After 50 years old, the only person you need to be better than is the version of yourself if you were NOT training.

I’m a white belt and there’s a purple belt in my gym I submit consistently. He’s in his late 50s and I’m 29 with min 70lbs on him. After every session, he’ll sit me down and tell me everything I did wrong and show me how to improve my technique. He has made me advance so quickly everyone in the gym has noticed my progress. His physical attributes might not improve and he might get smashed by lower belts, doesn’t mean his mental knowledge of the game isn’t advancing and he can’t be a good mentor or coach in the gym. Plus he’s probably more fit that most men his age. Edit: I think cos I said I submit him consistently, people assume I meant he doesn’t submit me or put me in bad positions consistently.

Thank you for this, i confess it did bring a tear to my eye listening. I’m 65 and about to hit 66, 8 years in, and a purple belt, and I struggle - physically I’m working through a knee injury, but mentally its tough as I get smashed by the young fast skilled guys and try to come to terms with them improving ( which is great to see and I do my best to help where I can ) and my slow decline :) it’s a tough comp gym with good guys who I know take care of me, just a couple of guys who go a bit crazy on the old guy sometimes but I don’t think they realise. The big battle is mental for me, sometimes I get home and my partner takes me in her arms because she can see my body is all bust up and my mental battle and a few tears get shed. But i love this art, i love being on the mats, i do the best i can with what I have, i love that moment just after being tapped when you get back up and go again, because that’s being alive, i love trying to learn new stuff, I’ll keep getting up off my knees until its game over. Much love from the UK.

I'm a 44 year old black belt and currently dealing with this issue. Having trouble trying to impose my will with the younger lower belts. I find myself enjoying the defensive game and surviving most rolls. I've embraced the cat and mouse game. Trying to catch my partners with sneaky submissions when they make mistakes. The essence of jiujitsu.

60 year old brown belt. My main goal is to be able to keep doing this as long as I can. Meaning that I adapt to limitations I encounter. At the moment I'm training 3 times a week. After technique I usually start with lighter people to warm up and choose the bigger guys after that. My game is more on guard retention than explosive takedowns. If this means people advance quicker than me, so be it. And I do 10 minutes daily strength yoga to improve my core muscles and flexibility.

I am 53 and restarted bjj after a 17 year break. I was a blue belt back in the day. I really just roll for the friendships. I get better exponentially some times and lose ground some times. But my friendships gets stronger every time I roll.

55 year old blue belt. I picked up John Danaher's video called Ageless Jui Jitsu, Winning when you are older and less athletic. It really is a great video for techniques and when rolling with younger people. I found it really improved my game.

Great video Chewy. I'm a 56 year old female purple belt. I am a huge believer in weight training and strength training. Especially when we get older, we start to lose muscle mass and our muscle is our #1 body armor. Rest and recovery are just as important. But, above all is your mentality. Never tell yourself your true age. Your body does what your mind tells it!!! In my mind, I am maybe 36, lol... I'm still a tough roll with all of my teammates and still compete as well. I give that credit to lifting heavy!. Good luck Victor! Thanks Chewy!

I started at 54 and was a white belt for 3 years do to injuries. I had the same funk at blue belt and my Professor told me “just have fun.” I’m now 63 and a brown belt. Won masters Pans 3X and masters worlds this year. I have a smiley face on my mouthpiece, literally. When big lower belts smash me I laugh and smile and say, “respect your elders.” This sport should be FUN!

I really like the approach "how many 56 y/o you know, that are doing bjj?" Also, there is a saying in weightlifting, that helped me a lot:"somewhere in China, there is a 16 y/o girl warming up with your max."

For this nearly 47-year-old, I find BJJ to be strange in that the more I care about how I perform, and the harder I try, the worse I do. When I'm in a silly mood where I don't care at all, then I do great. It seems so counter-intuitive...but I've experienced this time and time again. So for me the key is to try not to care about something I care a lot about. I have a hard time getting my head around that, but strangely, that's how it works.

I had my 1st pro MMA fight at 41 years old. I'm now 55 and still feel and and believe I'm as strong, fast and skilled as ever. We should never get old mentally. We can accept change if and when we have no choice, but we should always fight it to the end. We're much more capable than we believe...

I'm older too, 52, I set the tone with the younger guys.... basically take it easy on me and don't be explosive. It helps, and I let them smash me and then I just become aware of their techniques. I work a more defensive game, just hold them off as long as I can. It's the Boyd Belt system, every 20 pounds and every ten years younger difference between the people rolling equals one belt...so if you are 54 and the blue belt is 24, he's basically a purple or brown belt. So just enjoy the roll and hold them off as long as you can.

I’m a 51 year old blue belt who started at age 47. I am rehabbing an arm injury due to a kimura at a tournament. Both of my opponents were in their 30s. There is a huge speed and strength gap between me and guys that age, which continues to grow. That said, I appreciate Chewy’s advice, and will focus again on good drilling, defense, and using my mind, which is getting sharper, while my body is becoming dulled.

Seems to me, the problem revolves around "getting better". Seems to me, Victor is talking not about getting better but getting 'the better' of the guys he's rolling with. I share all the problems Victor mentions (I'm a 73 yo blue belt) and, as Chewy says, we have no choice but to accept certain limitations (think; Helio was a sickly light-weight; JJ Machado is missing half his hand...). But we can always get better - better than yesterday. My own attitude is that I want to give the young Turks trouble when they roll with me; I rarely will beat them, but as long as I force them to work to beat me, I can live with that and go home satisfied. Now I measure myself in comparison, not to them, but to the me of yesterday. Have a learned a new move, or improved an old one? That is my goal. My philosophy these day is that I can't get any younger but I can get better. And we can all get better. So, whilst I'm not the best person to offer advice....my advice is, get out there and irritate the crap out of the young Turks and go home happy. Hope that helps.

I’ve been training about 15 months in BJJ, I’ve been training Krav for about 5 year. I just turned 77. I consider this my exercise. I try to have fun and learn as I go. Slow and easy. Some days are good some not so much but I enjoy it

I love these conversations because at 73 I struggle with thoughts of "are you stupid" for continuing to do jiu jitsu (just started at 72)? But, I keep focusing on just learn as best you can. Yes, the ego doesn't like getting smashed and submitted all of the time, but I just tell the ego to shut up. I love a song titled, "Don't let the old man in". Anyway, what are the alternatives? Give up, learn nothing, die faster... Thanks for the insights.

This really hit home - I am female, 1 month away from my 61st birthday. Started BJJ at around 53, now a Brown Belt. My Coach has said similar things to what Chewy says- have fun etc. When I hear that stuff I feel 'insulted' I am in class as often, probably more than anyone else. Do all rolls. Do private lessons. I lift weights at least once a week (probably should do more). I never competed because any of the competitions my teammates went to did not have any competitors in my belt-age-weight bracket (maybe if I traveled to other locations or went into a higher weight or lower age- could have). I often feel like I work hard at BJJ for no reason. So why not train less often 'have fun'? - well I can't have fun unless I feel competent. When I do miss a class I suffer from FOMO. Guess trying to say I wish that I was doing what I'm doing as a 20-30 year (heck even 40 year old) person. Not because of physical limitations, but because I would be 'more important/relevant ' - not just the old lady 'having fun'.

These videos are incredibly helpful. I started three months ago at age 60. (60th birthday present to myself) Thoroughly enjoying this process. But it’s clear I have to manage the pace. Done CrossFit for years (scaled) half hour of CrossFit and I’m exhausted. A half a minute of jujitsu and I’m destroyed! 🤣 How I compare to other players never even enters my mind. How fast I improve is also not a consideration. I have embarked on a new journey. And my approach is mechanics First, consistency, then gradually increase the intensity. In other words, focus on learning the technical, show up consistently, and gradually increase the intensity of rolling. Also focused on enjoying every aspect of the journey. Enjoy the learning, enjoy the camaraderie, enjoy the stiff neck and the bruises on your arms. (I just tell people my wife abuses me😂) i’ve been building a BJJ daily yoga routine and weightlifting routines based on my research. Yoga pretty much every day. Weights two or three times a week. Garmin running program two or three times a week. Think of myself as an athlete. Not just as somebody who does BJJ. Training for life and all the challenges that come with it. I’m not battling aging. I’m battling the effects that aging has on most people. People think aging causes weakness and stiffness. I disagree. Sitting on your ass causes weakness and stiffness. After only a few months, the jury is still out on whether or not my approach is the way. But that’s part of the fun. We shall see.

I was at my strongest at the age of 58. I was at my most flexible at the age of 18. I was at my fastest between the ages of 20 and 45. I was at my best in jiu-jitsu at the age of 51. When I look back, all of those have been as a result of which ever style of training was predominant in my life at that time. At the age of 56 there is a lot of gas left in the tank. I am now 64 and I get good at whatever I spend a lot of time doing. As far as aging, I noticed that my body is more susceptible to injury now, but with my history of training and knowledge of nutrition, I am able to mitigate the injuries. Once again, I echo Chewy’s sentiment: Have fun!

I'm out of the jits game after a bad neck injury several years ago, but I always try to adopt "white belt mindset." What I mean by that is I'm always trying to understand more, learn better, never assuming I'm above (or below) training certain drills or basic techniques, etc. You can be a master with enough dedication, but you should *always* remain a student, whatever your discipline in life. Thanks for the vid, Chew!

i just turned 57 and I am a blue belt training on and off for about 9 years. This video was some inspiration for me as I been off the mats for about 2-3 months. I will be starting back in November

i was the unathletic bookworm guy myself. started in my 30s, got smashed for years, and now, at purple belt, i'm finally starting to enjoy the sport. you will get better, it just takes time. what helped me through the blue belt was focusing on escapes and guard retention from the bottom and pressure passing and having a solid base from the top. just keep training and see it as a way of personal development.

Sorry if I sound like a downer but I'm going to give an alternative option if you're not enjoying something that you have been doing for quite awhile -- BJJ or otherwise: walk away. Seriously. Just walk away from it. Take a break. If you miss it and if it's meant for you then you will come back to it. In fact, sometimes taking a long break can work wonders. Your body recovers, your head gets clarity. In fact, you might come back better and find that moves you struggled with because you thought of them too much come to you easier because you are now going on instincts and your subconscious (called unconscious-competence). You're not a "quitter" for not doing something that you do not enjoy. It's not your profession, it's not your life, there are other things out there you can be enjoying. Life is too short to make yourself miserable doing something that you don't enjoy anymore whether it's a lousy job, lousy relationship, or a hobby that no longer gives you that passion. Here's another idea: drop the group classes for now and find a BJJ coach who offers private lessons. Sometimes group classes are the counterproductive and a downer if you are the prey for other apex predators. It feels like you are making no progress. But working with a BJJ coach one-on-one will give you a baseline metric from week to week.

Starting at 46 yrs old, im a Brown Belt at 54. Struggle with this all the time... Just show up. JJ is not for everyone, but if you like it, just get to the gym. You get a little better each time. Its a long slow uphill climb. Your progress ebbs & flows, be consistent. Its worth it. Be careful with Expectations indeed! Great video thx.

47 year old Blue bet battled many injuries and trying to learn to adapt so I can keep training. Thank you for the pep talk 🤙it helps

Listening to this and reading the comments. Man life is tough. If only we could be 25 forever 😞

Thanks I needed this. I'm 35, bluebelt (for

The jiu-jitsu life philosopher. The more I listen to these, the more I am impressed with you man. What a great, real, take on this. 44 year old 155lb recently minted black belt here. Ive been training since ~1995, but had no one to belt me until 2016 when I got my blue. First hand experience of going from being able to do wild things on the mat to "oh, if I try this, Ill be walking like a hunchback tomorrow". Anyways, keep it up man, these talks are great for anyone at any stage of their jiu-jitsu journey.

I have done Jiu Jitsu for 15 years. I am 47. I found playing and having fun and not really caring to much has improved my Jiu Jitsu.

Thank you! Needed to hear this exact thing. Appreciate the empathy you have for old blue belts lol.

I needed to hear this post. Thank you!

Wow, Victor, I really hope you stick with it bro, you got this, it will get better. I hope you grow from this, look back on it and are proud of your resilience! I agree with your coach, have a fun time wrassling with your brothers💪😎💓

Thank you!i needed to hear this🙏

Great video and great advice!

Nailed it at 4:17! . 52 yr old brown belt here.

So well said; great advice!

Great share. Thank you! 58 yr young blue belt. Not ready to quit!!!!!

Master Class🤙.. thank you for the insight!

I’m a 51 year old BJJ white belt (and a TKD black belt). I’m slowly making my peace with getting slower and less flexible. Never give up! 😊

Thank you I needed to hear this

I luv listening to Chewy’s podcast and watching his videos. He seems to always hit the nail on the head. As an older grappler, this makes a lot of sense.

Chewy, love these videos geared towards older hobbyists - please do more when the opportunity arises.

Very timely clip Chewy and bang on with your advice. I’ve personally gone through this process and reconnected with life on mats in my 50’s as a blue belt. I’ve accepted that I’m not going to be competitive with others half my age. But I really enjoy bringing a slower, deeper thinking aspect to the youngsters I train with. Getting them to not kill your partners, relax and enjoy the process. To the person who sent in the question mate just keep turning up. If nothing to show that Jiu Jitsu can be for life.

Thank you for this..I'm one of the older guys (45) at my gym. I do struggle with getting smashed in class, but I'm still learning and having fun. Simply enjoying the journey while trying to not let expectation weigh me down.

Thanks so much for posting this. I was going to ask exactly the same question on instagram. This helped a lot

Thanks chewy!!! I am 45yrs old( sambo background) and, got my blue belt. I felt the same way and i am struggling letting go to my younger self and, just having fun... thanks to your video, i realize others have gone down this road. Oss

49 year old recent Blackbelt here who didn't start until he was 38. On my good-body days I can hold my own with our crew who compete and place in world-level events - at least for single round. I can hold my own with competitive colored belts that are 15, 20, even 30 years younger than me but, eventually I know this too will fade. That said, I make myself happy by living vicariously now. Last week we had a 14 year old boy win his ADDC Open Division against stiff competition and he escaped a couple of close takedowns with a roll-out I taught him when he was maybe 8 or 9 years old. Seeing things I taught my students come into play when they roll in class or compete - and most importantly the joy they have in finding success - is what will keep me in the game as long as I can still crawl my old broken (3 bulging disks, old--paratrooper knees, healed-over vertebra fracture, arthritis in hips) backside onto a mat.

Hey Victor! I can relate. I am a 55 year old blue belt. Trust me when I say that you WILL get better.

I’m still greatly enjoying training after 24 years. I’m a 60 year old black belt, a bit on the smaller side, but the quest for a better understanding of the bio mechanical science of the art and strategic and improvisational thinking has me improving. I’m definitely a better BB than I was at 52. Taking care of the body through diet, supplements (no TRT) and regular S & C goes a long way. You can call me a hobbyist, but shit, I’m living a holistic approach to keep doing the thing.

Im feeling this post at 43! .. great topic chewy!

41 year old blue belt of 5 years. Needed this video big time. Thanks Chewy

I want to do one or your seminars and Jordan teaches Jiu-jitsu! Love both of your channels

Thanks Coach

Man what a great couch thanks for all

This one hit for me, Chewie. Thanks.

Thank you so much Chewy…. I hope I got to speak with you sometime… you talk about the exact questions that I often think off.

Well said CHew. Im 43 blue, and this mindset has served me well.

Chewy...Motivational speaker. Well said, sir.

Thank you sir for this video it was right on time

To be honest I was recently feeling a bit burnt out with Jiu-Jitsu. What changed it for me? I felt a rejuvenation when I went to the Origin Immersion Camp in August. While, that's not always an option as it's only available to a few hundred people once a year, I think that a different view is what it was. Having a different experience from the usual. Training with a whole group of people that were outside of my norm. All of the people at your gym, know your game and what to expect. I'm not saying change gyms. But maybe try to attend a seminar in another area. I think I started getting better again after I found enjoyment in it again.

I'm fit over 50 too, and I found that focusing on ligament and tendon strength helped me improve. Blue belt at 56 is impressive by the way!

I love this video speaking as a 43 year old white belt (3 stripes 😊) and training for 2 yrs now! Love the game

64 here....two years on. White 4 stripes .5'4" and 150. I get smashed a lot. It is still fun, but I do have doubts how far I can go with this. I can not do what I did 30 plus years ago but certainly am better than I was four years ago and 100 lbs heavier. I have been assigned a cumulative disability percentage of 86% by VA Canada That and my age are mere numbers . I did a double class tonight for 2.5 hrs after riding my sport bike almost 200 miles this afternoon after a Hockey game at noontime. Repeat tomorrow. Growing old is not boring!! Good luck Victor.

I can relate so much to this. AI started Judo 10 years ago and after about 5 years moved straight into BJJ. At 43 years old, blue belt now, for a long time I was beating myself for not being better than I felt I should be. Instead I started to just focused on simple techniques, and try to just enjoy the experience. I even started to ignore the goal of trying to get my stripes and just keep turning up along with kettlebell exercises. Soooo many kettlebell exercises! I don't quite have the stamminar as some of the younger guys but I have the techniques down and its made going to BJJ far more fun.

I need this right now. I originally started Jitsu at 33yrs old. Had to let it go for outside reason, family, work and such. Just came back 6mo ago, now 47yrs old and feeling my limitations that I definitely didn’t feel back when I was 33. My headspace has been off Bcz of it. I’ve tried to remind myself, to just keep going for the exercise, for the mental break, for the camaraderie but the aches and pains and the endless tapouts (lol)… but this video reminded me… just have fun with it. Bcz I do love it. So thank you 🤜🏼🤛🏼

Thanks for this video. Am 49 yr old white belt and hope to do this for a while. Already feel bad some days when can’t keep up. Getting Stripe feels like billion miles away. Blue belt feels like another universe away. But hearing stories about people a little older then me doing this let’s me know being a 50 plus guy with a Blue Belt is possible. Plus doing this stuff has helped me lose a couple pounds and generally feel better. It’s better than being on a treadmill or universal machine because hear we are learning something. And does break up the work pay bills buy useless stuff and go home routine . Also this will sound kinda popcorn-corny. But am already looking up to Victor. He’s doing this and made it to Blue belt. And we both old enough to remember when music was actually good on the radio. Good luck man.

Thanks, I don't do BJJ but I was having problems sleeping, and this video fixed that.

Hi Professor Once again unbelievable advice👏👏🙏🙏. I just want too state 2 things sir, which you mostly thought about it, but you only have so much time in the video. First: Victor I applaud you to the loudest of what you are doing at this time in your life. Now let’s remind ourselves, that you were a book worm all those years, with no athlete background and that was at 48. Here you are now at 56 still doing it. 2nd: Prof. Chewy and your coach are absolutely right, just have fun and enjoy the ride, it has been 8 years, you are better you are more athletic, you are not a quitter, you are a JJ player and it’s your journey, just as much as your classmates. I’ll tell you this sir if you come to piece with yourself in JJ, your growth will continue and you won’t even realize it, one last thing. FYI: I am a 57 year old, and I start JJ at 52, so I know actually where you are coming from. And so you know, I set rules to certain classmates in the classes I attend, then it will be there decision to roll with me or not, remember it’s my journey just as much as theirs. DONT QUIT!! OSSSS

59 purple. The struggle is real. Have to know your limits and respect them. Keep soldiering.

My free advice , which I'm working on , is to develop a game that works with my attributes. Increase use of guard and improve pressure game .

Just enjoy the process rather than the destination. If you have open mat, work on your weaknesses in order to improve, also try & learn new submissions & stalling tactics to slow the pace with younger opponents.

This question almost pertfectrly describes me. 56 year old guy here who walked in off the street with NO experience about a year ago. Totallyt hooked! Been traing in MMA for a year and no-gi bjj for about 9 months. Competing is not a goal. I want to build skills and push and expand my limits. So far, I tap every time I roll and it never gets me down. Have complete respect and camaraderie from my coach and all the much younger guys/girls in the place. I'm a slow learner... age for sure contributes to that. But I progress. Current goal: blue belt in the next few year would be great. Either way, I ain't quittin".

Great question. I am a 53 year old black belt. Blue belt for me was the hardest in terms of progress. I never felt I could get any better, smashing it one week, smashed the next week. The key is I kept going. Enjoy

There is always a puzzle to solve,a problem,a submission needing tweaked…a position that needs dissected. It’s never ending and we should always strive for knowledge. Purple and 55. I will never quit. I will never stop

I always feel these mindset videos are even more important than technique videos.

48 blue belt 2 years now. I’m an ultra heavy with a pro power lifter background. I love watching these kids develop there game. I told one today, listen you guys are the future of this sport, I’m doing this just to be active and cause I love it. I’m here for you guys to teach what I can. I’m a pressure pass guy with a pretty good developed deep half. The young guys live rolling with me cause I still have strength and size and because of my background I give advice on how to move with pressure. We do 10 round Mondays 😢. Professor starts the clock 5min rounds 1min rest. I’m the old guy I give them 6😂😂😂. You young guys are the future but Jiu jitsu is special cause you could learn from the old guys sometimes it’s not technique it might be patience or thought process or motivation. God bless this sport and the Gracie’s for bringing it to the world

Man - I needed to hear this today- 44 year old blue belt who just "popped" / "tore" a hamstring. It popped so loud, the room stopped to see if my knee was disintegrated. It was dumb luck, just slipped in a puddle and it was a freak injury. Need to take a few weeks off - which I'm dreading - and all kinds of "do I want to do this" thoughts started creeping in. Thanks for doing these videos.

Im a new white belt and im 55. Thanks for sharing.

I'm a 59 year old blue belt you nailed it I enjoy the grind and the workout plus I'm with great people

70-year old purple belt, started three months before my 63rd birthday. Yesterday in rolling I got five good head-and-arm chokes against fully resisting young blue belts; (two in the no-gi class, not sure what rank they had). I do not see how this person can say they cannot get better. You can always get better while you are still alive.

Chewie, great video - thanks! As a very mediocre 56 year old brown belt, I can say I struggle with the younger guys a lot. I started at 49 after a long time off from martial arts wanting to get back to something I love doing. I've got a lot more miles on the ol' carcass with some messed up bits and pieces - couple of bullet holes too. Some days I really struggle just getting out of bed to go and get my ass kicked on the days I roll. I usually have one day a week that is a hard rolling session and train at least three other days a week. The benefits of just going to class or rolling always far outweigh the dent to my fragile ego. If I go to class, even a fundamental class, I always learn something or have a take away, and the hard rolling days are usually the best days with a core group of friends (real friends) who are worth spending my time with anyway. Realistically, I'm probably in better shape and tougher than the vast majority of 56 year olds, and the mental health benefits of Jiu Jitsu are immeasurable. I'll continue to plug away for as long as I can and work on the stuff that needs working on. Will the young guys continue to give me a hard time? Yes, but so what? As long as I'm having fun, learning new skills, and spending time with like-minded people, something good will come out of this journey.

Kudos for starting with and sticking with bjj at his age!

First of all, you're a blue belt 👍I've been procrastinating and haven't even started BJJ. This video is a perfect example of "getting better" for ourselves, choosing yourself. Your growth can be purely mental on the mats. Can you fight to stay positive within small goals? Are you better than yesterday? It'll eat you up if you care about outdoing others, be there for your pace. This applies to everything in life. Looking at shorter goals like fitness? How many burpees in x time or kettlebell complex rounds in x time compared to last month? Learning/hitting new techniques(?), can +1 each of those and make sure you're mentally keeping those in the library long term. That's growth, brother! How much time you survive, how many submission attempts you get out of, how many successful and fluid techniques you hit per session? Keep hitting youtube listening to the Gracies, Jocko, Chewy, Jordan Peterson. It's a journey upward when you give yourself permission to zigzag and push for small wins.

Very profound🙇🏻🥋

Love the OG intro music 🔥

I rolled with a 70yo purple belt today. Medium build. He's my inspiration!

It’s a great question

Lol, I'm 31 and I felt the same way. I'm probably almost a blue belt, but I'm lanky and light weight, not athletic, terrible cardio... the excuses go on haha. It's hard for me to even endanger my heavier (or sportier) teammates, especially the ones that are growing with me. I'm definitly getting better, but I REALLY need to focus on the details in technique, not just the "principles", because it REALLY matters when you're at a size or weight disadvantage. If my angle is off a bit for anything (escapes, positions, submissions) then it doesn't really work, if my grips aren't good for my arm length, I don't have much to compensate with, if my takedown positioning and off-balancing isn't perfect I can't just pull someone down and the list goes on. This, in the long run will make me a great BJJ practitioner IF I stick to it. Maybe not the best performer, maybe still one of the most frequent tappers in the dojo, but I'll be able to use that knowledge to teach and make teammates even better for their competitions etc. Also, the longer I stay (no matter my age until I'm REALLY old) the easier it is to control and submit new people, which is the point of BJJ. The point of BJJ is not to compete against BJJ, it's to defend yourself against bigger but untrained attackers.

The mental game has begun! In addition to a mental shift, I’d also take a calculated look at the supportive elements of your training - diet, sleep, recovery, bloodwork. Are those things optimized? 56y/o, how are your hormone levels? I think the older we get the more important supportive elements become.

I am almost 50. I have had a lot of bad injuries from dislocated ribs, busted hands, torn biceps ectr. As we age we just are not as good. It is the fact of the roll. After I hit purple after about 10 years, I quit. I didn't want to do it anymore. Lower belts that would never hold a candle to me gave me a hard time. Regardless of what anyone says, size and age are a factor. For the young black belts that say just keep training....age will catch you. You will have to decide whether to keep going or be seen as someone who shouldn't have your belt. That is the reality of it. I realized that the only thing that stopped me was my pride....Oh, all jiu-jitsu guys say there is no such thing but it is that very thing that keeps us coming in. My advice to the aging group, is just show up. Do your best, if you get rag-dolled by some young guy, that's the natural progress of things. All the younger belts always ask me questions on defense. I don't get caught often but often times I let the lower belts work. At a certain point, you don't care anymore.......And that will always make you deadly.

This applies to anything. Raced bicycles for years, and got frustrated as hell when guys who just started would be dropping me after a year or so. Just got to the point that I was thrashing myself every week and not making any progress. Finally hung up my wheels because it wasn't fun. Picked up the guitar and spent years playing and even though I'm improving slowly and everyone is better than me, it's still fun and every once in a while I have a breakthrough.

Coping with something similar. Thanks.

37 year old blue belt here… thank you for this Chewy!

I just got my BB at 63 ultra heavy. world champion hang in their

I'm 40 and a purple belt (again). I started when I was 28 and worked my way up to purple the first time. Then I got into a motorcycle accident, gained a crap load of weight, and basically had to build up the strength to walk again. Now after years of effort I've lost the weight, got my strength back and I'm a purple belt again after starting over at a new gym. Jiu-Jitsu isn't always going to be fun...it's about dedication. If you believe that you're not going to get better then you're not going to get better. I believe that I'm one day going to be able to tap my Helio Soneca 4th degree black belt instructor....and as a result I'm going to get better. Keep your head in the game.

Hi Guys I'm very similar to the guy in this video. I'm 56 a newly crowned purple belt. I started at 50. Enjoy the struggle, enjpy the admiration from your fellow playerrs, enjoy being fitter than most people 15 years younger, I even enjoy tapping. Please stick with it brother. OSS.

I'm 43 about to turn 44, out of shape with one hell of a dad bod, and no cardio to save my life. I just started my BJJ journey 1 month ago & feeling the same way as Victor. The oldest white belt I have rolled with is 32. I get smashed 70% of the time, mostly in the last 30 seconds of a 3 minute sparring round. The little victories have kept me interested and hungry to grow. I'm hoping Victor can stick with it & hope I can do the same

I started at 35 years old so a few months now an my mindset going in was I’m doing this for cardio an learn something along the way ….. I’m just happy to show up an put in the rounds even though I’m tapping all the time …

Keep it playful. It's mostly mindset, I'm constantly preaching this to my students.