Twenty

In my real life, I don't think I'm old. I'm a mere 57 years of age. Running is no problem, nor is bike riding.

Martial arts are another matter. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of older folks involved in these activities, but generally they have been doing so for a very long time. They are the revered experts.

Trying to get involved in such things late in life are not easy. Unlike long-time practitioners, neither the bodies nor the neural pathways are prepared.

This is true of younger beginners, too, but very, very different. Their bodies and brains adapt rapidly to the new movements. They also get injured much less than older beginners, and heal a hell of a lot faster.

This is especially true of grappling arts.

So here I am at 57. I started Gracie Jiu-Jitsu at 54. The average age of my fellow Blue Belts at the local academy is about 25. They are much more flexible than I, and faster. They shake off injuries that would lay me up for weeks.
 

My only advantage is that I am an old guy, and retired, and can do as much training as I want to and that my body will allow.

On a typical week I attend all three White Belt classes, as well as all three Blue Belt classes. Other than Elizabeth, I'm the only one to regularly do so. I also attend both open-mat sessions to get in extra drill. Even Elizabeth doesn't do that.

I also trained at the Gracie headquarters academy in Los Angeles for two months recently. Retirement is quite sweet.

What I'm saying is that I keep up to my peers with hard work and extra training.

But I'm still very, very old for Jiu-Jitsu.

Right now, my old body doesn't want to play. My back is giving me problems, as is one of my stupid knees. For the last couple of weeks I've had to do a lot of limbering up exercises just to be able to train.

So here I am all crippled up, rolling around with the young folks.

And then after class, Scott gave me a great complement. He described me as, “moving like a twenty-year-old.”

Not precisely accurate, but I'll take it.