Training with the Elders of the Village

Remember, most of us are Gen X’ers and grew up playing outside, digging holes, climbing trees, worked at the tender age of fourteen and often got our asses kicked in school or by an older sibling most of our teen years. So yeah, we’re pretty tough.

Those days are certainly behind us, but they did leave their mark and created the last generation of men with grit, resolve and dirt on our faces so if it comes down to it and you puff up in hopes to get the best of one of us remember this.

You may very win but if you do you’re gonna know you were in a battle.

However, if you want to be a good training partner here are some good tips when training with men as old as your dad.

1. Don’t fight for submissions like it’s the ADCC trials. It’s likely a Tuesday noon class and Uncle Joe must go back to work after this
2. It’s not about winning.
3. Learn about “flow rolling”
4. If one of us is on the side after a hard round just give a fist bump rather than a “wanna roll old dude?”
5. Don’t take it “too easy”. We’re here to work just like you. Sometimes we’re just stuck in first gear

Biologically, around forty men stop producing testosterone at the level we once did. Add to that our bodies start producing more estrogen. This has a slew of side effects that include loss of strength, endurance, quality of sleep and sustained daily energy (don’t laugh too hard, you’ll see). Add that to the other pressures of life men typically experience later in life it tends to create a perfect storm of “I really don’t want to do anything” for a lot of us.

So, when you see a guy in his forties or fifties starting Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for the first time hold them in high regard and if you see a man in his sixties or seventies starting for the first time be scared. That’s not a normal operating human and should be revered and given legendary status immediately.

Now that you have a small idea of what the older gents in your class are experiencing use this time to sharpen your sword. Here are a few ways how.

1. Train 4-5 days per week
2. Drill as much as you can
3. Spar with the moves you drill
4. Have a plan e.g., pass the guard, establish side control, isolate arms, mount, armbar and repeat. (if you get swept, then start by repeating the above ladder)
5. Be patient
6. Stop using all your strength
7. Be a GREAT teammate
8. Stop focusing on belts, start focusing on becoming better
9. Train on days you don’t want to
10. Immerse yourself in BJJ. Watch videos and grappling matches on tv.

Keep up the training, if you train and if you’re reading this and you don’t train then go find a good academy and give it a shot. I promise that it will be one of the best decisions you’ll ever make.