Stretching And Age.......

[Danny T]

No offense to you're mature age, I have some of those symptoms now, but point 4 is a bit disconcerting, sorry, but how?

It is simple as I can not move near the acceleration rate nor at the rate of velocity as I could when younger. This is true whether it be punching, kicking, running, or attempting to get off the floor.

 

[donnaTKD]

Precisely, you find yourself in the aftermath of emotional content when you ignore the signs. Eventually you start to question yourself. I personally think that perhaps you are at that crossroads of thought, but one can be redundant for a while. The problem is Donna that fighting at a lower level ain't gonna work, IMHO of course!

sorry for not being more precise when i said i'll train at a level below fight ready -- the idea that i had was to keep in shape and up the training but NOT fight at any level

 

[Transk53]

sorry for not being more precise when i said i'll train at a level below fight ready -- the idea that i had was to keep in shape and up the training but NOT fight at any level

No worries, I thought I had misread that anyway

 

[Transk53]

It is simple as I can not move near the acceleration rate nor at the rate of velocity as I could when younger. This is true whether it be punching, kicking, running, or attempting to get off the floor.

Should have put how did you notice, that would have made more sense. Even though I am unfit, I still generally feel I have lost a step. Played football for a bit the other night and was slow in some places. I guess it must a decline due to the age process, rather than fitness. I just hoped that there was some way to mitigate it other than admitting that I am not 21 anymore.

 

[donnaTKD]

i had a hard time admitting to myself that i'm not as indestructable or rather the fact that i really really don't bounce as well as did even 5years ago

just gotta be careful now --- been doing a lot of reading and they reckon that combat sports can cost you your mobility way ahead of time if you're not careful. well to put me and careful in the same sentence is never gunna happen i'm just hoping that i drop dead early and don't have to put with too much pain

 

[PhotonGuy]

Im 38 and I still do high kicks. I have one of those stretching machines where you turn a wheel and it spreads open your legs. If you turn it enough and if you're flexible enough you can do a full split with the machine. Flexibility is one of the first things to go. I knew this guy who was losing flexibility as a teenager, although when he was younger he could just about bend in half.

 

[donnaTKD]

i always thought that was medieval stuff born out of the spanish inquisition

stretching machines are like anything else like that --- they just sooooo not right especially as you get older when if you're as unlucky as me you end up walking everywhere with a stick and i hate my stick

 

[Transk53]

i always thought that was medieval stuff born out of the spanish inquisition

stretching machines are like anything else like that --- they just sooooo not right especially as you get older when if you're as unlucky as me you end up walking everywhere with a stick and i hate my stick

You see, you have the perfect piece of furniture to turn into a positive

 

[Transk53]

Im 38 and I still do high kicks. I have one of those stretching machines where you turn a wheel and it spreads open your legs. If you turn it enough and if you're flexible enough you can do a full split with the machine. Flexibility is one of the first things to go. I knew this guy who was losing flexibility as a teenager, although when he was younger he could just about bend in half.

Mmm, I tried one of those Photon and I did not feel right. The stretching aspect is brilliant, but not the thought of ripping a hamstring with which you could not relinquish the machine quick enough. Just me, maybe I was worried a lil bit too much, but I would not like that.

 

[tshadowchaser]

Well youngsters I admit that I am not able to do high kicks as much as i used to but then with age and wisdom I rarely need them. No I no longer do a full split(sure wish i could) but I do not do the stretching needed for it every day.
Can I touch my toes (yep if i sit down) No really I can still place my palms on the floor if I try a few time.
Do I stretch my back every day, YES.
Do I stretch my shoulders, yes.
Could I be a lot more flexible, yes, but with age comes some joint problems and I do not wish to dislocate my hips.

BTW muscle tone and muscle growth have a great deal to do with flexibility. If the muscles are not there or muscle growth is not suffice you will not be flexible

 

[stickarts]

I am actually more flexible now than I was when i started martial arts. for years I realize now that i over stretched and i forced my stretches. I relax better now and dont over stretch. Body is older however I know how to stretch better now!

 

[donnaTKD]

You see, you have the perfect piece of furniture to turn into a positive

i wasn't refering to an inquisitional chair (i saw a repro of one in a museum - and was stunned by the level of gratuitous violence contained within it it must have been hell to be forced into one and then have the 4 inch spikes shoved through you from all directions )

but then again walking sticks like mine which has a rams horn on the top of it make really good weapons

 

[Instructor]

I kind of view my body as a piece of old leather, where I take the time to work it, it get's pliable, where I don't it's resists bending/stretching. I am not as flexible as I was when I was 18 (Now 40) but I am also not as active as I was. If I was active as I was back in the day now I bet I could exceed my original flexibility. Flexibility is a function of training, not age.

 

[PhotonGuy]

From my experience the stretching machine works really well although you do have to be careful. Some people think of it as a torture machine but if used properly it shouldn't cause any problems. You don't want to crank it beyond your limits and you want to put it wide enough so that there is a slight stretch in your muscles and hold it there. Then when you get used to it, crank it a little more and so on. Remember safety first.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

I use a stretching machine as well. Have to be careful of the knees but I adjust them as I go along. Good tool, fun to watch tv while stretching and I have never had a problem.

 

[oftheherd1]

Well youngsters I admit that I am not able to do high kicks as much as i used to but then with age and wisdom I rarely need them. No I no longer do a full split(sure wish i could) but I do not do the stretching needed for it every day.
Can I touch my toes (yep if i sit down) No really I can still place my palms on the floor if I try a few time.
Do I stretch my back every day, YES.
Do I stretch my shoulders, yes.
Could I be a lot more flexible, yes, but with age comes some joint problems and I do not wish to dislocate my hips.

BTW muscle tone and muscle growth have a great deal to do with flexibility. If the muscles are not there or muscle growth is not suffice you will not be flexible

I have never heard anyone in Martial Talk mention an age equal to mine, never mind beyond, unless tshadowchaser hasn't updated his age since he joined eye-popping, so let's see:


High jump kicks: I can still jump as high as I could when I was in my twenties. But I now find climbing up on the chair first challenging.


Splits: I can still just about do a full split. But with difficulty, and strangely, only one leg at a time, while sitting.


Speed: I must admit my speed has dropped considerably since I stopped driving a Car.


Face kicks: They are no longer a challenge since I realized I couldn't do them and stopped trying.


Heel down kicks: See Face Kicks above (unless someone is willing to hold the chair for me, and catch me too).


Stretching: In the Hapkido I learned, we have an extensive set of stretching we go through before kicking and technique practice. I seldom do the entire set any more, unless I am well rested when I wake up.

Well, actually, I have lost stretch, but I still try to stretch when I can, and sensibly for my condition and age. I am very careful with my neck since I have a functioning but deteriorated disk at C5, I don't try to force anything past mild pain, but I can still touch the floor, and even behind my heels. But I can't put my hands down flat. It hurts to even think of it. I can still break fall, but prefer not to allow the need for it. I really mostly just try to act my age.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

At age 50, I can still throw head-level kicks. (Just for fun. I'm not a fan of using them in a real fight.) I think it's mostly the jiu-jitsu that keeps me flexible.

I do yoga not so much to maintain flexibility as to work out the knots and kinks that build up in my muscles from sitting at a desk all day and then doing BJJ in the evenings. If I go too long without doing yoga then I have trouble getting comfortable enough to sleep well at night.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I use a stretching machine as well. Have to be careful of the knees but I adjust them as I go along. Good tool, fun to watch tv while stretching and I have never had a problem.

Got one too, going to start using it again in October, but I generally meditate while using it. But that likely has more to do with it not being near a TV than anything else

 

[donnaTKD]

i tried a full stretching programme last night and am still feeling the after effects of it

not surprised by the amount it hurt given the long long list of injuries that i've had over the last few years though

i can still do a full spinning head high roundhouse as i found out tonight but it hurt like hell
i can still do a flying knee to chest level but the landing is a bit dodgy
i can still do a flying kick to chest level but again the landing was awkward
i can still punch as hard as i used to
in fact my punches seem to be a lot better with a lot more power and focus to them maybe it cos i'm so unsure of what state my legs are in that i try and get everything over with in time for an early bath
my next fight is probably going to be my last chance for a bit of glory before i write myself off properly
(i can see it coming - it's a matter of when not if it'll happen maybe not this fight but probably within 12 months)

it's really bad news and highly overrated

now where did put my wheelchair

now for the good bit

my new weight bench turned up and what a piece of kit it is too it's york bench with shoulder press / arm curl / lateral tower / preacher table / leg curl and i'm seriously impressed by it

i got it cos i needed to improve / build / maintain the muscles in my upper body and want to keep trim (my waistline is at risk here )
plus my old bench GOD rest it's soul has seen better days i've loved using it and it became a really good friend to me over the last 20 or so years but it suffered the consequence of me being wooood by a younger and newer model that'll hopefully last another 20 or so years

 

[PhotonGuy]

When you start a new program you most likely will be sore for the next few days at first but your body will get used to it. Just keep at it and be smart. Don't push your body too far beyond its limits.

And I must agree with some of the other posters here that a decline in abilities is not due to age but lack of training. If you keep yourself in good shape, you keep exercising and maintaining yourself, you should be fit for life.