Too old to begin again?

[Mel]

Hi--I'm new here. Great place to be. I've had a good time reading many of the posts. I tried to do a search on my question, but I didn't have much luck. Here's the situation:

At age 19 I started training in Hun Gar kung fu. I had the honor (although I was too young and stupid at the time to realize it) of studying under Shufu Ting Fong Wong in Buffalo, New York. (There are old issues of Kung Fu Magazine about him--he was incredible.) I loved it! I did well and progressed at a decent rate. Then after a couple of years, I stopped training. Why? A million reasons (none of them seem very good now). Home life was terrible, love life was worse, schooling was awful.....you name it. A year or so goes by and I started training again for about six months. And, like an idiot, I stopped doing it again. I stopped doing something I really loved (and not for the first or last time in my life). Big mistake.

Fast forward 22 years and I am now 41, sliding into 42. I accidentally ran across some old web photos of my Shufu. Embarrassing to say, but I feel as though I've had this bizarre revelation--and it all came down on me instantaneously like a ton of bricks. I have been having dreams about my Shufu! I suddenly have an uncontrollable urge to resume training. I still remember my horse stance, as well as basic punch, block, and kick. Shades of a form or two, but that's about it. My shufu is now dead (or so I heard, a few years back), I can't seem to find his son (who I know used to teach as well), and I'm living in Maine--a very unpopulated State with little to no "real" martial arts training.

My questions: Is it reasonable to want to go back to kung fu at this age? I have stayed in decent shape throughout the years with cardio and weightbearing exercises. Do I stand a chance of attaining any sort of skill? The desire and discipline are DEFINITELY there--and THIS time, I will NOT quit. Has anyone else started or restarted at my age (or later)? If so, how did it go for you?

I've been practicing what I remember, trying to recondition my muscles. Even though I stayed in decent shape, as you all know, kung fu uses muscles you didn't even know you had! They say when the student is ready, the master will appear. I wonder....

Any thoughts and/or advice on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot.

Mel

[todi]

Hey Mel,

Your story reads, almost verbatim, like mine. I was in my early 20's and I enjoyed training in Hung Gar immensely. Things happened and things got in the way and I stopped training. Without sounding overly dramatic, I always valued that moment in my life because I knew it caused something to change in me and very well might have been responsible for turning my life around. At age 48, I found my old sifu again after wondering about him for over 20 years.
Long story short, I'm 51 and I'm training harder than I did when I was in my 20's because I'm focused now and I realize that if I'm going to learn this art, it has to be now. Yes, if you've seen another post I have here, I have my aches and pains but I view it as part of the training and something I learn to ride over. I had just as many aches and pains as when I was a young buck. As I said, I never trained this hard before.
My advice is just do what you feel right doing.... no your not too old. People will certainly try to tell you that but they're not you. Do what you feel is right.

[fa_jing]

Dunno but my sifu was 42 last I saw him he was still banging with the young guys in heavy contact sparring. Not to mention he's a Cook County Sheriff.

Of course, he was HIGHLY conditioned in his 30's so the carryover is helping him.

[Chief Fox]

Mel and Todi, you guys are lucky. I didn't start Kung Fu until I was 34 years old. Now at 37 I'm having the time of my life. I know we're not the same age but my point is, you're never to old to start or re-start anything.

Happy training.

[mickey]

Hello Mel,

I am in a similar situation that you are. I am blublubblah years old and have been struggling to establish some type of consistency so I can begin my own "blog" as promised. My body keeps telling me where to go and what to do when I get there. Right now I am working on a strategy that involves using cellular memory as a template, something I was not doing. I will be implementing that strategy in September.

Stick with it.

I remember seeing the site of Master Mandarino a year or two ago. Get in touch and enjoy.

mickey

[Mel]

Hey, thanks for those responses. I appreciate it. Yeah, I know the old, "You're only as old as you think you are" thing, but it helped to read what you all have had to say. At least I don't feel like the "only one" anymore.

Todi, I know EXACTLY what you mean when you say that moment in your life caused something to change in you, and may have been responsible for turning your life around. Same thing happened to me. Once you start kung fu, it changes you forever. It really is, as they say, a "way of life." I shudder to think of where I'd be now if I hadn't started studying it at age 19.

Mickey, I'd be interested in hearing about the cellular memory thing. Also, I've seen Shufu Mandarino's website--it's interesting. I vaguely remember his name being bantered about in class (not very positively--and that is all I will say about that because I do not know the man personally.) Thanks for the info though.

The biggest changes I've noticed in being in my 40's as opposed to my 20's:

- my sleep is more interrupted now
- I take motrin more often (though not too much)
- if I eat bad/junk food--even just a LITTLE--I feel god-awful I have to be extremely strict about what I eat (and drink)!

That's about it. I'm glad I'm still in decent shape. Isn't it ironic that when my body was "perfect" for kung fu, my mind was immature. Now that my mind is "perfect" for kung fu, my body is.....well, I guess I'll have to see. It's just another one of nature's cruel jokes.

[mickey]

Hello Mel,

Re: Cellular memory.

That involves doing the exercises that you used to do years ago. Your body should still have the memory of it and will be able to respond accordingly. I was having difficulty because I was approaches that I did not use before. It was a shock to my system. What I plan to do is go back to what I used to do and, after a good while, step up to the newer stuff. At that point my body will be ready to receive it.

From your initial post, you seem to be on the right track.

mickey