What’s The Best Age To Start Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ)
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Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a popular martial art that has been practiced for over a century. This sport is popular with a wide range of individuals, from all walks of life, for many reasons. It offers great physical health benefits, mental health benefits, along with social health benefits. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has everything you would need to improve your fitness, health and well-being, self-defence ability, and generally improve your quality of life
If you are planning to start Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training at your current age, you may be wondering if it’s suited for you. You may be asking yourself, is this the right time?
Today we will look at the suitability of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for people of all different ages. We’ll ask some important questions and provide with answers to help guide you on your journey.
Is 30 Too Old To Start Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
The quick answer is no. We’ll explain why as we describe BJJ, it’s history, it’s strengths, and benefits for the individual who practices this great art.
What Is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art that originated in Brazil. BJJ is based on Judo, which originated in Japan. Judo evolved in Japan from Traditional Jiu Jitsu. BJJ is the evolution of a Combat (Martial) activity that incorporated a sporting aspect into a wholistic Martial Art that covered the many different goals of the modern individual.
This martial art focuses on bringing your opponent to the ground and immobilizing them using pins and submission attacks. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is also great for self-defence, as it allows you to take control of a situation and protect yourself from attacks. It’s even better than many other Martial Arts when you’re in a situation that you need to protect yourself, but don’t want to hurt the individual you’re protecting yourself from. It employs a high level of defence and control to achieve the goal required.
People of all age ranges practice this martial art for this very reason. Many MMA fighters have backgrounds in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu due to its versatility. BJJ practitioners are considered intimidating opponents in most fight settings due to their skill once the altercation hits the ground. A famous quote that exemplifies this was from Carlos Machado:
“The ground is my ocean, I’m the shark, and most people don’t even know how to swim.”
How Old Do You Have to Be To Start Jiu-Jitsu?
There is no minimum age to start Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, other than have the co-ordination to perform the moves and the ability to follow instruction. Many BJJ schools commence children’s classes from the age of 3 years. Around this age the child can follow instruction and perform the moves. Parents who’d like to enrol their children in this martial art can do so from an early age. However, young children may struggle to learn this martial art if their communication skills are not yet developed. Saying that, there are many practitioners who practice with their children at home showing them positions and moves at much younger ages. In the end it’s up to how capable the teacher and the child are.
Children of this age are capable of standing, running, and performing different manoeuvres. They also have great flexibility, which is very beneficial in this martial art. Young children between the ages of four and seven who enrol in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu will need to be taught closely by an instructor.
Children of this age can learn the fundamentals of this martial art at this early age and some may require more attention than others but they are more than capable of getting a grasp of BJJ.
Older children between the ages of eight and twelve are usually able to keep up with training and learning the fundamentals of BJJ at a faster pace and higher level than their younger counterparts. They can follow the appropriate rules of the mat and participate in matches in a healthy manner.
Teenagers between the ages of thirteen and sixteen are in an especially great position to learn this martial art. Their minds are developed enough to follow along with training and lessons, and their bodies are agile and energetic enough to practice and refine different BJJ techniques. Teens are usually trained alongside other teenagers. However, many will also practice alongside adults as well as they slowly transition into the adult classes. Teenagers above the age of sixteen usually practice with adults more regularly. Teens can learn advanced Jiu-Jitsu techniques and will thrive with the challenge.
Children of all ages can participate in tournament matches. You just need to adjust the expectations for each age group. For the younger children it’s about participation as they learn about the rules and scoring. As they become more familiar with how competition works you can guide them into understanding that winning the match becomes their new goal.
Many younger Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners often perform warm-ups in mixed-age groups. They then split into separate groups of children or teenagers based on their age.
When Do Most People Start Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?
There is no data available on the average age of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners. Even though many people start at a young age, a lot of BJJ practitioners start later in their lives. What you find when looking at most classes the highest participation rate is students from 18 – 30yrs of age.
It’s not uncommon to see new students starting well into their 30s and 40’s, or even older. These people may develop an interest in learning BJJ for self-defence reasons, but many often start because their children who started before them enjoyed it so much. You’ll often hear of entire families who practice Jiu-Jitsu, very often because they got their kids involved first as a hobby and then became intrigued themselves.
Is 30 Too Old To Start Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
Thirty is a great age to start Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Many people may be reluctant to start learning this martial art this late in life. However, most thirty-year-olds retain much of the flexibility they possessed in their twenties. Especially if you’re particularly athletic, or have participated in other sports recently. The advantage of starting after 30 is that you’ll grasp the deeper principles and concepts of BJJ a lot quicker.
Many women also learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in their thirties for self-defence. This is because Jiu-Jitsu is especially great for helping people with a small stature or frame protect themselves against larger opponents. People in their thirties can also benefit from the exercise that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu provides.
The average training session tends to be cardio heavy. This gets your heart rate pumping and can help you rapidly burn calories. If you want your body to maintain its flexibility (or to become more flexible) and shed a few pounds, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the right martial art to get into.
How Late Is Too Late For Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
There is no upper age limit for learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Many practitioners are over the age of forty, with some notable individuals continuing with this martial art well into their sixties and seventies. You might find yourself struggling with the speed, flexibility, and stamina required for BJJ in these later years. However, with the right training partner, you should be able to train many of the same techniques as the younger grapplers. One of the great benefits of BJJ is that the skill set is so diverse and can be applied to many different sizes and body types, you won’t be limited by your physical stature or age, if you train appropriately.
When you’re older, you’re more prone to getting injured because of the bone brittleness associated with old age. So it’s best to be careful when training later in life, but it’s still very much a possibility for most. You’ll want to tailor your training to your physical abilities and limitations as well ensuring that you have an appropriate diet that complements your energy and recovery requirements.
In fact, older Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners might prefer to learn a limited form of the art that omits the dangerous moves that could injure you. This way you’ll keep training for longer. Train smarter, not harder is a common statement in the BJJ community.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, it is possible to learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at various stages of your life. If you’re thinking about starting Jiu-Jitsu, you should consider getting into it as early as possible, as it gives you more time to refine your techniques. Older individuals are welcome at most BJJ academies around the world. So, consider giving Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu a try if you want to test your body’s limits and pick up on some great self-defence techniques, get fitter, improve your health, and make some great friends.
So, what is the right age to start training BJJ? The truth of the matter is that whatever age you are RIGHT NOW is the best age to start BJJ. Don’t wait for the right time, make NOW the right time. The sooner you get started, the sooner you’ll see the great benefits, and the sooner you’ll fall in love with this amazing Martial Art that many others have already before you.
See you all on the mat!
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