It's not old age alone, it's the back. I injured myself with all the high kicks when I was training hard in TKD in the 80s. I thought I could never come back. But from conditioning using weights, I actually come back a long way. For 30 years, I can only do boxing type punching bags and in air, I can do front kicks without limitation. But all the side kicks are round kicks were out. The last year or so, I worked very hard both in weights, stick fight and kick boxing. Now I manage to round house kick to the knee level with force. That's a huge step for me already after 30+years. I would like to keep it that way.It is an interesting dilemma that one.
He could train MMA because he could do it at any pace. But training live with resistance would be difficult.
So then is there a component he could possibly do? So potentially boxing mabye?
That would at least provide a core skill.
(We do have a 70 year old train with us but he is basically all of judo. And a monster. So he didn't just wake up one day and start MMA)
Yes, live resistance on ground work require a lot of core strength(say twisting the back and apply force etc.). I just don't see I can survive at this point. I cannot afford to take a step backward on my injury anymore. Hey, at least I can do low round house kick to the knee, that's a very effective strike in fighting.
I am not going to go to any striking arts like boxing, that's what I've been doing all these years already. I had a few years in kick boxing type of training as my TKD class is really kick boxing. We didn't do anything tradition or forms until 2 weeks before belt test!!! After that, all went back to kick boxing.