BJJ black belt who has been training for 12 years and previously trained in wrestling.
"After one year, all but the newest people still make you feel like you don't know anything, they can submit you pretty easily": this is not true in general, only with context. Athletic people in general would not be hopeless after one year at the local club level.
I have athletic kids who show up and immediately give me problems because, despite still poor technique, their speed, power, cardio, flexibility, etc. make them dangerously competitive.
The fact is that the vast majority of adults who start jiu jitsu today are not athletic. Jiu jitsu attracts a population of mostly nerds who, because of the cerebral nature of jiu jitsu, can do very well over the years, but for the first year or two their still poor or average technique does not allow them to overcome athletic limitations.
Moreover, except for a few clubs, there is no pedagogy to speak of around jiu jitsu. If trained properly, many hobbyists will improve much faster, but jiu jitsu clubs are for-profit businesses that need first to make money and then to make people better.
Also, it is common to hear "it's been a while since I've seen Jack on the mat" with a disappointing tone, without realizing that doing any activity, especially one that is psychically demanding and involves being "beaten up," for more than 2 or 3 years requires uncommon dedication. "Keep doing it for 10 years and see how good you will become" sounds much sweeter in print than when you live it.
It’s true to some extent. Most white belts over 30 end up injured. I was a competitive ultra runner for years so the grind made sense to me and although I am not explosive, I could already wear most white belts down after a few months of training. Mostly my point was around skill development and it is a relative thing. Still, athleticism is y-intercept. Slope (years of training) can make up for a lot but there is obviously some inherent levels you will just never overcome as an older hobbyist, but you can still get really good. Maybe never elite competitive, but that is a small fraction of young people anyway.
There are a lot of people who go on training jiu jitsu (or other combat sports) for many years and they remain as uncompetitive as they were in the beginning.
Some because of athletic limitations, some because they are unable to put into action what they have in mind, and some because they lack sufficient intelligence.
"Study or practice for enough years and you will get good enough/competent" at the population level sounds good, but it is simply not true.
"After one year, all but the newest people still make you feel like you don't know anything, they can submit you pretty easily": this is not true in general, only with context. Athletic people in general would not be hopeless after one year at the local club level. I have athletic kids who show up and immediately give me problems because, despite still poor technique, their speed, power, cardio, flexibility, etc. make them dangerously competitive.
The fact is that the vast majority of adults who start jiu jitsu today are not athletic. Jiu jitsu attracts a population of mostly nerds who, because of the cerebral nature of jiu jitsu, can do very well over the years, but for the first year or two their still poor or average technique does not allow them to overcome athletic limitations.
Moreover, except for a few clubs, there is no pedagogy to speak of around jiu jitsu. If trained properly, many hobbyists will improve much faster, but jiu jitsu clubs are for-profit businesses that need first to make money and then to make people better.
Also, it is common to hear "it's been a while since I've seen Jack on the mat" with a disappointing tone, without realizing that doing any activity, especially one that is psychically demanding and involves being "beaten up," for more than 2 or 3 years requires uncommon dedication. "Keep doing it for 10 years and see how good you will become" sounds much sweeter in print than when you live it.