age and training

[habana]

Training , practice and age, feedback from old farts 50+. looking to continue after a 2 month sabatical due to relocation . Kenpo 4 years started praying mantis before move and held my own specialy sparring against people half my age but other things came slowly. To change or not to change! taichi a possibility but forms come with great difficulty even though I managed to het 5 forms down in 4 years.Like I say my strong suit was sparring though Im getting too old for that ,Ive learned to compensate somewhat. Question is . Anything in between? Tai chi and kempo? Very difficult mentaly, physicaly, psychologicaly and spiritualy to give it all up

[french fri25]

any type of kung fu seems like it might fit you. im not 50+ but i know quite a bit about MA. also, i take hapkido and there are 2 guys who are over 50. one is 51 and the other is 53. they love hapkido because of all the things you listed above. HKD is a soft style so we do a lot of breathing, meditation... also, there is a lot of joint locks involved so you learn to control someone bigger, stronger, and faster than you with little energy involved. hapkido uses the opponents energy against them and causes them to be off balance. also, we do moo duk kwan at my school so there is a lot of sparring, full contact and light contact. but just talking about HKD, i think it fits your preferences very well. also, in HKD there are many kicks and hand strikes available. the hapkido curriculum is very wide and should keep you busy for a while.

same goes for kung fu. kung fu uses very smooth, fluid motion and has quick, lethal strikes. you will definitley see meditation and lots of mental training in a good kung fu school. the only thing is that there is less joint locks in most forms of kung fu.

good luck finding a style and a good school.

in order for you to help us here at KF out, it would be nice to see a list of schools and styles available to you so that we will be able to help narrow down your options and hopefully help you find a style your happy with.

[some0ne]

I think the main answer to this is going to be finding an instructor that knows how to teach someone 50+ I was just having this instructor with my father a couple of weeks ago while I was visiting him. Use some common sense, find a style you're interested in that you think you can handle. Something like Muay Thai or Kyokushin in most cases probably wouldn't be the best bet but you never know if you had a school with people around your age and a good instructor for people around your age.

[DWx]

I don't think physical age is ever a problem. Its only when you think you're too old to do something that it affects how and what you do. The senior assisant instrucor at our dojang is in his 50s and we have quite a few students that are more mature. I would not want to take any of these guys on in a "real" fight as they would probably finish me within 2 secs. Plus you look at a lot of masters, its guarenteed that most of 'em are over 50 and they still manage to do everything a lot better than most younger people.

[bushido_man96]

I don't think physical age is ever a problem. Its only when you think you're too old to do something that it affects how and what you do.

I used to think this way as well. However, my knees at this point tell me otherwise. I still think I am young, but the fact of the matter is that some people's bodies wear down after a while. That is really what it comes down to. You want an instructor who knows what your body is capable of, and then be able to push you from there, at a safe level.

[habana]

appreciate the input. This is a good source of support w at all times but specially when in a new area (Pittsburgh) and I belive all the above is true though knees are not what they were and neither is the speed though quickness is good. Surprising how stamina can be recuperated and cross training is more crucial that when in you teens and 20 s. If anyone has feedback about this are ( Northern Part) please send info.. At the same time I have about 5 Kenpo and a couple katas/ Mantis forms to use but find it difficult to set time aside. Thanks( finding a good instructor is always the main thing and hardest)

[DWx]

I don't think physical age is ever a problem. Its only when you think you're too old to do something that it affects how and what you do.

I used to think this way as well. However, my knees at this point tell me otherwise. I still think I am young, but the fact of the matter is that some people's bodies wear down after a while. That is really what it comes down to. You want an instructor who knows what your body is capable of, and then be able to push you from there, at a safe level.

Your body will wear down, but like a good classic car, if cared for it just gets better with age.

[habana]

thats always been the case! finding the right instructor. There is an old saying about that but I cant remember a couple of times it took years for the right instructor to appear..

[bushido_man96]

I don't think physical age is ever a problem. Its only when you think you're too old to do something that it affects how and what you do.

I used to think this way as well. However, my knees at this point tell me otherwise. I still think I am young, but the fact of the matter is that some people's bodies wear down after a while. That is really what it comes down to. You want an instructor who knows what your body is capable of, and then be able to push you from there, at a safe level.

Your body will wear down, but like a good classic car, if cared for it just gets better with age.

Yeah, but even a classic car needs an overhaul once in a while!

[DWx]

I don't think physical age is ever a problem. Its only when you think you're too old to do something that it affects how and what you do.

I used to think this way as well. However, my knees at this point tell me otherwise. I still think I am young, but the fact of the matter is that some people's bodies wear down after a while. That is really what it comes down to. You want an instructor who knows what your body is capable of, and then be able to push you from there, at a safe level.

Your body will wear down, but like a good classic car, if cared for it just gets better with age.

Yeah, but even a classic car needs an overhaul once in a while!

Ah but once someone good fixes it up, they're up and running again and still look good!