You know that moment when you’re warming up and your body starts listing its grievances like a disgruntled employee? Left knee: “We need to talk about these torreando passes.” Lower back: “I didn’t sign up for this berimbolo nonsense.” Meanwhile, your brain’s back there filing a formal complaint about the new guard retention system it’s supposed to implement.
Here’s what they don’t tell you about jiu-jitsu after 40 – it becomes less about collecting techniques and more about curating survival strategies. The young guys? They’re out there building libraries. We’re building escape rooms.
The Beautiful Lie of “Just Drill More”
Remember when you could fix technique gaps with sheer mat time? These days, an extra session might cost you three business days of recovery. That kimura you drilled perfectly last week now lives in the same mental folder as your childhood phone number and the plot of that movie you saw last month.
There’s a rhythm to training now that nobody talks about. It’s not the frantic tempo of your 20s, but something slower, more deliberate. Like jazz versus punk rock. You’re not trying to play every note anymore, just the right ones.
What Actually Works When Nothing Works Like It Used To
Turns out the secret weapon isn’t more reps – it’s better reps. Five minutes of focused, slow-motion drilling where you actually feel each transition does more for your game than an hour of going through the motions. Who knew?
And here’s the real upper belt wisdom: sometimes the best training happens off the mats. Visualizing techniques while stuck in traffic. Analyzing positions during commercials. That’s not cheating – that’s being efficient with what little mental real estate we have left between mortgage payments and remembering to take the recycling out.
The Middle-Aged Grappler’s Dirty Little Secret
We might move slower, but we see more.
That spazzy blue belt? We let him burn himself out. That tricky guard passer? We give him just enough space to hang himself.
While they’re playing checkers, we’re over here playing chess with half the pieces, and still winning.
The real art isn’t in adding more to your game anymore – it’s in subtraction. Cutting the techniques that don’t serve you. Shedding the ego that wants to match the young guns roll for roll. Keeping what works, what feels true to your body, what actually brings you joy on the mats.
Closing Thought (With a Side of Panadol and Bengay)
At some point, jiu-jitsu stops being about what you can do and becomes about how you do it. The pace changes. The goals shift. But strangely enough – the love for it deepens.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go convince my hips that my reverse dela worm guard inversion entry to back take is still a good idea.
0 Comments