I saw something amazing in the pool where I was hanging out after a workout today. First I noticed that there was a group of about 7 men jumping off the highest part of the diving tower, again and again. This wasn't a dinky little diving board 1 meter off the water. They were throwing themselves off the 5 meter board, which is high enough to make anyone's heart go pitter-pat. … [Read more...]
Older Grapplers
BJJ Lessons from a Sushi Master
I just watched a really cool documentary called Jiro Dreams of Sushi (available on Netflix, iTunes, etc.). This 2011 film paints a fascinating portrait of Jiro Ono, an 85 year old master chef who's been making sushi for 75 years. Jiro - the protagonist - is a single-minded perfectionist workaholic who hates national holidays because they keep him away from his obsession, which is working on … [Read more...]
Starting Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at Sixty Years of Age! by Ormond Morford
My name is Ormond Morford and my friends thought I was crazy to try jiu-jitsu at my age… Too old, too fat and too inflexible. This is a young man’s game and walking through the dojo door that first day, I thought maybe I was a little nuts too. … [Read more...]
Should Older Grapplers Train with the Gi?
Q: Hi, Stephan, I believe it was Erik Paulson who said that older grapplers should focus on gi based grappling compared to no-gi since it was a slower and less explosive game. … [Read more...]
Is GSP on his last legs?
I just wanted to pass on a well written article taking a look at some really interesting questions...Are MMA fighters doomed to decline after 9 years in the sport (regardless of what age they started at, or how many times a year they fought)? … [Read more...]
Podcast EP3: Erik Paulson; an MMA Master Coach Shares His Secrets
Erik Paulson is an MMA Master Coach. He's trained tons of fighters competing at the highest levels of Mixed Martial Arts. And he held the Shooto light-heavyweight title in Japan for 5 years. He's also my friend and a mentor. Click Play Below to Listen to My Conversation with Erik Paulson... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx7gT-EXohM Recently I asked my newsletter readers if there was … [Read more...]
Off to the Glue Factory? Jiu-Jitsu for Middle-Aged Adults
Here's a question I received recently: Q: "I'm 56 years old and in pretty good health except for a few old injuries. My question is whether it is it too late for me to start training in grappling without wrecking my body too badly? (I'm not interested in competition)." … [Read more...]
Dan Inosanto on Adaptation
Last weekend I had the pleasure of learning from Dan Inosanto at a seminar. As he often does, he stressed the importance of adapting techniques to make them work for you, regardless of whether those techniques are Filipino stick disarms, Jun Fan kickboxing or BJJ submissions. … [Read more...]
Senior Jiu-jitsu
Stephan's note: todays's tip is brought to you a guest columnist, my friend Don Whitefield (www.jiujitsulife.com). Not only does he offer good advice for older BJJ players, but if young punks were to adopt some of the advice I guarantee they'd get better faster... … [Read more...]
The Amazing Dan Inosanto doing BJJ
I have to share this footage of one of my instructors, Dan Inosanto, doing some BJJ sparring. This incredible man is now in his 70's, and I hope I learn to move that smoothly some day... … [Read more...]
The ‘Elders’ Speak
My newsletter last week about grappling with an aging body generated a fair bit of feedback. Some respondents thanked me for the article (you're welcome). Others called me a candy-ass and that I should work harder and complain less (they were joking, I think). … [Read more...]
The Aging Grappler
The following question was submitted by a subscriber of the Grapplearts newsletter. Q: What are your views on the 'aging grappler' who tries to keep rolling into his thirties and forties? What are some limitations and injuries to watch out for? … [Read more...]