To all, I just joined the Red Dragon club with my daughters, 8 & 10, and I am 49 years old. I read in this forum that around 50 years old I should mostly concentrate on self defense instruction and stay away from full contact. I am interested in learning as much as I can as well as participating in full contact. I am physically fit having been involved in body building since I was 18, yet I am far from bulky, so I feel that I can handle a fair amount of full contact; are there any major reasons why I should stay away from full contact at least for training purposes and not competition? Also, how many hours per week should I practice MA? I have set a goal of obtaining a black belt before age 53. (3.5 years away) Thanks for any advice, Reed