Kenpo123

The body is your "Hardware" and your thoughts and feelings are your "Software". How you "Program" yourself daily will determine your inner srtength, ability to endure, that ability to always keep "One-foot-in-front-of-the other" no matter what obstacles lie before you. I am a strong believer in "Positive Self Talk" and that a person can't have the luxury of a negative thought or feeling. I also find beneficial to find time for yourself daily to go through some form of relaxation techniques, mediation, self hypnosis to relax and reinforce positive self talk and assess your goals, where you are in life, where do you want to be ect. It's important to stay focused on that which is important to you.

Sorry, can't participate on this one. I live in the "Positive" and want to stay in the "Positive". Just keep saying to yourself: "Positive Self Talk" , "Positive Self Talk" , "Positive Self Talk" , "Positive Self Talk" It's like a self fulfilling prophecy, stay focused on the positive and positive things will happen. Focus on the bad things and .........

I'm 51, I feel great and have no problem keeping up with people much younger than I. After going down the list and reviewing the various ages, I'm a little disappointed there aren't more "Baby Boomers" like me on the forum. Oh well, I enjoy the posts anyway.

heh "Killer Miller"sounds like a match to me Next time I'm in sunny Cal with my KevCar blade I'll have to show you who's boss, HaHa Glad to see you on the forum Keep those kicks & punches coming

I am!!! At 51 I feel great and am quite an advocate for other Baby Boomers to stay active and adopt Martial Arts as a wonderful lifestyle to stay fit mentally and physically. With the "Baby Boomers" flooding the market now in their Forties and early fifties I would like to see more dialogue surrounding our training issues. I can't approach my workouts at 51 the way I did at 21 as much as I have the urge to do so. I spend much more time warming up, stretching, monitoring my nutrition and strength training than ever before.

A couple more useful sites for you are; https://www.acefitness.org and https://www.bodybuilding.com both have a lot of quality information and recommended routines for starting out as well as nutritional information. Go easy and strength train incrementally, this is not a project you want to rush. Do your homework and do it right and make a lifetime project of becoming and staying fit.

I usually train at least 4 days per week and often 5 then stay after class at least 1 day a week for at least an hour to work on Kata's. Then I attend Kickboxing class at least 2 nights/week, sessions are typically 2 - 2 1/2 hours each. At home I am constantly stretching and working on balance ( doing various kicks on 1 leg slowly and seeing how long I can do combination kicks on 1 leg with good balance etc.).

I have two concerns. One is liability, if one of his students get hurt, can it be linked back to your school improperly? and Second, if he is saying his training is from your school and he is not a legitimate black belt and is in fact a poor/undertalented instructor, this can drag down the good reputation your school may have for turning out quality students and instructors. I would definately contact the parks department and advise them he is not a black belt from your school or left your school as a qualified instructor and not to associate his instruction with your school in any way. I think you need to take steps to protect your good reputation from underqualified instructors using your schools name for credentials.

Hiya, stop running! There are other cardio workouts that will give you good results (jump rope, cycle,walking at a brisk pace, swim, kata, kickboxing ect.). I was a cross country runner most of my life (ran 3-5 miles pretty much daily)and my knees are toast (not all due to running). If your knees are hurting after running, listen to your body and stop. Running is very hard on the body, especially on pavement. Also, if the pain persists see a doctor to find out what's going on. I do a lot of hamstring stretches before working out (back heel kicks etc.) and it helps me a lot in my martial arts workouts. Also, "Kickchick" seems to be very in tune with health issues and I'm sure will have some quality input for you as well.

I study KENPO

Will 56, If you're kicking with your left leg as your lead, pivot your right foot as you're kicking to where your heel is facing your target along with this get good hip rotation and your left shoulder will be turning into the kick a bit. Good way to practice this is to do it slowly with a chair or something to steady your balance if you don't already have good balance. I do these kicks all the time, get pretty good power and speed, I like them. The faster you can pivot your foot into the kick the quicker your kick will be.

Red J, you're right! My previous comment was very narrow in scope compared to how vast the subject of martial arts really is. I do recognize that martial arts is not just about learning how to fight and what people get out of taking martial arts is as varied and individual as the people themselves. I do take the fighting aspect of the martial arts very serious and train very hard as a result. But Martial Arts for me is not just about fighting either, I enjoy the many other rewards it offers and have made it a lifestyle commitment.

I have always told people, "you will fight the same way you train". I have read many posts arguing whether martial arts could really be effective in the streets. My belief is, when being taught various techniques and all you do is go through the motions in the air. You will be able to use them against "air" very effectively. I feel unless the techniques are truly studied, practiced and polished against other people and scenarios, versus those that just practice them just enough to pass their next belt test and not truly study and master the techniques as designed, could walk away and say gee, I don't think this will work in the street. Again, I am a believer that " You will fight the same way you train". If you only give your training 50% effort why expect more than 50% effectivness in the street. You get out of martial arts what you put into it.

Welcome on board Shootfighter Got my vote "Keep those kicks & punches coming"

I would suggest visiting the various schools in your area. Look at the quality of the instructors and the quality of the students. Kind of see which one "feels right" for you. Also, you may take in to consideration any physical limitations you may have ie: Korean Arts (TKD ect.) have a lot of emphasis on kicks, jump spinning kicks etc. which can be very demanding on the joints. In short, I think you will find any of the martial arts will be a good place to start as long as you have high quality instructors to teach you. If after a while you gain a preference for another style then cross train or change at that point. Martial Art styles are as individual as the person that studies them and any martial art done well with expertise is a good one. Good luck in your training and..."Keep the kicks and Punches coming"

your instructor may see your lack of punctuality as a lack of respect for his time and your commitment to the art he is teaching. Life is full of choices. I believe once you make the choice to make time to be in class on time and more often, your relationship with the instructor and the school as a whole will improve greatly.

Welcome onboard. I'm sure you will find as I have this is a great forum to be a part of for any serious martial artist Enjoy!!!!!

I studied at a TKD school that went out of business years ago. What I noticed was; 1) changed their franchise more than once 2) was belt testing more often than was usual 3) putting pressure on students to bring in more business 4) a noticable change in atmosphere, not as energized as before ( one of those inner 6th sense things that something's not right) The signs are definately there.

We primarily wear Black. Exceptions are: The tournament team has custom uniforms but still using school colors of Black/Red (Kenpo). Plus, if we are also in the kickboxing class (in which we have custom kickboxing uniforms) we are permitted to wear these in regular class workouts. But for test, we all comply with the strict uniform of all black traditional Gi's.

Hello everyone I have been reading this forum for several weeks now with a lot of enjoyment and think it's great! I am a "Baby Boomer" (51 years old now) that trained in TKD in my late 20's early 30's became an advanced Green before my studio went out of business. Life went on and have been training in Kenpo during the days and kickboxing at night 2-3 nights a week for a while now and am currently a Blue Belt. I have chosen martial arts as a lifestyle and very commited. After gaining some weight through lifes changes, I decided that if I didn't get back into shape soon, I may never be able to( I had always been very active and athletic growing up). I started weight/strength training again, really took interest in my body fuel consumption and work out heavy in martial arts, which I love doing. I feel great about my accomplishments, I went from a 36"-37" waist to a 32 1/2" waist, I'm 5' 9 1/2", 190lbs with only 10.6% body fat, have a lot of energy and feel great. I have no trouble keeping up with the 20 & 30 year olds, I compete in tournaments, kickbox , grapple as well as point fight with people much younger than I and still win most of the time. My reason for bringing up my age and some of the history is, I actively encourage other "Baby Boomers" to get involved with Martial Arts as a commitment to "stay fit for life". I get comments all the time from people in their Forties and early Fifties, "It's to late for me", "I'm to old for that stuff" etc., and they're usually surprised when I tell them my age and that it's really not to late. So, enough of me rambling on. I enjoy this forum a lot and I'm happy to be in the company of so many talented and dedicated martial artists.

I am new to this forum but, have been reading it with a lot of interest for a few weeks now. I think it's great!!! Yes. I also train in Kenpo Karate and love it! I spent time in the TKD system (enjoyed it too!) but, for me and what I want out of Karate, Kenpo has hit all the bases. Being in the TKD system has definately helped me in Kenpo and have no regrets. My instructor is also a very talented Kickboxing trainer, so, I do Kenpo 4-5 days a week and Kickbox at night 2-3 nights a week and love it. Karate is a lifestyle for me and is a life long commitment. Keep the "Kicks & Punches" coming