How old is too old for sport fighting?

[Brad]

Do you think someone who's, lets say 30, and has never fought before could take up NHB/MMA or San Da and be competitive or gain benifit from it? Or would it be too late for someone of this age to be conditioned right for these kind of hard contact sports?

[David Jamieson]

current female canadian boxing champ is 37 yrs old.

Larry Holmes was 40 yrs old when he took on George Frasier and won. After which he retired undefeated.

[Mutant]

Yeah go for it Brad, no problem. You just have to work a bit harder at conditioning. Hopefully use your experience to offset any differences.

Its good experience for any martial artist, no matter what youre trying to get out of it.

And most of all, have fun with it!

[FngSaiYuk]

I think it all comes to how much quality training time you're willing and able to put yourself through and your competitive goals. There are a lot of over 30 and some over 40 competitors out there, but almost all of them have had a LOT of decent training.

If you could dedicate your time - basically, make it your job, like other pro's do, as in spend 4-10 hours a day 5-7 days a week, on quality training, then, for example, you should be able to get in the ring with goals of professional competition over time.

[MonkeySlap Too]

30 - no problem, you can even turn a pudge into a fighter.

40 - depends on the athlete - good athlete, good health, some experience - can fight in senior division, or even youth.

Guys who train whole life can fight well into 50's depending on conditioning. Wise choices in rules, how often, etc. can extend your career. KNowing when to not do it is often more important than doing it. Avoiding injury is a key.

[PangQuan]

just look at Randy Couture, hes a prim example, mid 40's and kicking complete arse in UFC.

[Brad]

Yeah go for it Brad, no problem. You just have to work a bit harder at conditioning. Hopefully use your experience to offset any differences.
Well, I'm only 25 myself so I've got plenty of time :D Not going to try it any time soon though, because I've got no health coverage :P If I seperated of broke something, I'd be pretty much screwed (Took me about 2 or 3 years to pay for my last injury!). Sometimes I get it into my head that I'm "too old" to start something like that (which probably make all you older guys want to smack me around :D) when I see all the younger more physically gifted athletes around, and some of my fellow classmates start talking about "retiring" from competition when they're younger than me... The new B level competition that some san da/san shou competitions have now makes the idea of getting into that kind of training seem less daunting. Once I can pay for training and health inssurance again, I think I'll give it a shot.

[FngSaiYuk]

just look at Randy Couture, hes a prim example, mid 40's and kicking complete arse in UFC.

Yeah, but he's been training all his life. Chances are, someone who's NEVER trained in their 40's is unlikely to progress to that level, or even come close. Again, though, it completely depends on how much time someone is willing and able to spend on training (including all aspects such as recovery - VERY important the older you get).

[SevenStar]

I just posted this in the other age thread, but one of my judo coaches is almost 80, was a three time national champ, and he never set foot into a dojo until he was 30. I've you've got the drive, you can do it. It would likely be MUCH harder to reach a pro level than if you were younger, but you can definitely compete.

[FngSaiYuk]

Then again, you can always just lightly train and focus on skills until the point that technology can increase your lifespan considerably and improve your physical body to be physically more capable than it was when you were in your 20's. THEN you can go and compete... ::grin::

There'd prolly be even more divisions then, naturals, versus enhanced, under 100 yo's, over 100 yo's, etc...

[Anthony]

First off I would like to say that age is not the only factor that will determine how far a person can go in any physical endeavor. It's not as simple as saying..."15 years old?.....yeah go for it!......35?......nope, youre five years too late to start".

Also, personal drive, although necessary may not be that much of a factor if you are not physically gifted to a certain extent. For instance, if you want to be a pro kickboxer, personal drive will mean nothing if you are short and have stubby arms and legs. Your success will be very limited. Thinking youre going to make a career out of it at that point will more likely than not land you in the poor house.

Martial arts training of any kind is not magic. It will improve you but not indefinately. And, although you improved yourself (punching power, reflexes, etc.), that improvement may still not be enough for you to best someone who has had no martial arts training whatsoever. All the training in the world is still limited by whatever nature/God gave you.

Most people at 30 already have careers or at least have some idea of whether or not they are going to be pro athletes. My advice would be to look at yourself more so than just looking at your age ( how big are you, how coordinated are you, how naturally strong are you, do you learn quickly, etc. ).

Also, ask yourself what benefit you are looking to get out of it (especially at 30), and ask yourself if it's worth it (time invested, possible injuries,etc.). In general, it's hard to begin any new career after 30 because you have to start at the bottom and pay your dues at a time in your life when you'd rather be enjoying the fruits of your career and hard work.

[David Jamieson]

like i said, current women's canadian boxing champ is 37, I believe she started her climb in and around 30.

I've seen innately skilled guys with little if any training tool guys with more than 5 years.

If ya wanna start, just start.

Realistically speaking, there's a place for anyone and everyone.
There is no hard and fast rules to learning and doing, all there is, is the will to do it, period.

[Anthony]

No need to repeat yourself, all the replies are there for everyone to read. I can have the will to run head first into a brick wall and come out ok on the other side. Doesn't mean it's going to happen. You have to look at whether what you want to do is a realistic goal. Same with anything in life. Sure there are always success stories but if they are in the minority you have to take that into account.

[phantom]

I have to disagree with you somewhat, Anthony. There is a muay thai guy with only one arm who has made appearances in Inside kung fu, I think he also won some championships. There was also a thread on mma.tv about a wrestler without arms and legs, I think he has also done well in competition.

[Machine]

It's one thing to keep on fighting until you're 40 +, but its a completely different story to start at that age.

Personally I believe that 25 is really the cut off age to START in combat sports with the intention of turning pro and excelling.

I know 25 is an arbitrary number, but I believe its fair, give or take a year or two.

It also makes a huge difference what kind of shape you're in to begin with. If you're weak, have no conditioning and are inflexible then the cut off age could drop to very early 20's.

Of course this shouldnt stop you from taking up a martial art at any age, but if becoming world champ is your goal you're probably to late.

Think of it this way, you wouldnt start playing hockey or football at thirty thinking that you could become a pro. This is no different.

[SevenStar]

It's one thing to keep on fighting until you're 40 +, but its a completely different story to start at that age.

Personally I believe that 25 is really the cut off age to START in combat sports with the intention of turning pro and excelling.

I know 25 is an arbitrary number, but I believe its fair, give or take a year or two.

It also makes a huge difference what kind of shape you're in to begin with. If you're weak, have no conditioning and are inflexible then the cut off age could drop to very early 20's.

Of course this shouldnt stop you from taking up a martial art at any age, but if becoming world champ is your goal you're probably to late.

Think of it this way, you wouldnt start playing hockey or football at thirty thinking that you could become a pro. This is no different.


IMO, if you're trying to go pro, 25 may even be too late - depends on which combat sport we are talking about. You can still compete at a high level if you start at a later age though, as was the case with the judo coach I posted about previously.

[SevenStar]

I have to disagree with you somewhat, Anthony. There is a muay thai guy with only one arm who has made appearances in Inside kung fu, I think he also won some championships. There was also a thread on mma.tv about a wrestler without arms and legs, I think he has also done well in competition.


the thai boxer is baxter humby. Never heard of the wrestler - how can you wrestle with no limbs?

[Waidan]

I saw the wrestler he's talking about on TV a couple months back. He's got nubs...long enough that he's able to utilize his torso strength (very developed). They showed a few minutes of him wrestling, and he was definitely holding his own. He's also done some modeling, lol.

[LeeCasebolt]

Do you think someone who's, lets say 30, and has never fought before could take up NHB/MMA or San Da and be competitive or gain benifit from it? Or would it be too late for someone of this age to be conditioned right for these kind of hard contact sports?

Let's define some terms - what do you mean by "be competitive" and "gain benefit"? Because starting at 30, with no serious athletic background, it's highly unlikely you'll become a world champion or top pro contender. You're not probably not going to be a career fighter.

Now, that said, there's no reason you can't compete with some success at lower level tournaments and events. Someone on this board (SevenStar?) mentioned a man at his club who took his first MMA fight at age 50. If by "be competitive" you mean "compete and win", that's certainly an achievable goal.

As far as gaining benefit, training for a combat sport should improve your overall athleticism and technical skill level. Tack on whatever psychological benefit you gain from training, progressing, and fighting, and yeah, I think there's a benefit. But that's a question you have to answer for yourself, based on your goals.

[David Jamieson]

alright, lets get definitive.

10-18 yrs old you should probably be doing some co-ordination stuff getting ready for real competition. generally, before 18 years old, in many cases you cannot legally be involved in combat sports and are thus stuck in the amateur rounds which are not as let's say dangerous as ufc type stuff where there is considerable risk involved.

18-30 It's all a go, go go! These are the years you wanna train like an athlete and climb that ladder to championship and stay there for a while.

30-55 - these are the years when you still have considerable power and can indeed win some big fights and even become a champion. These are also the years where it is harder to hang onto that championship and you will need to eventually concede that fact.

55 and up - If you haven't ever had any athletic training and haven't had any combat sports experience, then you should be looking at martial arts as merely an alternative way to stay healthy and cope with stress etc etc. Barring some incredible luck and unmatched innate qualities, you are NOT gonna be a champion fighter in any serious venue at this age. However, you can still spar with the youngins and even go home with a bruise or two that will have the wife tsk tsking you for days. You will also be the envy of your diaper wearing friends in your bridge club and the chicas at the home will swoon at your manliness. :p


these are not hard and fast, but rather, they are general rules of thumb.

[Ray Pina]

The fighter 'White" that Lidell KOed a while back is 30-something ... he used to play football and only trained 2 years before that bout.

[Machine]

The fighter 'White" that Lidell KOed a while back is 30-something ... he used to play football and only trained 2 years before that bout.


Vernon White has been around MMA for much longer than 2 years.