You're never too old!

[JohnASE]

Tonight, my 98 year old grandmother is taking her first Tai Chi class! Granted, Tai Chi is unlike most martial arts, and I'm sure there will be things she can't do, and her goal is fitness, not learning self-defense, but she'll be out there training and learning.

My point is that being too old or too out of shape should not keep someone from beginning martial arts. Maybe you'll have to work harder to get the same results, or maybe you'll have to be satisfied with not performing as well, but either way, you'll still be working on being the best you that you can be, and that's what matters. My grandmother isn't going subdue a mugger or win any competitions, but she hopes that training will improve the quality of her life, and I bet it will.

[bushido_man96]

That's great! Kudos to her! I agree, age is not and should not be any kind of road block to learning something new.

[Nidan Melbourne]

Thats fantastic!

[Wastelander]

That's great! Tai Chi is wonderful for maintaining the body and mind

[CredoTe]

Whoa! That's awesome..!

[lowereastside]

98 years old - WOW THAT'S GREAT - my training partner in Praying Mantis is going on 86 - I was with him a couple of weeks ago - right in front of me and our kali teacher he drops down and does 40 pushups -and it's not the 1st time he's done this - but he's been doing Martial Arts since the 1950's. But starting at 98 - it goes to show you it never to late to start something new.

[Dianna]

That is awesome!!

[DWx]

That's awesome. Fantastic she's still active at 98.

[sensei8]

Yes...that's very AWESOME!!

Thank you for sharing that!!

[JohnASE]

Sorry, my grandmother wimped out! My mom said she was all dressed and ready to go, but she said she was tired, and the class was too late (8pm?), so she skipped it. My parents went without her. It was their first class. They're in their mid-70s. If my grandmother ends up going, I'll report back, but it's not looking good. Maybe if they find a day class.

Even without Tai Chi, my grandmother is in pretty good health. She walks to the market 2 or 3 blocks away. Until my parents bought her a little cart, she walked home carrying her groceries. Neighbors would stop and offer her a ride, but she refused. She didn't carry a lot, but still... My dad drove her for bigger shopping trips. She never learned to drive, so she walked and took the bus everywhere. That's very unusual here in SoCal. She's not doing it now. It's too hot! It's been over 100*F most of this week.