Over the Hill Thread

[Lee Chiang Po]

A woman looks for a man that excites them. She sees things in him that draw her to him. Then, once married, they fear that other women will see that in you and begin trying to change you into something that is more manageble for them, and less attractive to the other women. If they succeed in doing this, suddenly you are no longer the same man that caught their attention and stirred their hearts, and they quickly lose interest in you. Then begins the hunt for another man with these things that first drew them to you. You can't treat them kindly, can't treat them fairly, and you can't treat them as equals. And you certainly cannot lay your trust in them. I know some will not agree with me, but come back in 10 years and we can see if you still disagree with me.
I always had a day job. In my case it was always a night job. I did other work on the side, and it usually required me to be free during the day. My biggest problem was keeping my wife out of my side job business. I never told her what I was doing, and it drove her insane. No matter what you do, or get involved in, the wife is the very last person in the world that you want knowing anything about it.

[Lokhopkuen]

For those of us that have spent our youth in MA and are now suffering with nagging injuries and other ailments. This is for MAists that are 40ish and above.

How do you train now? Can you or do you still fight? How do you keep your skills up with your injuries?

Have you gained weight with age? How do you keep in shape? Can you run or do cardio? Have you tried supplements for energy or weight loss? Has your diet changed? What do you eat?

How many injuries do you have and what types? Torn ACL's? Meniscous? MCL's? Ankle's or feet? Hips or back? Head, Neck or Spine? How do you deal with them?

Have you retired from competition? Are you just teaching now? What are your future plans as you age in MA.

ginosifu

53;
I train everyday and teach a few days per week and I find after each work out I am totally spent and terribly satisfied. I have a few old njuries that I harmonize with.
I find I have to concentrate on my breath in order to sustain myself in sparring or forms but as long as I am mindful of the breath I have plenty of energy.

It's very inspiring to read the stories of the advanced practitioners here, thank you all.

[Lokhopkuen]

A woman looks for a man that excites them. She sees things in him that draw her to him. Then, once married, they fear that other women will see that in you and begin trying to change you into something that is more manageble for them, and less attractive to the other women. If they succeed in doing this, suddenly you are no longer the same man that caught their attention and stirred their hearts, and they quickly lose interest in you. Then begins the hunt for another man with these things that first drew them to you. You can't treat them kindly, can't treat them fairly, and you can't treat them as equals. And you certainly cannot lay your trust in them. I know some will not agree with me, but come back in 10 years and we can see if you still disagree with me.
I always had a day job. In my case it was always a night job. I did other work on the side, and it usually required me to be free during the day. My biggest problem was keeping my wife out of my side job business. I never told her what I was doing, and it drove her insane. No matter what you do, or get involved in, the wife is the very last person in the world that you want knowing anything about it.

You sir are a man of wisdom and experience

[Vajramusti]

I am learning much from you old folks !!!

joy chaudhuri

[ginosifu]

It seems that most of the true fighters among us older MA all have some type of Injury. Is there no way around this? Have we not trained properly to prevent these injuries? Can we learn something from this? Is there a way to teach our students or future generations of MA to prevent or at least minimize these injuries we encountered?

I am permanently on Glucosomine / Condroiton / Advil etc etc to minimize joint pain. What are you guys doing to minimize pain? Any herbal remedy that I do not know of?

ginosifu

[sanjuro_ronin]

It seems that most of the true fighters among us older MA all have some type of Injury. Is there no way around this? Have we not trained properly to prevent these injuries? Can we learn something from this? Is there a way to teach our students or future generations of MA to prevent or at least minimize these injuries we encountered?

I am permanently on Glucosomine / Condroiton / Advil etc etc to minimize joint pain. What are you guys doing to minimize pain? Any herbal remedy that I do not know of?

ginosifu

Part and parcel of the package for anyone that tests their MA and views the figthing aspect of their MA as crucial.

[YouKnowWho]

Old Chinese saying said, "It's easy to develop your Kong. It's much harder to maintain it." When you are 80 years old, if you can still do whatever that you could do when you were 20, you are a successful TCMA guy.

Before you are 50 years old, you are in "development" stage. After your 50 years old birthday, you should be in your "maintenance" stage.

[LaterthanNever]

Don't take this the wrong way..but..

I think it is rather myopic to say that just because someone is over 40 that they are "over the hill".

I'll be 47 this November. (Graduated high school in 1982)

I also train with Jesse Glover who just turned 78..and though he may not walk with the stride in his step that he had 30 years ago..he's without a doubt still strong as an ox and probably the fastest 78 year old man(with his hand speed) on earth!!

Should the "I'm over 40 so I am finished" line of thinking permeate our thoughts more than it needs to?

[jdhowland]

I'm 57 now and happy to report that I have no current pain or injuries. Mobility is as good as ever. I've had a few training injuries over the years. The worst was when someone muscled out of my leg lock and something in my knee snapped. I limped around for a year but seem to have all the strength back. The worst damage received from real fights was bumps, bruises and some lacerations to my right hand. I was lucky.

My highest level of fitness was when I was 30 and training seven days a week. I'm a little stronger now, and maybe a little tougher, but I think I'm losing on reaction time. My added mass helps me knock the heavy bag around better than I used to but it is much harder work than it used to be.

When I was poor and struggling I lived on cheap carbs and stayed lean. Now I eat less and try to avoid the carbs. I've never done dietary supplements and probably never will.

My training and teaching strategies have changed over the years, reflecting my own concerns. The white crane style I originally learned requires a degree of hypermobility in the shoulders. As the token round-eye in the class I felt I had to do the basics better than anyone else in order to prove myself and I developed the skill, and years later the tendonitis that goes with it. I emphasize flexibility less and strength more. Before, it was all about making the technique look right. Now it's all about proper structure: test the structure to see if it takes the force.

My goal is not to be a superior athlete but to stay fit enough to keep up with the twenty-somethings. It's getting harder for a good reason. My generation of late baby boomers was, overall, pretty weak. Students are learning weight training in high school now and are more body-conscious. I sometimes see "untrained" teenagers with more natural ability than some of the tougher and experienced kung fu students of forty years ago.

[ginosifu]

Don't take this the wrong way..but..

I think it is rather myopic to say that just because someone is over 40 that they are "over the hill".

I'll be 47 this November. (Graduated high school in 1982)

I also train with Jesse Glover who just turned 78..and though he may not walk with the stride in his step that he had 30 years ago..he's without a doubt still strong as an ox and probably the fastest 78 year old man(with his hand speed) on earth!!

Should the "I'm over 40 so I am finished" line of thinking permeate our thoughts more than it needs to?

I do not take it the wrong way LaterthenNever: Although 40ish is not that old, as we reach 50ish most of us who fought a lot in our youths are now having some type of injury. This has not taken me out of the picture, I still fight / Shuai Chiao / Spar etc etc. As a person ages in the MA's, we need to change our focus a bit. We can not ignore aging, and as you aquire injuries, you need to adjust your training accordingly. Some of us have completely stopped fighting because of nagging injuries, some of us have not. Some people have completely left the MA's, most have not.

ginosifu

[mooyingmantis]

It seems that most of the true fighters among us older MA all have some type of Injury. Is there no way around this? Have we not trained properly to prevent these injuries? Can we learn something from this? Is there a way to teach our students or future generations of MA to prevent or at least minimize these injuries we encountered?

I am permanently on Glucosomine / Condroiton / Advil etc etc to minimize joint pain. What are you guys doing to minimize pain? Any herbal remedy that I do not know of?

ginosifu

One naproxen every morning on work days. Ice when needed at night.

[ginosifu]

One naproxen every morning on work days. Ice when needed at night.

What do you guys think of meds like:

Glucosomine or Condroiton / MSM

or do you prefer:

Ibuprofin - Advil

Naproxen - Alieve

Acetemiophen - Tylenol

or do you prefer:

Ice or heating pads?

Any other meds? Herbal remedys?

ginosifu

[Robinhood]

If you train internal you will continue to improve.

If you stay at body level application you will continue to go down hill.

It is a shame that most internal arts are not internal any more.

[Subitai]

I had always learned from my Sifu and Believed (call me brain washed) that if a person had been training honestly and continuously since they where "younger" ... Then they didn't hit their prime in Kung Fu untill they're 50.

It's the skill during this period that is the determining factor.

Diet and strengthwise if a person has kept up, they shouldn't really have muscle atrophy.

Loss of speed is not as important IMO...I've always mantained that Speed is a perception of distance. It's a mature thing to understand distance and connection. So much the better...I won't ever chase a younger guy around the ring.

I'm 42 and I try to be inspired by my favorite Si Gung, Chiu Wai. At 70 (just like his father) he was in better shape than most 30 yr olds and still fiesty.

I'm 30lbs heavier than in my 20's ...Not quite as strong but still very fast.

But my skill is Far, far above what I did back then....Smarter and more efficient is better. My training is traditional but I gear all my fighting towards a modern fighting module.

Most of my hardest fighting was in my 20-30's. I still bang around ocassionally, but mostly when I meet someone new. That is my Litmus test, ie how well can I dial in on a strange fighter I never met before. IMO if you fight with a guy you know well, then you already know his tendencies.

I have no injuries and keep myself ready for when occassions call for it because i'm not some Famous old Chinese dude that nobody will challenge. (makes you feel like Rodney Dangerfield) That means when I do a seminar, I ocassionally I have to prove myself vs the biggest mother in there 1st.

My Sifu always said to me,
"You're always thinking about fighting 1st, you need to calm down....You should change your attitude by the time your 50"
- so be it then, when I'm 50.

[ShaolinDan]

I used glucosamine/chrondroitin supplements for a while, it seemed to help, but I also heard/read some stuff that suggested it might create dependency. Gradually weened myself off, and have been fine without it since then.
I never take advil, tylenol, or aspirin...arnica and dit da and alcohol and moxa are all I ever use....but I'm 'young.'