Why at 43 I’ve Started Training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

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If I could rewind my life and do one thing differently (other than buy Bitcoin in 2009) it would be to start training jiu-jitsu when I first heard about it in 1998.

My friend at the time was an amateur mixed martial artist, and this was back before most people knew about the UFC. He used to fight in MMA shows in Memphis, and was known for being a great grappler. He was a very tough looking bloke, and his aura of badassness was amplified by the fact that he was a skilled fighter.

Even before then, back when I was a kid, I wanted to learn a martial art. I once asked my parents if I could take karate lessons, but they wouldn’t let me because they feared I would be indoctrinated into an eastern mystical religion and start worshipping Buddha!

From a young age, I intuitively sensed a need to learn self-defence. I was never much of a fighter, but I’ll never forget the time I got in a playground scuffle in third grade. The other kid, who happened to be my best friend, punched me in the stomach. It really hurt, and I realised then that I lacked the skills I needed to effectively defend myself.

Finally, now 35 years later, I’ve begun training in a martial art. So why now? Here are four reasons I’ve started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ):

1. Jocko says every man must know how to intelligently defend himself.

While learning a martial art has been a life-long dream, it was always that thing I might someday get around to. It was a “maybe” but never a “must.”

That recently changed after Jocko Willink came into my life. If you know anything at all about Jocko, you know he is the quintessential man. He’s a former Navy Seal commander, a black belt in BJJ, and one of the most disciplined human beings on the planet.

After listening to Jocko Willink talk about martial arts training over and over again – in podcasts and in his books – something in me finally clicked. Learning a martial art became a must.

In his latest book, Discipline Equals Freedom, Jocko says this: “Everyone should train in martial arts just as everyone should eat.” I love that quote!

In one podcast I recently listened to, Tim Ferris asked Jocko, “What are skills or experiences that you think every man should have?” Jocko answers the question by saying that there are three things in his life that made him feel like a true man:

1. Learning how to fight – having no question whether he could handle himself if necessary.
2. Going into combat and keeping his cool in the face of death.
3. Getting married and having kids – having other humans relying on him as their sole leader.

You can listen to his response yourself. The following video is queued up to start at 1:33:35 where Tim Ferris asks him this question.

Or if you prefer a more humorous video… here’s one where Jocko tells an unskilled young man who can’t defend himself that he’s squandered his life having never devoted time to train in martial arts.

2. Jocko says to start with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

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For those who have never trained in martial arts before, Jocko says jiu-jitsu is the place to start. Why? Because it’s the great equalizer. A small man who knows BJJ can defeat a stronger, more powerful man who is unskilled in grappling. Royce Gracie proved this to the world in the first UFC back in 1993.

Jocko also says that most fights end up on the ground, so having grappling skills is essential. The effectiveness of BJJ for self-defence is shown by the Navy Seals having now incorporated jiu-jitsu into their hand-to-hand combat training. According to Jocko, nothing else is as effective, and striking skills should be built upon the foundation of grappling.

Here’s a great video of Joe Rogan and Jocko talking about BJJ, where Jocko calls jiu-jitsu a superpower:

3. One of the top BJJ gyms in Australia is about a kilometre from my house.

That's me in the back, just left of centre.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was developed by a Brazilian man named Helio Gracie. It was then brought into world-wide prominence by one of his sons, Rorion Gracie, who started the UFC. Rorion’s two sons, Ryron and Rener, took over their father’s BJJ training gym in Torrence, California and have grown Gracie Jiu-Jitsu into one of the top BJJ gym franchises in the world.

One of these Gracie Jiu-Jitsu gyms is just down the road from my house. The black belt who runs the gym received his third degree stripe by Pedro Sauer, who was trained by Helio and Rickson Gracie. Rickson was another of Helio’s sons, and considered by many to be the greatest BJJ practitioner of all time, in part because of his undefeated MMA record.

All of that to say, this gym I’ve started training at is legit. Not only is the guy who runs it super-cool, laid back, and ego-free, but he and his wife are teaching the very systematic curriculum created by Rener Gracie to train newbies step-by-step through the basics.

From what I can tell, having a systematic curriculum is the best way to learn a lot in a short amount of time. After three weeks of training, I’ve just earned by first stripe on my white belt and learned nearly all of the most basic BJJ self-defence moves.

I’ve talked to quite a few other BJJ newbs who’ve tried other gyms where they just throw you into the deep end and let you figure it out on your own. One guy trained like this for three months, and learned practically nothing. He felt like little more than a training dummy for the blue belts. After a week at the Gracie gym I train at, he had learned more than in three months at the other gym.

With such an amazing BJJ gym so close to my home, the barrier of a long drive was removed. Plus, what a travesty it would have been to have lived so close and never trained there!

To learn more about the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu curriculum, check out gracieuniversity.com They’ve created a full online self-defence training program if you’re keen to start training at home with a friend. This is exactly the same curriculum I learn at my local gym.

4. I needed both a means and a motivation to stay fit.

BJJ provides both.

While learning self-defence is very practical, I don’t expect to get into a fight with anyone. I try to live at peace with everyone. What I really needed was something to motivate me to keep improving my strength, stamina and flexibility.

One thing I love about BJJ (any nearly all martial arts) is the belt system that provides goals and benchmarks of progress. Having something to aim for I’m hoping will help me be more consistent with my personal fitness goals. If nothing else, just showing up at least three times per week to train BJJ will keep me fit.

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Have you ever trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu?

Have you wanted to learn a martial art but never taken the first step?

Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts.

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Jason Staggers