Am I too old to start training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
This is a question we get often. One look around our mats will show we have a large number of students in their 30’s and 40’s, all the way up to 60’s. Some of these students use BJJ as a way to simply stay in shape or learn self-defense, while others are active competitors in jiu jitsu tournaments. Brazilian Jiu jitsu never to old
This past week saw American Top Team Fort Lauderdale send a group of athletes, including many Masters competitors (30 years old +) to the IBJJF Pan Championship, the 2nd biggest Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competition in the world. These competitors included mothers and fathers with full-time jobs and busy home lives, ranging in age from their 30’s, up to our oldest competitors in their 50’s and 60’s.
Our masters competitors at IBJJF Pans included Coach Larissa, a mother who is also the judo coach for our kids classes. She was able to win gold in the blue belt division. Kimberly McLean also won gold in the blue belt division. Some of our black belt competitors that had successful showings included Brian Harper (40’s) who also won gold at the Pan and World Championships last year, Charles McGuire (50’s) and Sean Burke (60’s). These athletes show you’re never too old or busy to stop pushing yourself to see what you’re capable of. Congrats to all our competitors!
Our motto is “Martial Arts for the Whole Family”, and we structure our classes in a way that supports parents in particular, which allows them the ability to train regularly. This means that our class schedule allows both kids and parents to train at the same time. While the kids are training in their class on one mat, the parents can participate in their own class on another mat, knowing their kids are safe and supervised. This is one less obstacle for busy parents to try martial arts, whether it’s Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Boxing, or Muay Thai Kickboxing.
So, if you’re older, but not ready to hang up your gloves yet, American Top Team can help you achieve your goals through martial arts, whether that’s getting in shape, learning to defend yourself, or competing.
Come by and try and class, we’re waiting for you!
