www.TheJiuJitsu... If you are getting discouraged with your rolls in BJJ then watch this short video from Matt Arroyo about a new way of thinking. www.TheJiuJitsu...
Thanks Matt, I am a 52 YO 170 lb blue belt and I have a lot of trouble with the younger bigger guys for sure, this will help me keep it in perspective.
I am 61 years old. I started at 58 and have lost time due to multiple injuries that put me out for weeks at a time. I saw the guys I started with promote well ahead of me and it was mildly discouraging. I earned my 4th stripe 6 months ago and never quite felt as....dominant.....as I should have when rolling with new guys. I still feel that way now and I still feel like (know) that I totally suck. But, apparently, I suck less. That's what the OG's tell me. I had my first class as a blue belt last night and got absolutely DESTROYED by everyone I rolled with. Granted, these were a black belt, 3 purple belts and a 4 stripe blue belt, but I still did not even feel competitive. It was VERY discouraging. I think my biggest problem is "imposter syndrome." I roll with higher belts CONSTANTLY and rarely get advantageous positions, let alone the occasional (super rare) submissions. Now that I am a blue belt, I still feel like the worst guy on the mat. Last night did not help that insecurity. I try to give myself a break because I realize most of these guys are 25-40 years younger than me and it's kind of a miracle that I'm even on the mats. However, I still see the world through my "Young Man's Eyes." Hopefully, resilience, practice and continuing to "show up" will help my game. Its all I think about. I train 3-4 days a week (not counting the weight room at the gym) and still get crushed on nearly every roll. I'll never quit though.
I came back from a 5 year layoff as a Purple Belt and the white belts seemed Bigger, Stronger, Faster and more technical than I remembered. I had to start stapling them down to keep them from smashing me.
Hey Matt, Thanks for that video. I’m a blue belt in my mid 40 and everything you said is so truthful. It brought me a new perspective for what I considered to be a failure and gave me the motivation to keep on training.
Thank you so much! This really puts things into perspective as a 45 yr blue belt going against guys 15 & 20 yrs younger than me. BJJ is a way of life. OSS! 🤙🏽
I have a harder time with smaller people since they are faster and sometimes very squirmy...Size makes you stronger, but speed can beat strength sometimes...In the end good technique always prevails
I needed to hear this. Started at 52. White Belt. Two Stripe now. I personally don't care about the belts or stripes speed for myself? But it's a CONSTANT reminder how old I've gotten. I LOOK young, maybe 41. These 23 year old guys coming in, most current Military. Collegiate Wrestlers. Have 30 lbs of muscle on me. Plus the age. Make two stripe in 3 months. I'm sitting here struggling to not get hurt more than anything else. SCREW the belt and the stripe. I just don't want to get blasted by 3 month white belts who are STILL spazzy, not light rolling ... then I'm hurt, and out for a month and not learning to catch up. And then their BRAIN is working faster and in a more creative way. I grew my beard, as it comes in completely white, just to remind these kids how old I've gotten. I'm staring at 60 in 8 years, and 8 years passes by REALLY fast. AND ... I'm not a 52 year old 3S Blue Belt, that can handle it. I'm still learning myself and trying to reframe my thinking. So freaking discouraging at times.
Thanks Matt. 53yrs young, 220lbs one stripe white belt....its gonna be a looong road, but you know, Im enjoying ever step. Thanks for the encouragement.
This is so true. I’m 46 and I’m a brown belt. Trained since I was 16 on and off, so I’ve gotten to see what it was like. Coming back after I got older. Blue belts who are 30 pounds muscle more than me and 20 years younger are matching me now or beating me. Very humbling.
I’m 40 and weight 140. Just started BJJ and almost everyone I roll with us like 60 lbs+ and getting crushed is the worse and has hurt my ribs. This a good video to keep u motivated tho.
Great 👍🏼 advice that still applies today, the Boyd Belt System - 56 year old 3 stripe purple - in the arts since 1987 - still go from feeling like Superman to getting humbled 😂
45 years old and hoping to promote to blue soon. My objective is always to simply make the young guys, the big guys & upper belts (most of the gym) work a little harder every time they roll with me. As long as they’re sweating & getting surprised on occasion, I’m making progress.
If you are discouraged with BJJ also remember that very many young students who are submitting you today, were probalby high school teens who whould have lasted a few seconds against you, many years ago.
57 year old 3 stripe purple testing for brown soon according to my coach - this Boyd Belt System was great to hear when I watched that same video of Rener & Gyron, yet I still feel I should beat younger, bigger lower belts 😂
My biggest problem, I’ll openly admit I’m not humble and I don’t like doing things that I’m not somewhat naturally good. I did boxing and some kickboxing. While I was never excellent or world beater, I was somewhat naturally adept at striking and I’m able to pick up the techniques quite quickly. I won 2 ammy bouts and could piece the other beginners up in sparring fairly handedly and although getting beat, could hold my own against the experienced people. The people that would really F’ me up in sparring were usually very good with a ton of experience, so I felt no shame in losing to them. Once my gym closed down and BJJ and Judo were the only gyms near me I had to switch to that. And I had BJJ experience in the past and I didn’t enjoy it. I am just ROTTEN at grappling. I have absolutely no natural abilities. People will come in on their first day and give me one hell of a fight. I have never pulled off a proper submission, the people who started with me at the same time are miles ahead of where I am and way better than me. Finally a couple weeks ago, a 42 year old who was smaller than me, had zero martial arts experience, and was joining the class to get in shape after he quit smoking, was able to pin me down and hold me there. After the roll I said fuck this, I have no business doing this. I leave class just wanting to shoot myself every time, I can’t stand how bad I am at this stuff, and I just don’t think I have the interest or enjoyment to want to get good at it.
As a 50 year old blue belt, I really had to embrace this reality. Especially when you add a significant injury and recovery. Good training partners and coaches are the key.
OSS thanks coach for your words of wisdom. what about if your a purple and a white gives you a hard roll and they 20lbs lighter than you and only couple years younger
36 yr old 59kg female vs 16 yr old 60-73kg teenage boys , all of us white belts tho im more senior by 12 months, sometimes they go full ham on me and i just let them have the submission
I never understood this. I'm a 40 yo white belt and I'm MUCH more competitive against a 20 yo my weight than against a 40 yo purple belt. maybe it makes more sense for some belt/age intervals but for me I really don't see it.
Overall I agree with one exception: there’s no excuse for being out of shape. There are older guys who are 40 lbs overweight, gassing out, and blaming it all on age. Then skinny guys who get tossed around. Both would do so much better if they lifted weights and cleaned up the diet.
Feeling very discouraged. Been training for a month. I’ve gotten a couple submissions on white belts. Have rolled with a few blue belts and managed not to get submitted. Tonight I got Absolutely mauled by a white belt.
I just started at my gym with 2 weeks experience and I was getting smashed majority of the time and this purple belt that hadn’t trained in about 8 months and is was a man in his late 30s with a 5 inch size advantage and I tapped him twice and I kinda felt bad
peleas enable paypal payment on your website cuase i want to buy your mount blueprint instructional,since I'm from india and i don't own a credit card paypal is the only way i can complete a transaction, please sir I have asked you even on your Instagram but you didn't reply, please make it happen