OP
German Coach
Orange Belt
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- #21
Older Martial Artist
- Thread starter German Coach
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chinto01
Black Belt
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2004
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I am in my mid 30's and I plan on doing this for the rest of my life. Of course I realize that I will have to modify things but as you advance in years that is natural. My inspiration is my Sensei who is in his 80's. If he can do it so can I.
In the spirit of bushido!
Rob
In the spirit of bushido!
Rob
I hear ya Rob..At 53 I'm already having to modify things already...I bring extra Tigers Balm, Jack Daniels and Tylenol to all the seminars I attend...
Wise manTiger Balm and Tylenal to diminish the pain, and if they don't work, Jack D. to make sure you don't care about the pain! I've used that approach myselfnever fails!
Wise manTiger Balm and Tylenal to diminish the pain, and if they don't work, Jack D. to make sure you don't care about the pain! I've used that approach myselfnever fails!
Yep, the combination NEVER fails...LOL
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2005
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In that case, I'd simply have to disagree with the folks in Deutschland!
Yes, it's certainly true, that as you get older, your physical strength and speed decrease. That's just Father Time and Mother Nature reminding you that you're mortal. Despite the loss of physical prowess, though, it's not the end.
In my opinion, being a martial artist isn't simply about the fighting aspect. While the martial arts are certainly combat-related, the combative aspect isn't the only determinant of how successful someone can be as a martial artist. You can do much for the arts, and not have to do any hard physical sparring, etc.
To put it that way, one of our best assistant instructors is a 70+ year old fellow, who serves as a great inspiration to all of us. His technique is solid, and even if he can't punch nearly as hard as he once could, he works on other aspects, such as timing, accuracy, and so forth.
There's also the fact that he has lots of wisdom that comes with his age, and a great demeanor, and does a great job giving people their first day lessons.
To me, being able to do the above is equally as important, and probably moreso, than the ability of one to inflict physical harm on another.
On another note, don't underestimate the above senior citizen! He's sneaky fast, and knows how to throw a solid punch when you're off-balance.
rmclain
Black Belt
I don't think people equating martial arts in the community as a kids' activity is uncommon. Every school I've visited in my area over the past 12 years has mostly children as students. Even adults I speak with in the public mostly have the opinion that the training is for kids.
I lived in Okinawa for most of Nov. 2006. Even there, it was mostly children training at the dojos I visited.
My instructor (age 67) has been traveling to and lecturing at the Cultural Museum in Seoul, Korea on martial art for the past few years. He gives the same report there. He says most people are shocked someone his age is still active in martial arts. They think after age 25 or 30, an adult should switch and practice Taeguk Kwan (Taichi Chuan) instead.
R. McLain
I lived in Okinawa for most of Nov. 2006. Even there, it was mostly children training at the dojos I visited.
My instructor (age 67) has been traveling to and lecturing at the Cultural Museum in Seoul, Korea on martial art for the past few years. He gives the same report there. He says most people are shocked someone his age is still active in martial arts. They think after age 25 or 30, an adult should switch and practice Taeguk Kwan (Taichi Chuan) instead.
R. McLain
And yet, when I spoke to one of my neighbors about her daughter's interest in my class, her response was that she thought MA was for adults, and mostly men...
jdinca
Master Black Belt
:rofl: I can't tell you how many times a workout has been followed by a spell in the hot tub, a beer and two naprosyn!!!
AIKIKENJITSU
Green Belt
Germany thinks it's infantile? Well, they are wrong! Many men like me are proving it wrong. It's a good way to keep in shape. If you practice speed it will stay with you. If you gain a lot of weight and maybe a large gut, this will slow you down. Simple as that.
Take care,
Sifu
Xue Sheng
All weight is underside
Did not put this in my original post in this thread....15 years ago...
When I was in Beijing, if older persons, retired persons, in their 60s and older, played any sort of sport, basketball, soccer, hockey etc. they were labeled crazy, older people should not do that, it's not good for them....but the 2 guys I saw in Tian-Tan, who looked like they were somewhere between 70s and 80s, doing changquan, better than I've seen younger people in the US do...they were ok, martial arts and dancing is ok for older folks
When I was in Beijing, if older persons, retired persons, in their 60s and older, played any sort of sport, basketball, soccer, hockey etc. they were labeled crazy, older people should not do that, it's not good for them....but the 2 guys I saw in Tian-Tan, who looked like they were somewhere between 70s and 80s, doing changquan, better than I've seen younger people in the US do...they were ok, martial arts and dancing is ok for older folks
