Oct. 12, 2024
You Are Never Too Old to Start Something New
As a CrossFit affiliate owner and jiu-jitsu practitioner, I highlight the seamless transition and draw parallels between these disciplines, reminding you that age is just a number. With a mindset geared towards lifelong learning and fitness, I challenge you to push your boundaries and embrace new beginnings at any stage of life.
Life's challenges can sometimes feel overwhelming, but it's in these moments that perseverance becomes key. We explore the importance of seizing opportunities and taking action while enjoying life's simple pleasures.
Chapters
00:00 - Starting Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Your 40s
07:35 - Life's Challenges
Transcript
WEBVTT
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Good morning.
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It is Saturday, october 12th, one day before the Navy's 249th birthday.
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So I'm going to say happy birthday a day in advance and then I will say it again tomorrow.
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Right?
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World's greatest Navy, 249 years old.
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I wanted to share this this morning before we get too loud downstairs.
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The CrossFit workout of the day is about to launch, so I don't have too much time, but I thought this was fascinating.
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Okay, excuse me, this podcast today is brought to you by Pittsburgh's newest Jiu-Jitsu Academy, evolution Jiu-Jitsu Pittsburgh, conveniently co-located right here at CrossFit Pittsburgh.
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But I saw this earlier a little while ago and it was fascinating, and now that we're rolling here with our own school, I thought I'd bring it back up again.
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So Jocko Willink and Echo Charles are talking on an older episode and they're answering questions from listeners, and a question came in from a young man well younger than me and he said would you recommend starting jiu-jitsu in your 40s if you had done something else in your 20s?
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And then he says and this is not by no means, this is not a criticism, this is I thought it was very interesting food for thought.
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He said if you had started something earlier in your 20s, such as boxing, karate, kickboxing Muay Thai.
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If you had started that in your 20s, would you start Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in your 40s?
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Start Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in your 40s?
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So that particularly caught my attention because in my teens I wrestled.
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In high school In my late teens, early 20s, I picked up boxing and began Ishinryu Karate.
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I did a little bit of kickboxing prior to entering the Navy.
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I entered the Navy and I continued boxing.
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I was in my late teens, throughout my mid-early 20s and I always respected it as a martial art.
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All of them, but they were all except for high school wrestling.
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They were all striking.
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They were all striking boxing Ishinryu karate.
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In my 40s I started Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
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I would say private lessons, but it was a childhood friend of mine whom I had boxed with, wrestled with in high school.
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We were childhood friends.
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We've known each other since we were little kids, started to—we wrestled together when we were in high school, started boxing together when you know, in the college phase Ishinryu karate together straight through.
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All right.
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So he had taken his son when he was a little boy.
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He had taken his son to a school to learn both karate and Brazilian jujitsu.
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He began his jujitsu journey.
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Then I started training jujitsu with him privately, one-on-one when I was in my 40s.
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Then, due to deployment cycles and travel constraints and so forth, I fell away from it, uh, for for too long.
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So now, in my 60s, I'm back at it, on on the mats, brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, what really piqued my interest.
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I mean, and I'm by no means any type of genetically gifted athlete, believe me, anybody who knows me will tell you I worked for everything I ever achieved on the mat, in the ring, in the gym.
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Not a genetically gifted individual, by no means.
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But one of the questions that this young man had asked Jocko, now again, remember, in his 40s had a striking background in his 20s.
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And he's asking would you recommend someone starting Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in their 40s?
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Had a striking background in his 20s.
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And he's asking would you recommend someone starting Brazilian jiu-jitsu in their 40s if they had a striking background from their 20s?
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And then he says I have to tell you, kickboxing is easier for me.
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That's it.
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Right there, that's the crux of the question, right there.
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Would you recommend trying jujitsu?
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Striking kickboxing is easier for me.
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I think it's a matter of perspective.
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Largely it's a matter of perspective, but I will tell you this, having done both still doing both in my 60s.
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It's a balance.
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All right, having a striking background, I can say I can create distance faster, I'm on my feet faster.
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But remember, when you're striking, your opponent is also striking.
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He's not trying to take you down In a striking competition.
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This is not MMA we're talking about here.
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All right, it's evenly matched.
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Whether it's boxing, whether it's Muay Thai, whether it's kickboxing, that opponent is not shooting in to take you down.
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So if I need to create distance, we're both on our feet.
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I'm able to create distance faster.
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I'm able to evade contact better.
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Grappling is a different animal.
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It really is.
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I mean, personally, I'm loving it.
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I wouldn't trade it for the world and I guess maybe another part of this mini episode, mepisode, we'll start to call it It'll be a thing.
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First of all, you're never too old.
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If you think you are, shame on you.
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Have a strong coffee, go out for a brisk walk, shake those cobwebs out of your head because you are not too old.
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All right, today is what?
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October 12th 2024.
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Right, october 12th 2034.
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You know, let's see where I am and what belt I've achieved by then, because I'm not going anywhere.
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Okay, and neither should you Put that in your head.
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You know it's, and I think this you know don't want to get off track, but it dovetails into one of the things that I believe is a universal fault.
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All right, we've been a CrossFit affiliate owner going on 20 years now.
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All right, my dear friend, childhood friend and the professor at our jujitsu school.
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He has been at this for 16 years and we compare notes to parallels, the similarities between the jujitsu academy here and the CrossFit gym.
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One of the things we hear too often and you really try to combat it, is I really want to get started, but I don't think I'm in good enough shape for either.
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And it is amazing how parallel it is.
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I really want to start CrossFit, but I'm not in good enough shape.
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I think I need to go to the gym for about six weeks and then I'll be ready.
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You know Jiu-Jitsu, I think I need to go to the gym for about six weeks and then I'll be ready.
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You know, jujitsu?
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Oh, I always wanted to try it, but I'm not in good enough shape.
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Great, there's only one way to get in shape Get in the gym, get on the mat.
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You know, you want to do CrossFit.
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Start it today.
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You want to roll, you want to grapple, you want to work jujitsu, start it today, today.
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All right, the time clock keeps ticking, that universal clock for all of us.
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It keeps ticking, so it's not going to wait for you, so jump on in, if I can do it at 61, this kid writing to Jocko in his 40s, you know?
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Do you think it's too late, brother?
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I'm sorry.
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If you think 40 is too late, then I'm already walking with the old man.
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Okay, we're not doing that.
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Anyway, listen, think about that.
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All right, it's not easy.
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None of it is easy.
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If you're looking for easy buy a PlayStation, all right, it's not easy.
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Life is not easy.
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But as long as you're drawing breath and you've got a beating heart, man, get out there and do it.
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All right, that's it, that's all All right.
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Thanks very much for time, your time, my time.
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If I'm wait, if I'm here and you're here, doesn't that make this our time?
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And I don't see anything wrong with enjoying some pizza on our time.
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I don't see anything wrong with enjoying some pizza on our time.
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Jeff Spicoli Fast Times at Ridgemont High sometime in the early 80s, something like that.
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All right, I'm out.
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Happy birthday One day early.
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United States Navy Go Blue.
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