Feelin' Old? (Martial Arts)

[garryn]

When people talk about MA they tend to get into "which ones best". However this is usually from the point of view of a fully fit 20 year old.

 

We get older, reflexes slow, old injuries become more prone to re-occur.

Dodgy knees backs and necks seem to cause many to disappear from training.

 

 

So when you start feeling flying roundhouse kicks and rolling is in the past, what MA is good? is the choice purely to copy the old chinese guy in the park and do the tai chi forms or is there something else?

[Davemantis]

Most arts can be practiced till old age I know of someone doing Capoeira and they are in there 70s. I think you just have to adjust to what you could do to what you can do; I think that’s why they say MA takes a life time to training.

[garryn]

I can't remember the name of the specific style. But I seem to recall a conversation with you about a low style of Kung fu ('charlie horse' springs to mind?) Where the style was strong, fast, powerful. But you said you don't get many old practitioners because it was wearing on the knees?

 

So although many styles can be practiced till old age, maybe some are generally more suited?

[ANVIL]

I believe that aikido is a discipline that can be trained in well into your later years

[Truebjj]

One min I agree with Anvil the next I'm ashamed:o

 

BJJ's best advert for the style in later years would be Helio Gracie still training at 93!

 

BUT its my oppinion that you can continue to train any style to a ripe old age you just have to know your limits.

[Crayfish]

Yeah, some of the guys training at the Sheffield Judo Club when I used to go were well over 60 - and that training really took it out of you, too.

 

Good BJJers are very relaxed and make it quite effortless, I suppose capoiera is also about relaxation and controlled movement though I think that's something that you have to have been doing for a long time in order to train it comfortably and without pulling things.

 

I went to a shotokan dojo once where the sensei (quite a lot of dans, might have been 7th, can't remember exactly), who must have been at least 70 and probably quite a bit more spent pretty much the whole 90 minutes doing chin ups on a bar in the corner while a younger instructor took the class. The style wasn't for me but I remember thinking I'd be happy if I could do that at that age - I'm 20 and couldn't come close.

[Davemantis]

Things like Choy Li Fut. and Hung Gar are hard on the legs but you can still do it when you get on in age like you are lol

[elora*]

have you seen (i think it's called) mind, body and kick *ss moves? some of the guys on that are in their 80's and they are amazing...

[ShotoKarate]

have you seen (i think it's called) mind, body and kick *ss moves? some of the guys on that are in their 80's and they are amazing...

 

In the follow up series (Kick Ass Miracles) there was a Chinese guy .... 105 IIRC .... who took up Tai Chi at age 75 after a major operation and was jogging 6 miles a day and doing gymnastic moves holding his weight on a street pole using only his feet as anchors .....

 

Amazing to see ....