Simon Kenny · BJJ Over 40
My journey. Still unfolding.
Martial arts have been part of my life since I was twelve. Jiu-jitsu gave me a new chapter — as a student, a coach, and a competitor.
The early years
Before the belts, there was curiosity.
My route into jiu-jitsu wasn’t a straight line. It began with martial arts films, moved through different styles, and was shaped by people who changed how I thought about training.
Karl Tanswell. Coach and close friend.
I met Karl through Steve Powell’s Jeet Kune Do classes. He became my instructor and one of my closest friends. Years later, he awarded my blue and purple belts and helped me develop as a coach.
Karl passed away in 2018. His influence remains a huge part of my training, my coaching, and what this journey means to me.
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Around 1980 · Age twelve
Where it started
Bruce Lee, Kung Fu films and, later, the ninja craze sparked my interest. I explored different martial arts, curious about what each could teach me.
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The early 1990s
A different way to train
Jeet Kune Do with Steve Powell led to private training with Karl. Then the early UFC events changed everything. Watching Royce Gracie made us want to understand grappling. With no BJJ instruction available locally, we explored Judo ground work, wrestling and shoot wrestling.
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Stepping away. Coming back.
Finding my way to jiu-jitsu
I stepped away from training in 1995. Eventually, I returned to train with Karl. By June 2012, I had my blue belt — and had launched the original BJJ Over 40 website.
The belt milestones
Years of work.
Moments I’ll never forget.
Each belt marks a chapter: the training, the people beside me, and the lessons that stayed with me.
Blue belt
Awarded by Karl Tanswell. The same year, I launched BJJ Over 40 to share the experience of training as an older grappler.
Purple belt
Awarded by Karl. I also joined his first instructor training programme, becoming an assistant coach and later a fully certified SBG coach.
Brown belt
Awarded by Matt Inman after Karl’s passing. A deeply emotional milestone, carrying the history and connection behind everything that came before it.
The hardest ironman wasn’t about age.
My brown belt ironman was tougher than my purple or black belt ironman. Throughout the rounds, I kept thinking about Karl and the fact that he wasn’t there. The challenge was emotional as much as physical.
Rome · November 2022
Back on the competition mats.
The No-Gi Euros was my first BJJ competition in more than four years. Competing at brown belt in the Masters 5 middleweight division, I won gold in my division and silver in the open weight.
29 January 2023 · Gi Euros
Silver on the podium.
A black belt around my waist.
After winning silver at the Gi Euros, my coach Chris Coltrane awarded me my black belt on the podium. It was a moment I had never truly expected to reach.
Receiving it didn’t make every doubt disappear. Even now, there are days when I question whether I belong at this level. Other days, everything clicks.
I’ve learned that progress isn’t a straight line. We’re often the last people to recognise what our coaches see in us.
A shared milestone
The ironman. Marking the moment together.
A few weeks later, I took part in a black belt ironman alongside two training partners and coaches who had also received their black belts.
At SBG, promotions to purple belt and above are followed by an ironman: rolling to submission with everyone in the gym, from white belt to black.
The coach has already made the promotion decision. The ironman is how we mark it together — through effort, trust and the people who helped us get there.
The journey continues
And yet,
I keep showing up.
Some days I feel like a black belt. Some days I feel like I’m barely hanging on. I’m still learning, still adapting, and still finding my way.
That’s what really matters. It’s also why I share what I learn here — for anyone trying to build a game that lasts.
Knowledge passed on
My BJJ Black Belt Lineage
From the roots of jiu-jitsu to the coaches who shaped my game.
- Kanō Jigorō
- Tomita Tsunejirō
- Mitsuyo “Count Koma” Maeda
- Hélio Gracie
- Rolls Gracie
- Carlos “Carlinhos” Gracie Jr
- Rickson Gracie
- Rigan Machado
- Chris Haueter
- Matt Thornton
- Karl Tanswell
- Chris Coltrane
- Simon Kenny
This lineage shapes how I train, how I coach, and how I think about longevity on the mats — especially as we get older.