Uechi Kid Posted January 2, 2004 Posted January 2, 2004 HECK NO. I didn't start untill I was forty. You're actually at about the best age. Get started and have fun. More Practice
Ripper Posted January 3, 2004 Posted January 3, 2004 I don't think the question should be if you are too old but rather WHY you want to do it. Allthough I have a lot of fun doing it I think a lot of people start doing it for the wrong reasons. Maybe that's why so many stop doing it. If you want to do it for self-defense, you'd better go to a self-defense course instead of karate. If you want to do it to get a good exercise, you' better pick up a 'normal' sport where you don't have to do so many boring exercises. If you want to get 'spiritual'; go read the bible or the koran. René
aefibird Posted January 3, 2004 Posted January 3, 2004 Ripper, I think you've just about covered every reason why people get into martial arts in the first place... Most people start because they want to get fit and/or learn a bit of self-defence. What's wrong with that? "Was it really worth it? Only time and death may ever tell..." The Beautiful South - The Rose of My CologneSheffield Steelers!
Ripper Posted January 3, 2004 Posted January 3, 2004 Ripper, I think you've just about covered every reason why people get into martial arts in the first place...That was the idea... Most people start because they want to get fit and/or learn a bit of self-defence. What's wrong with that? Nothing at all. But if you want to get fit I don't think karate is the best sport for it. Off course it depends also on the way it is trained in the dojo. But if you want to have a good exercise; why don't you go jogging instead of wearing a strange suit, yell oss all the time, pay for exams, etc. And if you want to learn a BIT of self-defense; why do you want to train so many kata's and do so much kihon if there is an easier way of learning self-defense? Karate is a very ellaborate way of teaching self-defense. René
aznkarateboi Posted January 3, 2004 Posted January 3, 2004 what if they want to get a workout WHILE getting self defense? hmmmm......
aefibird Posted January 3, 2004 Posted January 3, 2004 I don't think the question should be if you are too old but rather WHY you want to do it. Allthough I have a lot of fun doing it I think a lot of people start doing it for the wrong reasons. Maybe that's why so many stop doing it. OK, so what do you think are the right reasons for taking up karate? "Was it really worth it? Only time and death may ever tell..." The Beautiful South - The Rose of My CologneSheffield Steelers!
ESA-Shotokan Posted January 3, 2004 Posted January 3, 2004 I have to echo, it is never too late to start learning karate, or most martial arts, for that matter. If you were a lot older, then a style such as ju-jitsu may be a bit harder. I studied that for a while in my late 20's and I found it painful being thrown - knees would smash together!! Very painful. I have found if you have done karate for a long time, like over 10 years, then suddenly trying to change style and ideas will be harder as you get older. That was the hardest part about the ju-jitsu. I was so used to 'not' being knocked or taken off balance, that other students in the classes found me a hard opponent. I wasn't trying to be smart or anything and I didn't let on I was a karateka, but it was just the basic mechanics of the ju-jitsu art not being applicable. Of course, the senior grades were able to adapt very quickly and start throwing my * all over the place, but that is another story!
Ripper Posted January 4, 2004 Posted January 4, 2004 OK, so what do you think are the right reasons for taking up karate? Hmmmm.... can't think of any to be honest. Well OK, the one I allready mentioned. If you think it's fun (to run around in a weird suit, yelling oss, doing hundreds of mae-geris, walking a kata for the thousand and one time, etc.). René
aefibird Posted January 4, 2004 Posted January 4, 2004 So... why did you take up karate, Ripper?? Just curious. "Was it really worth it? Only time and death may ever tell..." The Beautiful South - The Rose of My CologneSheffield Steelers!
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