I am 40 years old, 310 lbs (140kg). I have always been athletic, I am just really fat and lazy now. I was 345 lbs (157 kg) 3 months ago and started dieting, and now I want to exercise but also have fun doing it while learning some interesting stuff.
I have been wanting to do this for quite a while. I had two classes around 10 years ago, got hurt in each class, and decided maybe BJJ wasn't for me. I came to the realization that while some of that had to do with the class itself, most of it had to do with me trying too hard and muscling everything without really knowing what to do. Now that I am older I have been thinking about it for at least a year. My main goal is just to have a fun way to exercise and learning body chess just sounded very interesting.
The beginner class focuses a lot on positional rolls. We don't start standing for quite a while so we get used to falling and rolling without trying to post arms to catch ourselves. It was really a lot of fun. Some of the finer parts of some of the escapes I learned were very helpful, because watching videos just isn't the same as actually having hands on. Surprisingly I am not that sore, and I am looking forward to my next class tonight. Just wanted to say hello and thanks to Jason for making this site. There is loads of amazing content for me to absorb while I have free time.
Hey @@Dwreck, thank you for sharing your experience. I think if you focus on mainly the fun aspect of it then you'll benefit from it so much more for sure. For me, it's really the most mentally stimulating form of exercise I've ever done.
There is a 3 stripe white belt who weighs at least as much as I do, so I have found a good rolling partner that is more my size. I am having much more fun now getting smashed and learning actual skill and technique. Other smaller white belts just were not punishing my mistakes well and I could use size to my advantage. As far as being mentally stimulating....I cannot even comment on that yet. Everything I do feels sloppy and slow, there are so many technical aspects of every position, hold, attack, etc. It is honestly a little overwhelming, especially when you are trying to remember that stuff while getting crushed. My main goal is just to lose weight and get in shape, but thus far I am having a great time doing it and your videos are really helping.
You have given yourself the greatest promotion: from the couch to white belt. I am sure that you will find a lot here on GG that is helpful. Don't be afraid to ask questions. There are a lot of us who enjoy helping.
If you have any questions relating directly to being a big guy, feel free to tag me and I will chime in (I am 5'9", 330 lbs).
Welcome aboard.