I've been training 15 years. I love BJJ and I consider getting my black belt one of the biggest accomplishments of my life. That said, I have a typical story in that I started BJJ when I was young and single (25 years old). Competed lots. Spoke with a fake Brazilian accent. The whole deal. Now I'm 41. Wife and kids that mean the world to me. I still love BJJ too, but find myself with limited time to train. I've taken measures like getting mats in my garage and getting comfortable with only training 2 to 3 times per week (as opposed to the preferred 5 back in the day). But I still find myself occasionally taking a couple of months off here and there to manage personal demands. It's strange because jiu jitsu is probably the only "hobby" that creates an element of stress when you're neglecting it. Can anybody else relate to this experience? I'm not necessarily looking for advice as to how to manage it, just curious if my experience is similar to other long-timers and what their thoughts are in regard to the evolution of their commitment to BJJ.
Well, the idea that we'd just keep training at the same intensity and schedule until we're senior citizens couldn't really play out. We're bound to taper off, for several reasons: the body ages and can't keep up, the demands of outside life increase, growth has a diminishing return and thus motivation lessens, and other goals may crop up that demand our time, energy, and resources. It's nothing to worry about.
I earned my black in 2012 but then sold my gym with the arrangement I'd still teach there weekly, but that quickly changed up and then I was off the mats for a couple YEARS. I hadn't planned it, but my other career (and the goals that went with it) needed the kind of time and energy that I'd put into BJJ. And then an injury sidelined me from all activity for almost a year.
With that said, I'm back on the mats with renewed motivation. I'm not trying to recreate my old schedule (teaching 8-10 bjj classes a week), but I'm accepting that I'm older, my capacities have changed, my goals have changed, and I just want to train well and enjoy it (as well as train a new generation of students). I'm absolutely loving this new iteration, especially after being entirely deprived for the past few years.
Find your new groove, and go into it willingly. It'll be awesome.
Go at my black belt in 2004. Have taken multiple breaks. As we grow older we gain responsibilities and such and we even find other things that we like. It's normal.
13 years for me. I don't have a lot of the responsibilities you mention, so don't ever intentionally take breaks. Injuries are more common and take longer to heal for me nowadays though, so I end up taking pretty significant breaks more often than I'd like.
Lol at thinking BJJ is the only hobby that creates stress when it's neglected
Any obsessive hobby will create stress if it's neglected
ive made a few posts about this same topic. 2016 was a writeoff for me, trained maybe 8 times. but a lot of extenuating circunstances. previous to that i was training a tleast 4x, but it slowly tapered off to 2, then just once a week, then i tore my meniscus feb 2016, and that sidelined me for a few mths, then we opened a few businesses in successive mths, so my workload increased a lot and had no time to train at all.
then i got de quervains in sept 16 and that sidelined me again, not that i was training. so that brings me to now, i trained beginning of the year once, and that was it. plus bought a house and move in next mth, so its a revolving door. luckily the new place has a gym available
I still train the same amount, but the intensity has dropped tremendously.
I find that it's immensely useful to take a few weeks off every year, and even sometimes a couple months. Usually it's due to the accumulation of aches and pains. I've learned the hard way that if I keep training with no breaks they'll turn into full-blown injuries. I've had to accept that my advancement and progress will be slower, but that's fine. I'm in this as a permanent lifestyle so taking care of my body is a much bigger concern than being the toughest guy on the mat.
Sounds like me. My best years in terms of athleticism and motivation is behind me. I'm not a professional and can't keep beating up my body training with the young guns. I like spending time with my young children and also enjoy not being in pain. I still exercise and stay in shape.
Aside from being injured, I don't really take any time off. Though, I don't have any children. I'm probably just dumb but I don't seem to improve at all when I'm only training 2-3x a week - that's barely keeping my current level. I've been training for 15yrs.
Thanks for all the responses guys. A lot of good insights and perspectives. Appreciate you sharing!
19 years in now. I dont take month-long breaks, but i definitely have a lot of "aw fuck it" days these last few years.
Kid, work, responsibilities, and everything just hurts now.
.
Wutang -U r correct. U don't improve when u only train once or twice a week. But the reality is, most people reach a "maximum peak", so no amount of training can overcome lack. Of skill, athletic ability or age.Aside from being injured, I don't really take any time off. Though, I don't have any children. I'm probably just dumb but I don't seem to improve at all when I'm only training 2-3x a week - that's barely keeping my current level. I've been training for 15yrs.
That's when u need to balance out training to improve vs training to stay in shape
Well, that's me anyway
walbjj -Wutang -U r correct. U don't improve when u only train once or twice a week. But the reality is, most people reach a "maximum peak", so no amount of training can overcome lack. Of skill, athletic ability or age.Aside from being injured, I don't really take any time off. Though, I don't have any children. I'm probably just dumb but I don't seem to improve at all when I'm only training 2-3x a week - that's barely keeping my current level. I've been training for 15yrs.
That's when u need to balance out training to improve vs training to stay in shape
Well, that's me anyway
I thought I was as good as I could be for a few years. Then I started teaching and realizing there was a whole different set of guards and passing styles I didn't know. TBH, I felt like really subpar and bad about my bjj knowledge because I had some very basic answers to complex questions and situations that they were facing. It was things I didn't experience too much in class or in competition matchees so I had very little compeition experience against it.
I searched for answers and to learn these new things. It's been 3 years and I feel like I've improved a lot. Yet, I feel like a blue belt in new things I'm learning. Learning and connecting the news things with the old, using similar principles and concepts to the new techniques and adding new concepts and techniques opened a different side of the game to me.
So, for me, after these 3 years I've realized that I can continue improving and don't believe I can hit the ceiling with knowledge and application. I'm getting older, slower and weaker but I can always keep improving my techniques.
walbjj -Wutang -U r correct. U don't improve when u only train once or twice a week. But the reality is, most people reach a "maximum peak", so no amount of training can overcome lack. Of skill, athletic ability or age.Aside from being injured, I don't really take any time off. Though, I don't have any children. I'm probably just dumb but I don't seem to improve at all when I'm only training 2-3x a week - that's barely keeping my current level. I've been training for 15yrs.
That's when u need to balance out training to improve vs training to stay in shape
Well, that's me anyway
I've improved steadily for years at a time on an average of 2x a week; it's not the same, of course, and I do better if I have a day or two where I spend a little bit of time (usually 15 or 20 minutes) doing mat drills on off days, but I went from white to purple mostly doing that. I'm not a competition champ, but that's fine; I can hang with the competitive guys at my ranks in the gym without really stressing.
if you make the most of your time and don't sit around jawing instead of rolling or drilling. I think you can do better on 2 consistent days a week than most people realize (saying that it's obviously much, much easier and faster to improve training more, and the short stretches I've been able to do 3-5 days a week have been awesome).
i do t have nearly the time that in that you guys have, but I've been tricked into a month or 2 off on a couple occasions and the be been really helpful; it's like an off season to lift for strength or mass, or work on injuries. 2016 has been a wash for me too (once or twice a month all year), but it's something I want to do as a planned thing in the future.
Haven't trained in two years.
Get the bug every once in a while. But my unfinished business is in another activity. So that where my time goes. I'm still in shape and folllow the sport. Just fell out of love with it.
Marion Cobretti -Haven't trained in two years.
Get the bug every once in a while. But my unfinished business is in another activity. So that where my time goes. I'm still in shape and folllow the sport. Just fell out of love with it.
u havent trained at all? how old are u, and how long did u train for?
do u think u will ever start up again?
and what do u do to keep fit?
walbjj -Marion Cobretti -Haven't trained in two years.
Get the bug every once in a while. But my unfinished business is in another activity. So that where my time goes. I'm still in shape and folllow the sport. Just fell out of love with it.
u havent trained at all? how old are u, and how long did u train for?
do u think u will ever start up again?
and what do u do to keep fit?
34. 11 years... way more than I should of stuck around.
Im a gym rat. Always have been. I lift. I swim. I play basketball. I hit the heavy bag. I rock climb. Etc.
I'm never going to open my own school. No interest in ever taking a classs as a student again.. so I don't really know. I would need the perfect scenerio to get back into it.
Been on and off for almost 8 years. I travel for work a lot sometimes gone between few weeks to a few months. Mixed with family life and my training is a bit sporadic at best. Don't really see myself entertaining other hobbies since I don't have many interests.
Recently got hurt at work and when I finally do return to the mats it'll be after a 7 month vacation from a few fractured vertebrae.
Rolling since 2004. Black belt in 2015.
I'm a 9-5 office slave.
I get too crabby if I don't train. I never take breaks.