What makes a martial art ideal for older people?

[TMA17]

I’ve heard from several people over the last year tell me to stay away from certain arts. They claim once you’re 40, it’s all downhill from there lol.

Everyone ages differently and I don’t see the connection. Surely Tai Chi is one art that comes to mind that is easy on the body. However, one can still box or wrestle if you approach it more from a workout or conditioning manner. Shadow boxing or cardio boxing etc.

I had a guy at an MMA club tell me he stopped doing the striking arts (Muay Thaiin this case), and now only does BJJ.

I think folks overthink this. It’s all movement. It comes down to how competitively you train and want to use it. DB has posted videos of the older boxers at his gym. I’ve also seen 70 year old MT guys. I find a lot WC proponents seem to make the argument that it’s an art you can practice well into the later part of your life.

 

[hoshin1600]

to me it is an individual answer. as we age we all have different issues. some people get arthritis in certain joints others have parts that just plain wear out. for me my knees are shot so i had to give up the TKD kicks long ago. while other people my have rotator cuff or shoulder issues they need to forgo the punching.

 

[Headhunter]

No reason why an older person can't just workout but things like boxing Mma etc are tougher on the body than things like tai chi. Plus with sparring getting hit hard in the head at an older age is riskier than when you're young. But again it is all down to the person

 

[skribs]

I'd say these are things I'd avoid as you start getting older:

• Competition, especially competitive competition. (I know, it's redundant, but I mean competing to win and prove yourself vs. competing for fun).
• Acrobatic techniques you might find in tricking/gymnastics. Stay away from things that are going to really hurt if you screw up, or things that put extra pressure on your knees.
• Trying to keep up with the teenagers. We have a lot of problems with that when we test and our testers are anywhere from 12 years old to 68 years old, is the 50+ students try to keep up with the teenagers and they get sloppy and tire out midway through the test.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

If you don't use it, you will lose it. The day that you stop doing something, you may stop doing that for the rest of your life. You can slow down your training. You don't have to stop your training.

If you can't

- run fast, you just run slow.
- run slow, you just walk fast.
- walk fast, you just walk slow.
- ...

 

[Gerry Seymour]

to me it is an individual answer. as we age we all have different issues. some people get arthritis in certain joints others have parts that just plain wear out. for me my knees are shot so i had to give up the TKD kicks long ago. while other people my have rotator cuff or shoulder issues they need to forgo the punching.

This is how I see it, too. There are things I wouldn't choose because I know how my body responds to stuff. I can still take falls (even hard ones) and hits. Kneeling is tough for me (very tough the next day). Mostly, I'd be avoiding what would be too painful. I think someone who hasn't had experience with falls might find starting an art with lots of falls pretty tough - they are much easier to learn when you think you're invincible. For a lot of folks, BJJ makes a good choice if they start late for a number of reasons. Not much falling. They tend to be pretty gentle in their drills, so joints don't get too sore. And while strength matters, good technique and focusing on proper usage of core lets the lighter/less-strong person have a chance. From a SD perspective, it has some real benefit, since we all get easier to knock down as we age, so being able to defend from down there is useful.

When I visit Aikido (Aikikai) schools, I see a lot of folks starting out at 40+. Their falls are easier than ours (ours are Judo-style), so past the first couple of months, it starts to get easier on the body. Still a lot of getting up (which I mind these days much more than the fall).

If someone is still pretty hale, moves well, and doesn't have injuries or arthritis limiting them, they should choose like everyone should: look for something that will be fun to them.

 

[skribs]

I'm going to go back to an old adage I use all the time: it's not the art, it's the master.

If your master is going to push you to do what your body can't handle, then that's not a school for you. On the other hand, if your master doesn't let you do anything because he's afraid you're going to break, and there's tons of stuff you could be doing, then you could get more out of a different school.

One thing I think is interesting at my school is the dynamic between my Master and the elder students (as in, students older than him). There's sort of a 2-way street, that they need to respect him as the Master, but he also needs to respect them as his elders. (I mean, everyone is supposed to respect everyone, but maybe "reverence" or "deference to wisdom" is a better term?)

 

[jobo]

I’ve heard from several people over the last year tell me to stay away from certain arts. They claim once you’re 40, it’s all downhill from there lol.

Everyone ages differently and I don’t see the connection. Surely Tai Chi is one art that comes to mind that is easy on the body. However, one can still box or wrestle if you approach it more from a workout or conditioning manner. Shadow boxing or cardio boxing etc.

I had a guy at an MMA club tell me he stopped doing the striking arts (Muay Thaiin this case), and now only does BJJ.

I think folks overthink this. It’s all movement. It comes down to how competitively you train and want to use it. DB has posted videos of the older boxers at his gym. I’ve also seen 70 year old MT guys. I find a lot WC proponents seem to make the argument that it’s an art you can practice well into the later part of your life.

people talk nonsence, usually people who have given up themselves, trying to out you off doing something, and your ONLY 40, there,are top level boxers going at that age.

the truth of the matter, is the older you get the harder/ longer, it takes to gain fitness and the quicker you lose it if you stop, the bit in the middle isn't really any different to anyone else, slightly longer to recover, that's all. With the understanding that you will never manage to be as fit as a very very fit 25yo.

a fit 25yo yes,,but not a very very fit one

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

They claim once you’re 40, it’s all downhill from there lol.

I started my marathon training and triathlon training after my 40 birthday. 40 is a good starting point for all serious training.

 

[Danny T]

Depends on the individual.
I'm 63... Have old injuries and both knees have been replaced. Still spar in Muay Thai & boxing. I still train hard in wing chun and kali as well as full contact stick fighting. Will be competing in a no gi grappling tournament in a couple of weeks.

 

[Buka]

Depends on the individual.
I'm 63... Have old injuries and both knees have been replaced. Still spar in Muay Thai & boxing. I still train hard in wing chun and kali as well as full contact stick fighting. Will be competing in a no gi grappling tournament in a couple of weeks.

Wish there was an "awesome" button beside the "like" one.

 

[Martial D]

I’ve heard from several people over the last year tell me to stay away from certain arts. They claim once you’re 40, it’s all downhill from there lol.

Everyone ages differently and I don’t see the connection. Surely Tai Chi is one art that comes to mind that is easy on the body. However, one can still box or wrestle if you approach it more from a workout or conditioning manner. Shadow boxing or cardio boxing etc.

I had a guy at an MMA club tell me he stopped doing the striking arts (Muay Thaiin this case), and now only does BJJ.

I think folks overthink this. It’s all movement. It comes down to how competitively you train and want to use it. DB has posted videos of the older boxers at his gym. I’ve also seen 70 year old MT guys. I find a lot WC proponents seem to make the argument that it’s an art you can practice well into the later part of your life.

When you get old you need to get tricky. At 40 you generally won't be outpacing the 20 something's, but you can still out think them.

As for what art or style, that depends how your old bones are holding up. Plenty of older guys still pull off fancy TKD kicks fine, while others have blown knees or whatever(like me)

I'm a WC guy that crosstrains it with boxing and I still do fine..although my wrist cracks more often than not when doing a huen sao these days.

 

[_Simon_]

A really great topic, thanks for bringing it up!

Yeah really depends on the individual, but far faaar too often I see people write themselves off because in their mind they've hit an arbitrary number and are "too old". Truly becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Beliefs we hold are incredibly powerful, and the body simply responds to the feedback you give it.

Of course it's not all about that, the body does get older and you have to listen to it. I've found that as the years pass I'm training smarter, simply because of the injuries that are coming up! They're actually teaching me how to train and how to listen to the body and what it needs. Very educational . And I'm 30, but it's shown me just how imbalanced alot of my training has been with injuries and very tight and inflexible areas. So I'm learning more about the body and flexibility/mobility than I ever have before!

And I hear that too, that training in martial arts is something you can do lifelong. I think just the quality and how you go about training changes, as you train with much more experience of knowing what you can handle. We have an 87 year old 2nd dan who still trains on a semi-regular basis in our Kyokushin dojo. Limited in what he can do for sure (in such a hard style hehe), but inspiring to see

 

[pdg]

Seeing as the magic number 40 has been mentioned a couple of times...

I'm 40 41 in a couple of months. I started tkd nearly 2 years ago, zero martial arts or similar activities before that.

So, the point of that - I can side kick and turning kick just above my head height and I can twisting kick to my own face level (if I use instep, for now, working on ball of foot).

I've found it's improved the condition of my ankles, knees and hips.


Then again, I'm still about 12 in my head

 

[hoshin1600]

Willie Nelson got his 5th degree black belt at age 81. your never too old.

 

[Swanson]

I'm 50 and since starting martial arts I'm fitter then ever
I can out pace many juniors at my dojo

 

[Tames D]

Depends on the individual.
I'm 63... Have old injuries and both knees have been replaced. Still spar in Muay Thai & boxing. I still train hard in wing chun and kali as well as full contact stick fighting. Will be competing in a no gi grappling tournament in a couple of weeks.

Awesome. Much respect.

 

[Danny T]

Wish there was an "awesome" button beside the "like" one.

Awesome. Much respect.

Thanks...but I'm probably a bit too hard-headed for my on good. LOL.

 

[Anarax]

I’ve heard from several people over the last year tell me to stay away from certain arts. They claim once you’re 40, it’s all downhill from there lol.

Everyone ages differently and I don’t see the connection. Surely Tai Chi is one art that comes to mind that is easy on the body. However, one can still box or wrestle if you approach it more from a workout or conditioning manner. Shadow boxing or cardio boxing etc.

I had a guy at an MMA club tell me he stopped doing the striking arts (Muay Thaiin this case), and now only does BJJ.

I think folks overthink this. It’s all movement. It comes down to how competitively you train and want to use it. DB has posted videos of the older boxers at his gym. I’ve also seen 70 year old MT guys. I find a lot WC proponents seem to make the argument that it’s an art you can practice well into the later part of your life.

It really depends on the limitations of the individual. One of our Kali instructors gives free seminars at some local nursing homes. He says they love the cane techniques

 

[Balrog]

I’ve heard from several people over the last year tell me to stay away from certain arts. They claim once you’re 40, it’s all downhill from there lol.

I resemble that remark!!

I'm 69 and I'm on the floor doing Taekwondo every class, every day. You're only as old as you feel. Granted, some days, this is truer than others: