It's Never Too Late To Start Jiu Jitsu

No blog last week, I was on holiday. It was great, thanks for asking.

But this weekend we had our summer camp I had Robert Drysdale in from Las Vegas. Rob gave me my back belt in 2014.Wait, 10 years ago? That can’t be right…

No I just checked and it’s right. I am getting old.

I got my black belt at 36. A lot of people assume when you have a black belt, that you must have started Jiu Jitsu when you were very young, and that only those who begin their training in Jiu Jitsu as kids get to be Black Belts, but it’s not so.

Actually, of my 10 black belts on the board in the gym, 3 of them started as under 18s. Nathan Kelly, Grant Carroll, and Adam Kearney. 4 more started in their 20s, and 3 started in their 30s.

I started in my 20s, but already had my Taekwondo black belt, admittedly. But I think it’s fair to say that the vast majority of Black Belts I know started what would be considered “late”. As in, they were already well into adulthood.

In fact, a lot of Jiu Jitsu Black Belts that I know began life as footballers or gym bunnies and then once they got sick of or retired from that, started Jiu Jitsu. They’re the Exers you might have heard me talk about.

So I think it’s fair to say that whatever age you are, it’s not too late to start on that journey to black belt.

Anyway, great weekend of training and learning!

See you on the mat,

Barry