Late starters in martial arts

[Spartacus Maximus]

It is commonly assumed that there is a certain age ideal for starting to learn martial arts. Questions relating age are always some of the most frequently asked. A quick survey of highly skilled martial arts people both living and passed shows that they all began training as children, youths or adolescents.

This makes me wonder if there are any at all of note who started as adults older than 18-20years old. Excluding any natural talent, it it possible for someone to develop a high skill level starting to train beyond that age?

[hansenator]

I think some of it might depend on the student's background. If they have a background in athletics or dance, for example, they might learn new movements faster and be more able to handle the physical demands.

[Spodo Komodo]

I was 32 when I started but before then I was a keen rock climber and although I was (and still am) overweight, I wasn't particularly unfit. Needless to say I'm not particularly highly skilled though.

[Spartacus Maximus]

All my dojo mates are adults and nearly all of them have some kind of background in martial arts, sports or athletics. As for me I started at 13 and remained active until 29, except for a two year pause for studies. From there I started over my training in the same karate style under a different teacher who is having me relearn everything.

[Wastelander]

Well, I'm nothing special, but I started training at 18, and I was out of shape with almost no sport background. I feel like I'm doing pretty well, all things considered. As for people of note who started after the age of 18, I can think of an awful lot of them! The first generation of Western karateka pretty much all started training in karate during their military service, which puts them in or above the age range you mentioned.

Does training as soon as you can walk give you a head start? Yes. That doesn't mean that someone who starts training later in life can't become just as skilled, or more so!

[hansenator]

Another variable to consider: If someone has been training for 30 years, is that 30 years of training or 5 years done six times?

To continue to improve, your practice must be deliberate, purposeful and with the intention to improve in specific ways. If you just keep doing what you're comfortable with and have always done, your progress will stall.

[hammer]

I started in my mid 30s and now am new to Kyokushin in my early 50s. Never too late...

[DWx]

It all depends on what you consider notable martial artists.

Wastelander made a good point about a lot of famous martial artists taking up martial arts whilst in military service. Taekwondo for example is only 60 years old and many of the early pioneers are starting to turn 80 now. Granted many of them may have had prior training but a lot of them only really picked it up during military service. You could also argue that knowledge and understanding doesn't really kick in when the person is training as a child.

Now if we are discussing notable in the physical or sporting sense, it's no secret we tend to peak athletically in their mid-twenties. Take a look at the average ages for Olympians competing at 2012 for instance. In general the physically demanding sports have a lower average age. This is even more pronounced if we look at medalists in the combat sports with the average gold medal winner aged around 27 - 28. So if 10 years is enough to become a really skilled fighter then it is definitely possible to start at 17 - 18 and be at the top of your game. But I would wager that most of the medal winners did start training earlier than that.

[sensei8]

Better late, than never!!

Whatever the age one started training in the MA, imho, that's the perfect age!

[Spartacus Maximus]

By "notable" I meant people whose names are well known in martial arts circles or in history. Chuck Norris is an example, but I am not sure how old he was when he started.