Masters competitions are not exclusive to jiu-jitsu. Whilst they are very well known amongst the BJJ community, masters tournaments are offered in many other sports including tennis and golf. This is because we understand that as you get older, younger people will have a physical edge over you. Even if you are the best technical fighter, it sometimes won’t be enough to overcome your opponent’s athleticism, stamina and conditioning.
Unlike the other sports mentioned, BJJ and grappling in general are very physical competitions. Golf may take 30 yards off your drive with age, whilst tennis might take 10 mph away from your serve. But grappling is a non-stop battle of strength and technique. Therefore there are a lot of BJJ weight and age categories. This is due to the discrepancy being so big between both age and weight groups.
Table of Contents
BJJ Masters Age Brackets For Men & Women
Under age 30 – Non-Masters
Age 30-35 – Masters 1
Age 36-40 – Masters 2
Age 41-45 Masters 3
Age 46-50 – Masters 4
Age 51-55 – Masters 5
Age 56-60 – Masters 6
Age 61+ – Masters 7
Note: There hasn’t been a masters 8 yet, but perhaps with advancements in medical technology and BJJ practitioners becoming older (it’s still a very young sport). You may see a masters 8, 9 or even 10 in the future. Although it looks unlikely to happen now, perhaps 30 years ago we never thought we would see a masters 7 match.
Do I Have To Compete In My Own Age Bracket?
No, but you can only move downwards. Obviously moving yourself up to masters 3 as a 23 year old would be ridiculous and is not legal. However, if you are 44 years old and want to test yourself against masters 1 competitors, this is almost always absolutely find and the competition organizer will be happy to let you do this. The people in the lower bracket should have the advantage on you in this situation which is why it’s considered perfectly acceptable to do so.
In a lot of competitions, it is quite common to move down age brackets since the higher masters brackets do not fill up. Masters 7 competitor Elaine Wynn also known as the Jiu-Jitsu Grandma told us she regularly has to compete against younger opposition. This is due to the fact there are very rarely 60+ year old women signing up to her brackets, so she often has to fight women who are 20 years younger than herself.
The Cool Experience Of Being In A High Age Category Bracket
In the current century, you can often find yourself facing off against a BJJ celebrity if you are in a prestigious competition. This is because there are not that many 55+ year old black belts who compete. Therefore you can sometimes find yourself against the likes of Roger Gracie’s father or Buchechas uncle. You will most likely lose quite badly, but it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Although masters competition is still taken seriously, you will rarely find a maniac in your division who wants to hurt you. There is much more comradery in the masters level of competition since everyone has already experienced this feeling many times and the drive to win is not as much as the younger guys. With that being said, people still want to win, but they won’t try and kill you!
Want to recover faster as an older grappler? Try out these Gatorade whey protein bars that are made for being on the go.
