How Old Are The Martial Artists Here ?

[tallgeese]

Low back?

That and knees, and shoulders, and hips and...you get the idea

[The BB of C]

Low back?

That and knees, and shoulders, and hips and...you get the idea

At the same time none of us should be talking. Heck, I'm obese (working hard to fix it but obese nonetheless).

Besides, you ever see those 90-year-old Tai Chi practitioners that can do full splits standing against a tree?

[tori]

Hey, I am not 90 and I did a full split last week. Yep, slipped on the ice covered road and full split. I walked like I had been riding a horse for 3 days.

[pittbullJudoka]

Low back?

That and knees, and shoulders, and hips and...you get the idea

I put my vote in for the 30+ group since I hit the big 3-0 in a few months. And you just listed every problem I currently suffer from. I tell the younger guys that train with me "you may be younger faster and stronger but I'll just use the dirty old man tricks I've seen over the years and hurt ya I'm too out of shape to bang with the teenie boppers. I just ko ya and get it over with"

Just wish I has taken better care of my self when I was a kid now.

[still kicking]

I'm 57 and still kicking -- hence the name. Took a 20 year break from karate and started up again 3 years ago. What I've noticed is that muscle memory is a lot stronger than mental memory -- fortunately, or else I would be starting from square one -- but I have also noticed that there is no such thing as joint memory! In other words, especially when I first started up again, I have to be careful to not get carried away and do things the way I used to do, or I might hurt myself bad!

Everybody's different, of course. Some of the "young kids" in my school (age 25 or so) have had various problems with knees, rotator cuff, etc., and so far I have been lucky with that. I get a bit annoyed sometimes when people 20 years younger than me say they are so old and can't do something, but I don't have to buy into it. The trick is to not kid yourself that age doesn't matter at all, but at the same time challenge yourself to go farther than you thought you could. You just have to tune in to your own body, and learn the difference between good pain and bad pain -- which admittedly is sometimes hard to do until it's too late.

I will second the comment about recovery time. I have the hardest time with my quads. I often feel like my quads are shredding. I try to deal with it by doing some light exercise bike work before classes, stretching, hot baths, massage, ice, ibuprofen. I'm sure what's needed even more is rest, but I'm a fanatic and there is rather a group culture of training hard all the time. We can always work individually on something lighter when the class is doing deep stance work, if we need to. I think it's about time I let go of the ego that makes me think I have to try to keep up. The thing is, I can keep up, but I pay I high price in soreness for several days sometimes, and possibly more serious unjury. OK so I'm a slow learner, but I'm just now figuring out that the point is to pace my training so I can keep doing it, not blast through full out just to prove I can. Jeesh. To sum up -- sometimes it's frustrating that I can't kick fast to the head easily, or keep going for a longer time without running out of breath like I used to, but on the other hand, I look pretty darn good if I do say so myself. My speed, power, focus, and timing/reaction time are good, flexibility and endurance "need improvement". So what -- I'M PLAYING! I'M HAVING FUN! Getting better every day, and keeping the most insidious characteristics of old age at bay. I appreciate every day that I am alive, and with any luck will be back at it tomorrow. Woo hoo!

[joesteph]

I'm 57 and still kicking -- hence the name. Took a 20 year break from karate and started up again 3 years ago. . . .

The trick is to not kid yourself that age doesn't matter at all, but at the same time challenge yourself to go farther than you thought you could.

I'm also fifty-seven. If you go to Tang Soo Do World at http://www.tangsoodoworld.com and click on the Articles tab, a short article I wrote called "Age Is Just a Number" can be found. You might be interested.

[ryukasagi]

I'm 18

[The BB of C]

Hey, I am not 90 and I did a full split last week. Yep, slipped on the ice covered road and full split. I walked like I had been riding a horse for 3 days.

The last time I fell unintentionally into a full split it did absolutely nothing to me. It was like "Hey check this out, I fell."

[tallgeese]

Great article link, joe!

[Tiger1962]

The trick is to not kid yourself that age doesn't matter at all, but at the same time challenge yourself to go farther than you thought you could.

I hear ya. The last time I thought that I tore a tendon so I make sure I listen when my body gives the sign "no more!"