The Key To Longevity In BJJ

I’m a 72yr old brown belt, I roll 3or4 times a week and do Muay Thai 2or 3 times a week. I’m not as fast as I use to be but I really didn’t so down until mid 60’s. I encourage people to please don’t listen to doctors that say your getting old, they r just jealous. With age I definitely have to work on flexibility and range of motion and it feels great when I make progress. N I also don’t believe in pushing through any injuries, I respect my body and it works better and hard. With age comes calmness - the true secret of effective martial arts. Have fun !!

As a 73 year old with 7 months of training, 103 training days I find it near impossible to roll with someone my age and weight. Everyone is younger than myself by 25 to 55 years and most are heavier than myself. I have many chronic injuries which I try to work around, low back, shoulders and knees. I look like a monster with all my back straps, shoulder and knee straps. In my first two weeks I had 10 training days, now I have backed off to 3-4 days a week. Sometimes I have to take a complete week off to get in recovery.

Rick- please do another old man event…I’m a 52 year old white belt and this event is on my daughter’s birthday. Maybe something around Father’s Day would be an easy sell? Let’s go!

As a fit 45 year old blue blue belt I need to watch this before every class. I forget my age and try to act like im 18 🤦‍♂️ great advice

Weirdly, I decided to chill out with my energy, and my jiu-jitsu wildly improved at a meteoric pace...
Mid 40s in my mid purple 💜

As usual, all very helpful and much needed advise. As a 53 year old brown belt, I struggle with the young bucks. But dialing the intensity down, has helped me stay on the mat un-injured. I’ll see you all at the OLD MAN’s Retreat in April. Thanks again Professor Rick.

I love your advice and perspectives of Jiu-Jitsu.

Thank you Rick - this validates how I’ve been feeling as a 54yr old white belt. My big mistake has been trying to match whatever intensity and energy I get from my rolling partner rather than staying committed to slowing down when needed. Appreciate your insight and will keep it in mind especially when I’m getting smashed. :)

Excellent advice! I've found, that when you are young, BJJ is pretty easy to not get injured too badly with some sense. As you get older, and it differs for everyone but often in the 40s and beyond, you are young enough to go really hard, but old enough to get really hurt. It's a labor of love for sure. Thank you!

Great video! Im 43 and could really use this

One of the things I truly love about rolling with the upper belts is that I am learning to have a "chain" of events to apply. What I am seeing them do is that they close down that angle before I get to the point of application. Then they set traps that I have yet to recognize as traps and I fall into them. I have got to the point that I at least recognize the stoppage, and some of the traps, and are trying to apply my own. Most all of my fellow white belts are MUCH younger (I'm 57) and I roll with them for the cardio benefit -and they deliver that goal well! From your videos I have learned -and still am learning- the subtle art of moderate application and conserving and how to hold off the hard chargers. Ego be damned, you wont' last long trying to bolster your ego in this sport. Thanks for the lessons!

it's the first time I hear about the advice of volontarely playing a more passive game in order to let your oponnent tap you and start questionning him/herself .. I love that , communication without words , because verbal agreement tend to ramp up real quick..
amazing advice , love the content !

The key to longevity is mindset. You control your mind, don't let others control your mind, they may control your body, not your mind. 69 yr old black belt been training since mid 90's. I agree with what he recommends, the key is you have to focus and train his recommendations, it must be your focus, not what happens during the roll.

That is excellent advice for anyone. I like the term you use, "moderate" your intensity.

This was a good summary and reassurance of my current practices. Thanks, Rick.

This was very much needed as I move through my blue belt journey. Would love to join next year's summit. OSS!

This video couldn't have come at a better time for me. I'm a very close to 40 year old blue belt and a week ago injured my knee because I was rolling too hard when I absolutely didn't need to be. Since that injury I havent been back but have been taking a serious look at how to improve my game and I know it all comes to slowing down. Slowing down so that I can see what's happening better and slowing down so that I can get better at feeling the right timing for moves in my body. I think I'm usually going fast to try to beat the other person, rather than waiting for those moments to make a move.
My goal when I return to the mats is just take my time and look for things rather than rushing and trying to force them. Im just glad I injured myself rather than someone else.

Wow, amazing take on this. Thank you bro

how to survive these wild youguns - Priit Milkelson and Chris Paines on BJJ Glodetrotters. Learn that shit and you will always own the pace. Thank me later.
This was really helpful tho, thanks. I've been hitting 2 hours a night for 5 days a week, getting a bit beat up. Blue belts are starting to guilt me a bit for preferring rolling with the white belts who I am kinda playing with as an advanced white belt, but the rolls are just so much easier I feel I can train every day if I don't take too many of those hard rolls. I can tap the blues too but they push me hard, physically. I feel a lot better about doing that now. Right now I try to only take like 3-4 challenge rolls a week. Other than that, I'm looking for chill vibes only.

This was a fantastic video. Thank you very much sir.

Thanks so much for all the great tips.❤❤❤

Lotta wisdom in this video. Thank you.

Thank you Rick! Amazing :)

I totally hear you on this. My gauge if I was able to govern my energy right, is am willing/able to stay after class and just do a couple of free rolls

Gold as usual

Awesome - love this - oss!🥋🤙🏼🛡️⚔️

tnks 4 the lesson ... Oss !

Thank u

Most everyone is faster than me, even though I am only in my 30s. My coach told me to use two-on-one grips to slow them down to my pace

I'm 44 this year and train 4-5 days a week. To me that tip of learning what your tank is like and to leave before its empty is huge. The other thing is mobility and would point out Cameron Shayne and Budokon for that stuff. Being able to invert easily, thread legs, have good shoulder mobility and learning how to really move has dropped my injury rate substantially. I just have more time and more space to put myself in, or be forced into weird positions and exit them efficiently and without injury.
Also ... do weight lifting. If you wanna be even remotely serious and have longevity I think you wanna work your body under a variety of loads and be strong. People tend to poopoo strength in BJJ like its cheating... strength is just as transferrable to life as learning how to do a technical stand up properly I reckon.

Been training almost 4 years now... I still struggle with this.. be 44 yrs old soon..

Nice 👍 🙏

Thanks for sharing these thoughts...I'm a 53yo just turned purple belt, and the belt has seemingly brought with it a new target on my back. Often find myself trying to match power with those/everyone, which often does not end up well...Might you (or the hive here) have any suggestions for mindset/approach while trying this approach as one of the smaller folks in the gym? Thanks again, all!

I would love it just can't afford the kind of trip.

Weight training. The secret is weight training. Jiujitsu ruins your joints. You need to protect your body and build it back up. I am 47 and I wish I was doing a basic strength training program all along. Since starting my joints feel waaaaaay better. I am gaining range of motion and get hurt less. It isn't about strength to enhance performance. It is about not getting hurt, and if you let your muscle mass and bone density decline with age you WILL get seriously injured.

Hello Rick, thank you for the video. It's always nice to hear your thoughts on playing the game at an older age. Just out of curiosity, I'm bit by bit coming back from a three moth lay for a herniated desk in my neck and it's still not great, but I'm finding a way back to the matt without wrecking it. Are there any exercises or videos online that have helped you? I know everyones situation is different, and its a matter of finding what works for you as an individual. But I thought I'd ask all the same.
Hope you're good.
Thanks either way.
P

Good stuff

I am young and just weaker so I like the old guy sounding style I'm going to take advantage of my youth and do more explosive passes

Awesome stuff as always, I stopped rolling in some classes as I prefer to do more classes and started seriously losing my joy of BJJ, sadly my coaches don't understand that:(!

i black out before i tap out

How much ?

❤

A fellow white belt asked me why I'm more competitive with some of our peers. I told him the truth: it's because of the size! The dude is older and AT LEAST 40lbs heavier than I am. He pays too much attention to me in class and always wants to roll with me to the point where I sometimes avoid him. He seems oblivious to the size difference. I told him I can't move him well, and he pointed out other small guys who can move him. Well, he pointed out purple and black belts. I'm new and nowhere near that level, dude! It's like the differences go over his head.

Nasal breathing helps.

👍

Most gyms dont realize how many students they lost due to regular working class guys getting injured by guys looking to boost their ego. Keeping the gym in check and safe should be their priority and unfortunately it is not. Not saying its on purpose but when u roll w a 25 year old guy always talking about how he suits everyone and wants to turn semi pro, that guy needs to be told to move on to a semi pro gym.

💘 Promo*SM