BJJ Practitioners 40+ - Advice for Younger Self

“No one ever really sat with me and told me what to do.” That was something Armand said during our conversation at McHugh BJJ. Armand is 46. I’m 65. He’s been practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for 12 years, and when I asked what he has learned about staying healthy and staying on the mats, his answers were surprisingly simple: resistance training, sleep, and becoming more thoughtful about who he trains with. I added one more from my own experience: communication. Having the courage to tell someone what you need, where your limitations are, and how you can work together safely. But his opening statement is what stayed with me. Because this isn’t only about jiu-jitsu. After we’ve spent 10, 20, 30 or 40 years doing something, we possess lessons that somebody coming behind us may otherwise have to learn the hard way. Maybe part of getting older isn’t simply accumulating experience. Maybe it’s becoming willing to pass that experience forward. That’s one of the reasons I’m having these BJJ for Old Men conversations. I want to hear from people who have spent years on the mats and ask them a simple question: What do you know now that you would tell your younger self? Here’s my conversation with Armand: https://lnkd.in/gU7c5nAU Whether you practice jiu-jitsu or not, I’d love to hear your answer to that question. What do you know today that you wish someone had sat down and shared with you years ago?