respect you. Train hard but be safe and smart.
• Damon - Take your time, enjoy the journey.
• Scott - Never give up. Most people I have seen over the years stop training at blue belt. I also think that everyone should compete at least 1 time to really test their progress.
• Heidi - Listen to your body.  If it says slow down...do it...if it says you can go one more...do it.
• Greg - Get submitted. If you're not getting submitted, you're not working new things. Also, don't feel bad about getting submitted by lower belts. They are the perfect people try new things on, rather than trying to smash them. They get a boost of confidence when they submit you, and you get good practice of a new move. Once you get used to your move, they won't be submitting you anymore, and you can try that move on a higher belt. Basically, always roll with a purpose, and don't get too emotional about your rounds. 

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Well, there you have it. Some wise words!

I want to thank everyone who took the time out of their schedule to help make this blog post possible. Thank you!!
​-Greg

PS. Subscribe to my YouTube Channel so I can get rid of this really long URL https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrpVqNBT8ZwApIPg6WgHqwQ and shorten it. I need 100 subscribers to do so :)