Questioning my M.A. Competence

[KungFu Disciple]

First time poster here. I am 36, and started taking Kung Fu back in March. Lately I have been questioning my ability to be good in the art. I have arthritic knees, and I have been working towards improving their strength and flexability. In all I go to material class five to six times a week, and conditioning class twice a week. I also lift weights during my lunch hour at work three days a week, and try to hit on the heavy bag at home when I have the time. With all of this, I have been disappointed with my progress. My kicks are not as good as I would like, my balance is less than stellar, and I still have problems getting down into a low stance. I enjoy the time I am in class, and do not have a problem learning the material. I just don't see myself improving as far as the implementation of the material goes. I have wondering if I am expecting alot for ony six months of study, or if I just am not very good at it. Anyone have any opinions they wish to share? Thanks for your time!

[GATES]

give it longer it takes along time to get good at any thing,but i also think that you will be better than you think

[kenpo.stylist]

look at it this way, you can't correct years of inactivity by being active for six months. Unless I'm reading this wrong, you have been doing this since march. I had the same problem when I started. I wasn't sure if I could do this or that or whatever...you can't realistically expect to become perfectly balanced and stellar at your MA in 6mos. This takes years man...set some short term goals and keep the faith. Are you better now than when you started? Of course you are. Think of how much better you'll be in another 6mos.

Keep at it, things get better. And for the love of Pete, don't compare your progress with higher belts...you should only guage your progress against yourself!

[HG]

First time poster here. I am 36, and started taking Kung Fu back in March. Lately I have been questioning my ability to be good in the art. I have arthritic knees, and I have been working towards improving their strength and flexability.

Your doctor has given you the ok to train? Arthritic knee joints is going to be an issue to work around. Strengthen the muscles, ligaments & tendons surronding the knee - train smart.

In all I go to material class five to six times a week, and conditioning class twice a week. I also lift weights during my lunch hour at work three days a week, and try to hit on the heavy bag at home when I have the time. With all of this, I have been disappointed with my progress.

As a beginner you are training quite a bit. I'd scale back & see if the extra recovery doesn't help.

My kicks are not as good as I would like, my balance is less than stellar, and I still have problems getting down into a low stance.

Your knees probably have something to do with this.

I enjoy the time I am in class, and do not have a problem learning the material. I just don't see myself improving as far as the implementation of the material goes. I have wondering if I am expecting alot for ony six months of study, or if I just am not very good at it.

Kung Fu can be difficult to get the hang of at first & can be frustrating. Just keep training & the results will come. Bring up your concerns with your Sifu.

[KungFu Disciple]

Thanks for all the replies. I have had to deal with the arthritis all my life, but I don't want it to prevent me from doing what I want to do. I have been focusing on strengthing my legs with leg lifts, leg extensions and hamstring curls. It looks like I have to just keep at it. I probably will scale back my training some, but I always feel guilty when I am not there, like I will miss something important. I guess what they say is true, you are your own worst critic. I just have to accept the fact that any progress I have will be hard earned. But that is the price I have to pay for not staying in shape, and will make the success that much sweeter.

[bushido_man96]

Thanks for all the replies. I have had to deal with the arthritis all my life, but I don't want it to prevent me from doing what I want to do. I have been focusing on strengthing my legs with leg lifts, leg extensions and hamstring curls. It looks like I have to just keep at it. I probably will scale back my training some, but I always feel guilty when I am not there, like I will miss something important. I guess what they say is true, you are your own worst critic. I just have to accept the fact that any progress I have will be hard earned. But that is the price I have to pay for not staying in shape, and will make the success that much sweeter.

It sounds like you are on the right track. You train quite a bit, and that isn't bad, but you need to make sure your body is recovering. You get stronger during recovery, so don't let it get away. If you knees are arthritic, you may want to see what your doctor recommends about them. Strengthening the leg muscles probably won't make the arthritis go away; in fact, stressing the knee joints by lifting will probably cause further inflammation.

I think you have a great attitude towards your training, and that is a great way to start. Keep it up, pace yourself, and you will be fine. Welcome to KarateForums!

[HG]

Consistant training is the key. You can't sprint for miles. So as the intensity of training increases, the time/duration proportionally decreases. Just put your overall health first on the list & do whatever it takes to improve it.

[TigerCrane]

I don't know how much this would help, but directly consulting your Sifu (like HG had mentioned before) is one of the best alternatives you can take. A lot of traditional sifus know a whole lot about the strengths, weaknesses, and the healing of the human body. They sometimes may even have the "Tid Dah Jouw", an ointment used for treating a variety of wounds and for complimenting the Iron Palm training.

[KungFu Disciple]

I spoke with my Sifu, and he suggested that I scale back my workouts a little to let my body heal. He stated that he recognizes that I am in this for the long haul, so instead of blasting into my training like I was, I should "enjoy the journey", and pace myself. I just have to keep in mind that I will never learn all there is to know about my art, so instead of trying to make it to a finish line, I need to set some goals and do what I can to achieve them, and move on to new ones. Thank you for all the replies, they were very helpful.

[bushido_man96]

Enjoy, and best of luck to you!