Started Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at 40 — no regrets whatsoever

I started Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at 40 and felt completely out of my depth in the first class. Most people were twenty-something and athletic. I was neither. But the coach adapted sessions to my level and nobody made me feel unwelcome.

Recovery takes longer at my age, and cauliflower ear risk without ear guards hit harder than it would have at 25. But the chess-like mental game has been more pronounced than I expected — probably because I needed it more. I now train three times a week and have no plans to stop. The mouthguard setup was a surprise cost — budget for that separately.