Martial Arts and Sport Fighting

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Trying to find my place

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btsinmd
btsinmd Posts: 921 Member
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I've been interested in martial arts for some time, without actually doing any. My total experience was taking one Tai Chi class and doing some karate moves in a couple of Wii games.

My local county recreation association offers lost cost karate classes held by a local club and from what I can gather they are pretty good. The classes are open to anyone of any age and any level. I am not very young, 53 yo, woman. I am not really fit, with a knee that doesn't like squats or lunges. I can run a 5k easily though and a 5 mile if I need to. I also have been swimming a lot lately.

Would karate be something that I should try, for fitness, or is it best left for younger or more fit people? Is there something better that I should try?

Thanks!

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  • whoaeyekneex3
    whoaeyekneex3 Posts: 33
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    Anything is worth a shot. For all you know, it could motivate you more towards your goals :)
  • kendrafallon
    kendrafallon Posts: 1,030 Member
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    Give it a go, there's nothing stopping you from trying. I do Tae Kwon Do and was extremely unfit when I started over 5 years ago. Age is no barrier either - we have an 80 year old at the club I train with. Go for it!
  • bcc112986
    bcc112986 Posts: 362 Member
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    It is worth the try! No matter your level physically. You should take it slow and as you learn the movements you'll feel more confident. There are so many things to learn in a martial arts class besides the actual movements. A great instructor will teach you about breathing, posture, internal health, spiritual well being and attributes to be a better person. I recommend looking for qigong or tai chi class, you may get more from those types of martial arts. :)
  • SuckerPunch77
    SuckerPunch77 Posts: 23 Member
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    DO IT! I would spend a few minutes before class and talk to the instructor and explain your concerns re: your knee. That way, s/he can offer modifications when they come up in class. other than that, the hardest part is going, once you get there, you'll wonder why it took you so long to try.
  • btsinmd
    btsinmd Posts: 921 Member
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    DO IT! I would spend a few minutes before class and talk to the instructor and explain your concerns re: your knee. That way, s/he can offer modifications when they come up in class. other than that, the hardest part is going, once you get there, you'll wonder why it took you so long to try.

    Thanks! This really helps.

    Thanks to all of you for the responses, I really appreciate it. I'll give it a try.
  • MakePeasNotWar
    MakePeasNotWar Posts: 1,329 Member
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    I wouldn't worry about age at all. My husband won his first Muay Thai belt at 51. You may or may not want to fight, but training should do you good, regardless of age. I would tell your instructor about any past or present injuries, though, and do a bit of research yourself on what techniques and conditioning exercises you may need to modify.

    The one piece of advice I would give is that if the class is full of superfit 20 year olds, don't feel pressured to keep up right from day one. Ease in and let your fitness improve as you go. I am 38 and have blood sugar, blood pressure, and hypermobility issues, so I push as hard as I am comfortable pushing, but I don't compare myself to the college athletes in my classes.
  • LordBear
    LordBear Posts: 239 Member
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    my tkd instructor has 2 replaced knees and still does it , crossfit and lifting. some things he cant do any more..but he works harder elswhere.

    john a blue belt friend of mine in class is ....i believe 54 ot 64...believe it is 64... brain fart..ggrrr.. and he works hard.

    i did tkd as a kid then got back in to it a couple years ago with a hernia bad back ovr 400 lbs and on disability.. could barely walk when i started... now down 130 lbs and going for my black belt in march.

    so in short...if you think you can..you can... you may have to adjust some things and not do other things depending on what you can and cant do.. and a good instructor will accept you and work with you to find out what and how you can grow..
  • JJordon
    JJordon Posts: 857 Member
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    I've been away from martial arts for some years now.

    I've done: some unknown American Karate (I don't even remember the place or even the small federation it was in), Wing Chun (RDU Wing Chun), Kyokushin Karate (Kyokushin-kan/Budo Karate House), Judo (Bushido Judo School) and some Americanized gendai Japanese Jujutsu (Gendai Jujutsu/Neko-Ryu Goshin Jitsu)

    However, what has always caught my eye is Kajukenbo.

    In my area, it is specifically a sub-style of the Wun Hop Kuen Do school (Wu Hun Do) under the Kajukenbo umbrella.

    Also happens to be an MMA school that also fits in Judo and BJJ.

    Next or this month, I'm going to take a long look at some public and private lessons offered in Kajukenbo (WHKD discipline) offered in my area from a 4th dan.
  • grover0ca
    grover0ca Posts: 568 Member
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    Go and try it! Don't worry about your age & fitness--everyone starts out somewhere and you just do as much as possible for yourself--don't worry about what other people can do-everyone is at different fitness levels. The great thing about martial arts is that you are constantly improving and challenging yourself-but being that it isn't a team sport you only have to worry about yourself :)
    I'm 40 and I'm usually the oldest one at my tkd classes and almost always the oldest one in my sparring group. Sure I would love to be 18, fast and flexible but I do what I can with what I have and i'm pretty happy with that.
    Let us know how it goes!
  • Loralrose
    Loralrose Posts: 203
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    Re: karate with a bad knee... you can totally do it! Just take it slow and listen to your body. I had no problems training before or after knee surgery for a torn meniscus. Just let the instructor know what's up so they can help you adjust stances to fit your body better.
  • patsully98
    patsully98 Posts: 40 Member
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    The one piece of advice I would give is that if the class is full of superfit 20 year olds, don't feel pressured to keep up right from day one. Ease in and let your fitness improve as you go.

    This. We have a saying in jiu jitsu: leave your ego at the door. You don't have to be fit to start martial arts; martial arts will make you fit! Good luck and have fun. Starting martial arts (as an adult; did karate as a kid) was the best thing I've ever done for myself.

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