Seeking advice

[amita]

Thank you for the info, Flying Crane.

 

[amita]

Have you considered learning Tai Chi? It might be a good option if available in your area. Sounds like something that might work for you.

MacPark, the only thing in my area that I know of is Karate. Thank you.

 

[amita]

I would suggest that you expand & continue your search for a MA that fits you. You will have to make some compromises with what the local area has to offer in terms of MA schools. In my experience, most schools/instructors should be willing to work with your physical limitations & help you find a way to work with it. After all, we’re all human.

Repetition is part of any MA format as it builds muscle strength & memory.

Self defense is a very stressful situation that encompasses a very broad spectrum. The muscle memory learned through repetitive movement comes into play when your brain is still trying to cope with the event.

 

[amita]

Thank You Deaf Dud. I have a little arthritis, it is osteoarthritis and not disabling. Being older and having a little arthritis is something that does need to be considered, but is not at the level of a disability. I still lift, walk, do steps. Was lucky enough to be born with a high tho normal level of flexibility, which I still have. I simply do less, but still aim to a good level of fitness for where I am at. I simply wish to feel more confidence in my ability to defend myself and that is why I am doing this. My first self-defense move will be to run. As I have said, I am rural and karate is the only thing here. I can't change that. I have posted in the thread if anyone teaches in the area, please let me know. Basically, I wish to learn to fight in self defense, if there is no other choice. I would like to get into the ways of doing that with the least amt. of prelim. I understand that learning to fight takes preparation. I disagree with statements that all styles have the same amount of preparation, respectfully. Thanks for everybody's input.

 

[amita]

Every martial system requires a whole lot of repetition in the training. There is nothing about wing chun that would be any different, and my own experience with wing chun would make me caution you against it simply because you have stated a couple times that you are concerned about your arthritis. There are a lot of small wrist and finger movements, and while every school will be somewhat different, where I had trained it we did a lot of those movements with some tension. I imagine that could seriously aggravate your arthritis.

A good teacher of any system ought to be able to modify the training to accommodate (within reason) any age or health or arthritis issues. You simply need to find a good instructor who is willing to work with you on what is possible and reasonable.

 

[amita]

Thank you everyone, for your input. I will consider it all.

 

[oftheherd1]

My art is Hapkido. I wouldn't normally recommend it because of the amount of stretching that is done before class. Also the fact that we do a lot of joint manipulation and a fair amount of throws.

But who knows, maybe that would help keep you loose. It has helped me with my arthritic back (not cured, but helped.)

 

[pgsmith]

Hi Amita,
If you are still limber, you might consider Aikido of Ashland

 

[mrt2]

Thank You Deaf Dud. I have a little arthritis, it is osteoarthritis and not disabling. Being older and having a little arthritis is something that does need to be considered, but is not at the level of a disability. I still lift, walk, do steps. Was lucky enough to be born with a high tho normal level of flexibility, which I still have. I simply do less, but still aim to a good level of fitness for where I am at. I simply wish to feel more confidence in my ability to defend myself and that is why I am doing this. My first self-defense move will be to run. As I have said, I am rural and karate is the only thing here. I can't change that. I have posted in the thread if anyone teaches in the area, please let me know. Basically, I wish to learn to fight in self defense, if there is no other choice. I would like to get into the ways of doing that with the least amt. of prelim. I understand that learning to fight takes preparation. I disagree with statements that all styles have the same amount of preparation, respectfully. Thanks for everybody's input.

Just a couple of points.

1. You say you disagree with the opinions expressed that all styles require a lot of preparation, but which I think you mean repetition. What basis do you have for this?
2. You say you are older and have arthritis. I can relate. I am 52 and back to MA after many years off. Sometimes my legs and feet hurt after working out. I want to train harder, but I am aware that I could injure myself if I do too much too soon.

3. Which leads me to my next point. The styles of martial arts that are most effective for self defense are probably the ones that are the hardest on the body. I think the more combat focused you are, the harder it will be to recover from repeatedly getting hit, which is what combat focused martial arts do. If I were to take an educated guess at which is most gentle to hardest, I would say something l with no combat at all like Tae Chi might be the most gentle, while something like MMA, boxing, kickboxing or BJJ would be the hardest for an aging body to handle, with traditional striking and grappling arts somewhere in the middle. Something to consider.
4. You say you want to learn self defense. Honestly, if you want to learn to fight in as short a period of time possible, you need to consider martial arts focused on fighting, where they fight realistically more or less early in your training. That said, you might want to ask as an older person with arthritus, just how much combat you have the stomach for. I thought about this myself, and decided to go with a style similar to the one I used to practice. That said, if my goal was to be a fighting machine, I might go with something combat focused like Krav Maga, MMA or BJJ rather than a traditional martial art like Karate, TKD or Wing Chun.