Does anyone have any thoughts on the best martial art to practice as one moves into middle age and beyond?
Some thoughts here:
http://www.dojomart.com/martial-arts-for-older-adults/
Happy training!
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Does anyone have any thoughts on the best martial art to practice as one moves into middle age and beyond?
Some thoughts here:
http://www.dojomart.com/martial-arts-for-older-adults/
Happy training!
At 58 years of age I am often asked this question. What I tell people is, it is not a matter of which art to study, it is a matter of which school to study in. What will keep an older person involved in martial arts is more an issue of how the art is taught and what the culture of the training hall is. The art itself is largely irrelevant.
I myself practice Brazilian jiu jitsu so let me use that as an example (and the article cited talks about BJJ too). If you have an instructor who is willing to make allowances and modify the techniques then BJJ can be a fine choice for older people. But alongside that, the academy culture has to be right. If it is an intensely competitive academy or if the academy uses a hard core smash and pass approach then folks over 40 are just going to get creamed and end up spending most of their time injured. So if you are older the issue is finding the right teacher and the right school rather than finding the right art.
Now having said that I fully realize that some arts are inherently unsuitable for folks over 40 .Western boxing falls into that category, as does judo. These arts are too hard on one’s body no matter how they are taught.
Martial arts really is a great recreation for older people. I wish more older folks would participate but there seems to be a feeling among middle age and older folks that martial arts is simply unsuitable. And that is not the case.
Take care,
Brian
I agree with Brian that the school and the teacher are more important than which art/style. I also agree that certain arts aren't really suitable to be taken up in middle age, such as boxing and Judo. I would also add Muay Thai, Greco-Roman wrestling, XMA ("Extreme MA"), standardized performance wushu, and Olympic-style Taekwondo to that list.
I'm 53, and I intend to continue practicing my art, Choy Lee Fut, for the rest of my life. Some practice methods/points of focus can and must be modified as you age, but that's what makes a MA an art form. Any true art form can and must necessarily grow and evolve along with the practitioner (or artist).
The choice of art and the school/teacher should be what are compatible with YOU and your goals. Article writers, fighters, teachers and practitioners' suggestions will always be biased towards their own preferences.
Of course, starting from scratch in a MA over the age 40 or 50, and having trained in MA since childhood and continuing into middle-age and beyond are two very different situations.
If you can still do this at your age of 80, your health is above average.
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Does this also mean that all kickboxing arts should not be practiced by people over 40 ?
Not necessarily. It depends.Quote:
Originally Posted by Firehawk4
Someone who has regularly trained kickboxing since they were young and kept in shape can probably continue well into their 60s. Unless they are coaches, if they are training in a highly competitive environment of mostly young guys, it may or may not be beneficial. A lot depends on how fit he/she is, and if the training can be tailored to suit older practitioners.
If an average person is taking up MA for the very first time over 40, or hasn't trained since they were a kid, a competitive kickboxing gym is not a good idea. If they are allowed to train at their own pace and they like it, it might be OK. Hard sparring would NOT be recommended.
I'd like to amend what I said earlier about boxing for middle-aged and older people. Although this isn't addressing 'typical' middle-aged+ people.
This program and others like it for those with Parkinson's (most of whom are middle-aged and older) is excellent, and is a perfect example how beneficial and effective an adjusted boxing program can be for physical and mental health. Note that none of the people in the program are taking punches.
For anyone who might laugh at this and claim it's not really boxing, this is no joke. My late father had Parkinson's for over 20 years. I wish, wish, wish there could have been something like this back then for him. Anyone who has ever helped care for a loved one with Parkinson's will see how awesome this is, and boxing is the most suitable art/method for such a program.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfDHGbuvqiw&sns=em