Carlos Gracie didn’t stop at age 40.
I’ve done a LOT of recent interviews in the world of 40 plus BJJ – including interviews with respectable local Black Belts like Stephen Whittier, John Connors, and others.
I recently got a chance to catch up with the man who founded the Facebook community called “Old Man Jiu Jitsu,” and ex-wrestler named Ed Solis.
Like millions and millions of Americans, Ed’s active college years faded with a sedentary desk job that didn’t give him much opportunity to exercise. When he walked into the doctor’s office at age 41, the default response was “you need to be on meds.”
“No thank you” was Ed’s response, and after talking to a wrestler friend, he ended up finding his way into a BJJ program and getting started with training.
On the FIRST DAY the class is working drills and Ed gets squashed by
40 or 50 pounds later, Ed is crushing it at tournaments, and running what might be the only legit Fanpage for Older Grapplers: Old Man Jiu Jitsu.
Over 5000 strong, the Fanpage features a new member on their profile each and every month, and they continue to hold vibrant talks about all aspects of the grappling game.
What started as a couple older guys chatting after class has become “it’s own thing” – with team T-shirts and everything. Check out the page, and enjoy a snippet from my talk with Ed, too:
Drop a comment below if you’re an older grappler!
-Daniel
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