Biggie Started Jiu Jitsu at 37. Here's What He Learned.
I’ve always loved grappling. It was my favorite part of old UFC fights. It was something I did as a kid with my friends. However, no matter how hard my friends tried to get me to, I never trained BJJ. I worked a lot, I had kids, no time, too old. All the usual excuses. Then in 2018, the boys at Violent Gentlemen needed some extra hands building their mats into something more legit than some rollouts on the warehouse floor. For some reason, building those mats (cutting plywood, glueing foam, etc.) with my friends lit a fire in me to give it a try. I had some sweat equity IN those mats. Time to put some sweat equity ON those mats.
I started Jiu Jitsu at the age of 37. As a goal-oriented person, there was only one end goal in mind: obtaining a black belt under one of my best friends, Brian Talbert. I didn’t care how long it would take me, but it was going to happen.
Belts are interesting. On one hand, they mean the world to you, and each promotion is an extreme honor. On the other hand, it’s just a piece of cloth tied around your waist on an endless journey. Everyone has their own views of the belts. Here are mine:
White Belt:
The hardest belt to earn. The belt where you realize you know nothing. You’ve been walking around your whole life not even realizing how vulnerable you are. Every roll feels like survival. Everyone is better than you, stronger than you, calmer than you. But white belt also teaches humility in a way very few things in life can. You either learn to leave your ego at the door, or you quit.
Blue Belt:
The earned belt. You’re finally not the low man on the totem pole. Things start slowing down just enough for you to see what’s happening before it happens. You begin developing a game, techniques that felt impossible, slowly become understood and used. But blue belt is also where discipline gets tested. The excitement of starting is gone, progress slows down, and consistency becomes more important than motivation.
Purple Belt:
The best belt. All glory with no pressure. You’re dangerous now. You can roll with anybody and have your moments. It’s been said purple belts are just black belts who haven’t had enough time on the mats. You find your game, and purple belt feels like freedom because you finally stop trying to “do jiu jitsu right” and start doing YOUR jiu jitsu.
Brown Belt:
The scary belt. Next step is the “end of the road.” Lower belts expect answers from you now, and you start realizing how much responsibility comes with knowledge. Brown belt can feel heavy because black belt no longer feels hypothetical. It’s close enough to touch. You start sharpening details instead of chasing new moves, realizing true mastery usually lives in the basics.
Black Belt:
The belt where you realize you still have a lot to learn. You spent years thinking black belt was the destination, only to discover it’s really an introduction to deeper understanding. The techniques get deeper, the learning gets deeper, and the respect for the art gets deeper. At black belt, you stop trying to prove yourself and start trying to preserve the culture, help the next generation, and stay a student forever.
Jiu jitsu belts are like mountains. Each one taller than the last. As you earn your black belt, you simply stand at the bottom of the highest mountain, a mountain with a summit that never comes, so you better enjoy the hike up.
I was awarded my black belt at the age of 45. I’m proud of both it and my lineage. It’s an honor to be the only student at VG to go from white belt to black belt there. It’s my biggest personal achievement outside of business and family and it still feels a bit surreal to say it: I have a black belt.
Now I stare up at my highest mountain, enjoying the hike up.
