What’s going on? While 2020 felt like it dragged on, 2021 is speeding by! At the end of January, I had a shin injury from running. In April, I made a return to BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu), which means my running has suffered a bit! I had a birthday last week and I’m trying to balance it all (fitness, rest, family).
I trained BJJ in late 2017/2018 for about 6 months and quit when I got pregnant. I made a return after a 3 year hiatus (LOL) so it felt like I was back at square one. Now I have 2 months of RECENT experience and decided to sign up for a BJJ competition. Am I crazy? Yes, but I recognize I am a no-stripe white belt, therefore I have zero expectations. NO PRESSURE, RIGHT? I’m hoping to learn a lot from the competition and have some fun. I also hope the competitors are friendly and they’re in it to have fun too.
So how does one start BJJ or jump back in after a long hiatus?
- Just show up. No, you don’t need to take weeks or months to get in shape before you attend martial arts classes. The martial arts classes will get you in shape. Just go.
- Start slowly. When I started, I only attended 2 classes a week. As an older practitioner, that is all my body could handle. Now I’ve increased it to 3 days a week.
- Listen to your body. Rest and recover. If you feel like you have an injury, get checked out.
- Keep a journal or calendar. Write down the dates you attended and what you learned.
- Your teammates are not your competition. They are your training partners. Be friendly, get to know them, have fun sparring. Don’t get mad when they smash you. 🙂 Work submissions slowly and give them time to tap or defend. If someone hurts you on purpose, let them know and talk to your professor/coach.
- Don’t worry about belt colors/stripes. BJJ is the slowest martial art to level up in so just show up, work hard, and HAVE FUN.
Have you ever taken martial arts? Would you consider martial arts after 40?
When I stopped training Jiu Jitsu, I stopped moving. I stopped flowing. When I didn’t have to go to class, my body did not flow. When I did not have the luxury of sparring every day, my body did not flow. When physical pain came back into my life, I felt anger and depression. I knew that training Jiu Jitsu had saved me, so I realized that not training must have been causing this pain.
Nia Hayes – ShunCy recently posted…How to grow moss in a container