I’m in my 13th year now coaching MMA. One question I’ve gotten asked more than all others is, “Am I too old to start training now”. I’ve always said no, and the answer is “NO!’.
That question always leads to the next, more obvious one, “When can I fight”.
That question could be asked on day 1 or years down the line, but it’s coming. I suppose it’s a matter of confidence. In my experience it’s mostly guys who’ve approached me, but there’s the occasional girl. For the rest of this convo, I’ll say he or him when giving an example which involves a character, which is most likely going to be someone I’ve personally trained in the past.
You’ll notice something about me fairly quickly… I absolutely detest Dream Stealers.
The idea that someone could tell another human being that they shouldn’t do something (That is entirely personal by the way), bugs the hell outa me. I hate that shit.
There are people out there that will try to discourage you from chasing a dream, simply because the want to keep you in your space. They don’t want you rising (in their eyes) above them. Sometimes it’s not even conscious on their part. The person could be someone who genuinely loves you, but they are used to you occupying a certain space , and won’t be comfortable with you making any moves. But.. MAKE A MOVE!
While the answer is that you CAN in fact start training at any age, and could possibly get matched for a fight even into you 50s, maybe even 60s, your goals should be weighed and measured.
What do I mean? I”m glad you asked.
Here’s what I mean. Martial arts is not a hobby. The minute you go down that road, you’re committed to a complete paradigm shift. No one you called friend or family will ever truly understand unless they go down the rabbit hole with you with a genuine interest.
So this means that your actions (In this case, starting Martial Arts after you have a life that you’ve worked for years to create.) will have consequences. Goes without saying right? Well don’t get cocky. Read on please.
One consequence of you getting into Martial Arts is, naturally you’ll get fitter. (Yes I’m calling this a consequence. You’ll soon learn why.)
Allow me to paint you a picture if you will. So imagine that you are going through your mid life crises. If you’re a dude, this is the name for it.
If you’re of the opposite sex, I think it’s called “Finding Yourself”. Hey I’m a dude so I’m stupid. Leave me alone.
So back to the MLC. You’re well into your training. Let’s say it’s BJJ. That’s ‘Brazilian Jiu Jitsu’ by the way.
You start seeing results. Your body starts to change. Mans getting a hint of a 6-Pack. Ok maybe you had one before but now your stamina is through the roof.
Wifey starts to comment on how sexy you’re looking these days. You will feel great. Things will be great… for a short minute.
Now the next thing I’m going to say is not based on any facts that I can prove to you. It’s just my sensitive arse getting into my feelings. And it’s a very weak argument but hey, it’s a best guess.
Wifey’s bestie will comment on brand new sexier you… And wifey won’t like that shit.
However that plays out is entirely based on how you guys communicate, but that is a warning.
At this point, there shouldn’t really be any massive drama. Dude sets his schedule. Training 4 days per week now, so gotta eliminate some social stuff to make space for the mat time. Less TV. Replaced radio with The Joe Rogan Podcast. Never really goes out unless with family. Old friends kinda dropped off. Pure Focus on getting half decent at this shit because secretly… sshhhh He wants to fight. Gotta increase mat time. Try and do some Striking classes. There’s Muay Thai and Boxing at the gym that he goes to and you know… dude used to Box as a teenager. Won’t be much of a learning curve.
Now, where it gets tricky is when you start talking about fighting. Bear in mind, this doesn’t happen overnight. If you get up in your 30s or 40s and say “I’d love to have a MMA fight, you most likely will have been thinking about it for half your life. But if you have a family, this is brand new for them, and they will be resistant when they sit down and really think about it. It’s dangerous. So maybe before bringing this up, you ought to as well.
Quick side note. I’m pretty sure that most people who get into BJJ normally just do that for the most part. But on occasion, they’ll want to try competing in MMA, even at an Amateur level.
So the family thing is going to be an issue. Do with that what you will. Remember though… Consequences!
Next thing to consider, well actually two things. Kinda go hand in hand. Time and Money!!!
It’s really simple to illustrate this problem but solving it is kinda relative.
You need both time and money to train. If you’re lacking in either but you still go ahead, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but, you’re gonna get divorced. Take a moment and let that sink in.
Now we can look at the bright side, More time to train. I’M JOKING! Gosh, you’re so serious.
You should be able to avoid that. Just pay attention and know the variables.
-Family
Your support system and possibly your reason for breathing
-Time
To train and Heal. You’ll be doing a lot of healing
-Money
To maintain and improve the family lifestyle. To pay for training and maintaining health
_Health
So you can enjoy all of the above. Without this, Just be a supportive fan of MMA or BJJ.
Let’s be clear. If you’re just going to have a one of fight, There’s less to worry about long term. But if you say “1 fight”, mean “1 fight”.
Even then, shit happens. That’s a term you should get used to. “Shit Happens!”
If Shit Happens, it means you’ve run out of one of your Variables… Family, Time Money or Health. And if you run out of one, you can easily run out of them all. I’ll let your imagination take you where I can’t.
