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Rickson Gracie is one of the most accomplished jiu-jitsu fighters in the world and, along with half-brother Royce, helped bring jiu-jitsu to prominence in the late 1980s and 1990s. Before moving to the U.S., Rickson made a name for himself in Brazil as a vale tudo fighter after becoming a black belt at the age of 18. 

Whether you’re returning to jiu-jitsu after years of being away or coming to your very first class, it can be intimidating to take those first steps into the gym. There are additional challenges for those who are over the age of 50 or even 40. Most of the people who are your age may be in a similar place as you professionally or with respect to family life, but most of them will be far more skilled than you. Meanwhile, most of the students who are at the same experience level as you will likely be significantly younger than you and want to train at a higher intensity.

Jiu-jitsu attracts a lot of different kinds of people. This includes people of different backgrounds, as well as people of different shapes and sizes. This may come as a surprise to someone who has never come a jiu-jitsu class. Moreover, they may feel as though their body type is not ideal for martial arts, and that they will instantly be at a disadvantage when trying to train jiu-jitsu.

For parents who are considering sending their children to jiu-jitsu class, they almost certainly have a lot of concerns. First and foremost, they want their kids to be safe. Secondly, they may want to know if there are different tracks. For example, is there a track for kids who want to compete in jiu-jitsu tournaments versus a track for kids who are just learning the basics of self-defense. Third, they may to know if it will improve their behavior. Finally, they may want to know what questions to ask their local jiu-jitsu gym before they enroll their child.

Jiu-jitsu is a great way to learn self-defense, get exercise, and even build lifelong friendships, but not everyone sticks with it. While there are loads of specific reasons why a person may decide to walk away from jiu-jitsu after just a few classes, Ryron Gracie has found that he hears three reasons why seasoned jiu-jitsu fighters hang up their gis

It requires years of discipline and hard work to get a black belt in jiu-jitsu. Even to graduate from white belt to blue belt is a demanding endeavor that can take years because jiu-jitsu doesn’t involve a single type of learning. It involves learning the basic mechanics of moves and techniques that form the basis of jiu-jitsu, and then applying those moves in a fight scenario.

You ask students on their first day why they decided to take up jiu-jitsu, most say that they came because they wanted to get in shape or learn self-defense. Very few students initially come through the doors of the school with the aim of one day competing in jiu-jitsu tournaments, but eventually a significant number begin to warm to the idea.

There are dozens of reasons for wanting to take up jiu-jitsu. Some people may want to treat it like a sport and compete in tournaments. Others may be mixed-martial arts fighters looking to become better at grappling and learning how to execute or escape submission holds. Still others may want to learn how to practice self-defense in a street fight scenario.

Once you’ve decided to train jiu-jitsu, the next step is deciding where you’ll actually train. If you are brand new to jiu-jitsu, you may not understand how the words like “gym” or “academy” are used in the context of jiu-jitsu. You may even think they are interchangeable.

When you begin on your jiu-jitsu journey, you will likely hear the word “fundamentals” a lot. Many instructors swear that the core of the martial art really comes down to the perfection of just a few key fundamentals and enough expertise to know when and how to make minor variations to these fundamentals. True, championship jiu-jitsu fighters may rely on a larger set of moves and techniques, but the vast majority of situations, from rolling with other jiu-jitsu fighters to defending oneself in a street fight, will draw solely from jiu-jitsu fundamentals.

People start their jiu-jitsu journey for a wide range of reasons. In most cases, it’s to develop the skills needed to defend themselves in a street fight or to learn how to better grapple and to train for mixed martial arts competitions. However, jiu-jitsu can also get you into great shape and help keep you disciplined as you work to make positive life changes.

In 1975, Charles D. Ellis, an investment consultant, writer, and founder of Greenwich Associates, published an influential article entitled, “The Loser’s Game.” As he explains in the below interview with Stephen Foerster, Ellis owes the insights explored in the article to Simon Ramo, who wrote in his book, Extraordinary Tennis for the Ordinary Tennis Player, that there are essentially two games of tennis. One of them is played professionals, which he calls the Winner’s Game. The second is played by amateurs, which he calls the Loser’s Game. Even though the mechanics look the same, the players use the same equipment, and the same rules are enforced, the games are completely different.

Many people are nervous about starting jiu-jitsu because they think they are too out of shape. They tell themselves that they just need a few weeks to do some weight training, get their endurance up, and drop a few pounds. Unfortunately, this is just one more hurdle to clear before coming to class, and it is one that people can put off indefinitely. It’s also a completely unnecessary.

Jiu-jitsu has steadily been growing in popularity within the United States for decades. Throughout this time, it has undergone a significant change. Thirty years ago, it was a martial art with a small but extremely committed group of practitioners, many of whom were professional fighters. Today, it is one of the most commonly practiced martial arts in the world with classes available to people of all ages and skill levels.

In a recent interview with Lex Fridman, Sam Harris talked about one of the benefits of jiu-jitsu that often gets overlooked. In addition to learning self-defense, taking up a martial art like jiu-jitsu has the potential to change the way that you think. In particular, it can help you learn to check your ego.