chronic injuries and Kung Fu

[General_Tso]

Hey Guys,

I am wondering about a few things here. I'm an old fart (34) and want to take up Kung Fu. (for more details on what I will be taking - http://www.kungfuarnis.com/) I've been considering it for some time now, and checked the place out, I am pretty stoked about it.

Couple of questions though about trying this:

I had a low back injury about 7 years ago that comes back to haunt me if I over do it. It was just a torn muscle, but I continually have to strengthen it. As long as I am keeping fit it's usually not an issue.

I also have a wrist issue on my right wrist that limits flexibility at times. For instance, I have to do pushups on my knuckles because I cant painlessly bend my wrist 90 degrees.

I wanted to get some opinions from folks with experience in the art. I do workout using various routines from weight training to cross-fit on a regular basis, so I feel adding Kung Fu will help me get in even better shape and help strengthen these weak areas.

Thanks for reading!

 

[Shifu Steve]

Hey Guys,

I am wondering about a few things here. I'm an old fart (34) and want to take up Kung Fu. (for more details on what I will be taking - http://www.kungfuarnis.com/) I've been considering it for some time now, and checked the place out, I am pretty stoked about it.

Couple of questions though about trying this:

I had a low back injury about 7 years ago that comes back to haunt me if I over do it. It was just a torn muscle, but I continually have to strengthen it. As long as I am keeping fit it's usually not an issue.

I also have a wrist issue on my right wrist that limits flexibility at times. For instance, I have to do pushups on my knuckles because I cant painlessly bend my wrist 90 degrees.

I wanted to get some opinions from folks with experience in the art. I do workout using various routines from weight training to cross-fit on a regular basis, so I feel adding Kung Fu will help me get in even better shape and help strengthen these weak areas.

Thanks for reading!

First of all I can only speak from my own experience. Asking about "Kung Fu" in general is similar to saying "martial arts," there is a lot of variation. That being said, I have trained with the same people since I began and have practiced a variety of styles. The practice of technique and forms will not necessarily provide you with any additional strength in your lower back but it depends. Most techniques focus on aspects of tension which practiced over and over would provide strength to your core and general conditioning. Forms can be run a variety of ways and if they are run “hard” the tension involved will also provide conditioning. From my experience, there is a conditioning component that is relative to the study of certain styles and systems that most likely will help you.

I condition myself "sport specific." That is to say my conditioning drills and exercises are chosen so they may provide a direct benefit to my practice of Kung Fu. Since most conditioning programs are designed as compound exercises (working muscle groups rather than isolation) I find they not only strengthen the whole body, there is a lot of benefit to the core muscles.

Our classes always consisted of an opening sequence of stretching and conditioning that combined with Qigong provided me with a lot of core strength. As for your wrist, you would need to be careful. Certain techniques that involve Chin Na could be exceptionally painful for you if you don’t have adequate flexibility. I would say that if you utilized proper bone alignment with strikes you possibly won’t aggravate the injury. I’d just make your instructor and fellow students aware of this immediately and there are always work arounds. At the end of the day adding a Martial Art to your life is something that will only supplement your health, if you are careful. I think that Chinese Martial Arts especially focus on the cultivation of internal health that can pervade to all aspects including the healing of injury.

 

[General_Tso]

Thanks for the write up. that is the kind of info I am looking for. Sounds like it's do-able, just a few things to watch out for.

I do realize that Kung Fu is a bit general, I guess Sil-Lum would be a little more specific? I'm fairly new to all this CMA stuff, you'll have to excuse my lack of understanding of terminology.

 

[clfsean]

Thanks for the write up. that is the kind of info I am looking for. Sounds like it's do-able, just a few things to watch out for.

I do realize that Kung Fu is a bit general, I guess Sil-Lum would be a little more specific? I'm fairly new to all this CMA stuff, you'll have to excuse my lack of understanding of terminology.

Sil Lum is Cantonese for Shaolin. Again, it's kinda general without much more specific info.

BTW... you're not that old. OnlyAn Egg has you by a good number of years as a beginner & is hitting the road with an excessively physically intensive style. You'll be fine...

 

[Shifu Steve]

Thanks for the write up. that is the kind of info I am looking for. Sounds like it's do-able, just a few things to watch out for.

I do realize that Kung Fu is a bit general, I guess Sil-Lum would be a little more specific? I'm fairly new to all this CMA stuff, you'll have to excuse my lack of understanding of terminology.

No problem. CMAs are so varied it's hard to keep everything straight anyways. I also should add that depending on the style, many schools have very intense conditioning that includes all sorts of old school tools. My Shifu had us do sandbox training for our hands and wrists, Iron Staff training for our arms and core, and all forms of low gate leg training, including balancing said Iron Staff across legs in a low gate Horse Stance. So, I bet there's a good chance the school/style you're interested in has some very brutal conditioning that will strengthen you from top to bottom.

I was just reading an interesting post in this forum on Seven Star Mantis that spoke about some of the conditioning they do. Check it out and good luck to you.

 

[Xue Sheng]

First let me say I liked your Chicken dish I got at the buffet last night

Hey Guys,
I am wondering about a few things here. I'm an old fart (34) and want to take up Kung Fu. (for more details on what I will be taking - http://www.kungfuarnis.com/) I've been considering it for some time now, and checked the place out, I am pretty stoked about it.

Couple of questions though about trying this:

I had a low back injury about 7 years ago that comes back to haunt me if I over do it. It was just a torn muscle, but I continually have to strengthen it. As long as I am keeping fit it's usually not an issue.

I also have a wrist issue on my right wrist that limits flexibility at times. For instance, I have to do pushups on my knuckles because I cant painlessly bend my wrist 90 degrees.

I wanted to get some opinions from folks with experience in the art. I do workout using various routines from weight training to cross-fit on a regular basis, so I feel adding Kung Fu will help me get in even better shape and help strengthen these weak areas.

Thanks for reading!

Well a couple of things.

First to your actual question

You would be better off asking your Doctor and talking with the Sifu than asking a bunch of faceless nameless people that you really have no way of knowing. I have a back injury and 8 whole credits of Anatomy and physiology behind me and I don't even play a doctor on TV

Seriously, talk to your doctor and the Sifu.

Now to this bit

Hey Guys,

I am wondering about a few things here. I'm an old fart (34) and want to take up Kung Fu.

My usual response to this is I have leather jackets older than you but then I am generally responding to 20 somethings with that but in your case to be honest I don’t have a leather jacket older than you…but I have A Gi older than you…. You’re not old and I’m not the oldest on the site either. I started training many many years ago and I started Sanda in my mid forties.

Hell at 34 I was in pretty damn good shape and had a rather nasty back injury I was carrying around and I was still training rather hard.

If your doctor says it is ok and the Sifu is aware of your medical history and thinks it is cool then go for it.

Lastly, and this was already mentioned, when you say Kung Fu you are first simple saying hard training. It was a translation error that got it to stand for Chinese Martial Arts. The proper term would have been Wushu. But regardless the term Kung Fu is now rather generic and it stands for Chinese Martial Arts to us here in the west. But this is a partial list of what could be called Kung Fu

 

[General_Tso]

Thanks guys! you all rock. Such a wealth of knowledge and experience here. And thanks for the external links!

P.S. > Glad you enjoyed the buffet!! :ultracool

 

[Xue Sheng]

Sil Lum is Cantonese for Shaolin. Again, it's kinda general without much more specific info.

More devil talk...stick with Mandarin...it is just better

BTW... you're not that old. OnlyAn Egg has you by a good number of years as a beginner & is hitting the road with an excessively physically intensive style. You'll be fine...

And Egg is now, IMO, a CMA guy and as masochistic as the rest of us CMA types.

 

[lhommedieu]

In addition to consulting with your doctor, check and see if your prospective school utilizes traditional Chinese treatment modalities for martial arts injuries.

I've found that Tom Bisio's book, A Tooth from the Tiger's Mouth, is helpful for understanding this tradition from a layman's point of view. You can also find a good introduction to the interplay between Chinese martial arts and Chinese orthopedics at Tom's website:

www.tombisio.com

At 51 years old I'm still training in Chinese martial arts, in no small part due to Tom's teaching and treatment.

Best,

Steve