I've been training in taekwondo for about 15yrs and now i'm 40 yrs old. My question to my generation is. "As we are taught that age comes with wisdom." I've used my art many times, because i've worked in security all my life and needed to keep the peace at one time or another. My question is how do we older folks get used to the idea that the aspect of physicality or confrontation is a thing of the past (for us anyway) except for teaching purposes. I mean I wanna still do the fancy kicking and stay competitive, but when your body says no how do you deal mentally with that? Especially when you feel young and vigorous, but know that what ever you try to do that you once did before, pain will definitally fallow along with frustration. Thoughts anyone?
Obtaining the wisdom from years if training.
- Thread starter Pinigseu1
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Easy. Practice the fancy stuff, use the Simple stuff. Basics will always work.
I once Trained alongside a Student who had a back problem, and couldnt do any spinning techniques with any speed. So He didnt. And He could still keep up with the best of us.
I once Trained alongside a Student who had a back problem, and couldnt do any spinning techniques with any speed. So He didnt. And He could still keep up with the best of us.
ralphmcpherson
Senior Master
True. Some of the best guys I train with dont do any of the fancy stuff at all. Funnily eough, they are usually the same guys who use tkd in their job, police officers, bouncers etc. I think as we age we realise the fancy stuff is just the fluff for mucking around and having some fun, the longer I do tkd the more I become interested in the martial art side of things. I think in all sports if you watch people train of different ages you notice this shift in perspective. Watch kids at footy training and they practice fancy kicks, spin the ball on their finger, go for the intercept etc, then watch the older guys and its all business as they try to refine and practice the basics because they know thats what will get the job done on game day. I would rather have a killer right hook punch than a great jump spinning hook kick anyday. As a kid I would have preferred the kick.
Just for funsies, the Three Times in My Entire Life ive used a spinny Kick Technique is Sparring:
1; Spinning Heel (Reverse Turning) Kick. Some Guy decided hopping at Me with Side Kicks sounded Fun. It wasnt.
2; Inner Crescent Kick to Knee > Jumping Spinning Roundhouse (Tornado Kick). It just kinda flowed at the time.
3; Jump out of the way of Sliding Side Kick > Jumping Side Kick.
Im sure as a Beginner I may have attempted some things once or twice, but these are the only Three times I recall from Sparring.
ralphmcpherson
Senior Master
Yeah 3 or 4 years ago I used to use the tornado kick regularly with great success. Someone pointed out to me recently that I dont do them anymore, and I thought about it and realised they were right. It wasnt a conscience thing to stop doing them, I just think as Ive gone along the novelty of the fancy stuff has just worn off.
Earl Weiss
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>>>>> "As we are taught that age comes with wisdom." <<<<
I mean I wanna still do the fancy kicking and stay competitive, but when your body says no how do you deal mentally with that? Especially when you feel young and vigorous, but know that what ever you try to do that you once did before, pain will definitally fallow along with frustration. Thoughts anyone?[/QUOTE
I think wisdom comes with age, not vica versa]
Had this discussion with sr. GM Sereff head of th USTF. I told him. "I feel like as i get older, my body is betraying me." His response was "It Is." I then expressed thoughts similar to yours. Being an electrician by trade he said "I will tell you what an old electrician said to me once, Son, you do the best you can with the tools you've got."
miguksaram
Master of Arts
I think this says it all. I have been in the arts for 31 years. I just turned 41 yesterday. I have learned that I am not 18. I do not have the flexibility that I once had, but what I lost in physical, I made up for it in mental (at least I think I haveEarl Weiss said:
). So do not try to compare yourself with a younger person. Just do the best you can and enjoy what you do and pass on what you have learned to the next generation. That is what our instructors have done for us.
As to TKD or any art, it seems to me from watching men and women my own age that we get crafty, immediate, and as mentioned before, brutal. We do not have the time to toy with an opponent, we do not have the stamina or flexibility, but we (hopefully) have a bag of tricks that involves picking the most powerful, solid, tested, and effective techniques and employing them quickly. So what if we don't use the flashy stuff? A simple knee kick, done properly, is a fight-ender. Many Okinawan ryu karateka are well-known to be very dangerous even into later years.
StudentCarl
3rd Black Belt
Three thoughts:
There's functional technique and fun technique. As you age you need to streamline your functional technique (keep it simple) to win.
Don't stop playing with the fun and challenging techniques. It won't be as fast or high, but it stretches you athletically. Stretch well and warmup, but keep going after it. Preserving balance, agility, and flexibility is very important as you age.
Your body won't adapt as quickly, but if you are progressive in your training and persistent in practice, you can still gain and accomplish much more than people our age seem to think. You're still pretty junior in the age category. Try to go to higher level events and connect with older peers; they will inspire you. There is a 5th dan gentleman I know through KTA in Indianapolis. He's 67 now, started in his 40's and is still training actively. I plan to walk that path too.
There's functional technique and fun technique. As you age you need to streamline your functional technique (keep it simple) to win.
Don't stop playing with the fun and challenging techniques. It won't be as fast or high, but it stretches you athletically. Stretch well and warmup, but keep going after it. Preserving balance, agility, and flexibility is very important as you age.
Your body won't adapt as quickly, but if you are progressive in your training and persistent in practice, you can still gain and accomplish much more than people our age seem to think. You're still pretty junior in the age category. Try to go to higher level events and connect with older peers; they will inspire you. There is a 5th dan gentleman I know through KTA in Indianapolis. He's 67 now, started in his 40's and is still training actively. I plan to walk that path too.
Adapt, Improvise and overcome.
You work with what you have.
You still need to stretch and train the high kicks, sure. Or the spinning kicks (and does the 540 really have an application beyond demos anyhow?)
But with age there should be experience.
Pick you moves wiser, execute them with more determination. (Or know when not to fight)
You work with what you have.
You still need to stretch and train the high kicks, sure. Or the spinning kicks (and does the 540 really have an application beyond demos anyhow?)
But with age there should be experience.
Pick you moves wiser, execute them with more determination. (Or know when not to fight)
decepticon
Green Belt
As I get older, one of the ways I think wisdom manifests itself is through patience. Instead of throwing several fancy things, hoping that one will land with major power, I have the patience to wait a bit and watch for that one perfect opening, where a basic, simple shot will be devastating. I don't let adrenalin cause me to get so excited that I react rashly. Another thing is the realization that the magic is in the substance, not the flash. I think as a more mature adult, I now see that flash is often ineffective and fades quickly, cheesy gold leaf - it is the substance that endures and is the gold standard.
As I get older, I also realize that the days of "free" living are over. I now have to be mindful of the nutrition I put into my body, the rest I make time to get. I have to work to maintain flexibility that once just seemed so effortless. I have to be intentional with my cardio - running around after my kid and the farm animals is no longer enough.
As I get older, I also realize that the days of "free" living are over. I now have to be mindful of the nutrition I put into my body, the rest I make time to get. I have to work to maintain flexibility that once just seemed so effortless. I have to be intentional with my cardio - running around after my kid and the farm animals is no longer enough.
To the Bold;
Yes. Provided Youre in a Military Deployment, and there is someone at an elevated Position, such as leaning over the deck of a House, or on a Stage like thing, or somesuch, in which You would need to Vertically Ascend and still be able to deliver a Powerful Strike.
The Police in Taiwan Teach it I believe, due to the Layouts of their Apartment Buildings.
There was a time when I stayed on the tracts and met the train head on, and it worked well. Now, from my perspective, I prefer to move off the tracts, which takes less effort, and is the way it was meant to be for older MA. As for the high kicks, that is where the wisdom comes in. Everything evolves and we need to keep up with the change.
Too old sayings...
"Too soon old, too late smart."
&
"Old age and treachery always overcome youth and skill."
"Too soon old, too late smart."
&
"Old age and treachery always overcome youth and skill."
Any older practitioner who began the practice of Taekwondo (or another martial art) with a younger body and continued throughout the lifespan will eventually recognize a loss of ability. This will initiate a grieving process which, though painful to experience, is actually healthy. Grieving is the process by which we learn to live without something we valued. In the context of the martial arts, we may grieve our ability to engage in physical techniques the way we used to. We may also grieve the loss of our image of ourselves as competent or legitimate martial artists, especially if the physical aspects of our art has been a major aspect of our lives (e.g., our work). Part of grief is denial--a stage in which we try to protect ourselves from the pain of fully realizing our loss. In the context of martial arts, denial can result in injury--and further loss of ability--as we keep trying to do what we could do before but can't do now. So, it helps to have had some anticipatory guidance from teachers who help all their students see the practice of martial arts in the context of the lifespan. That way, we're not taken by surprise by aging, its physical impact on our practice, and our emotional response to that impact. The loss of physical ability can also be viewed as an invitation to take a close look at how much of that loss is truly inevitable and permanent. For example, we may be able to regain some of the ability we feel we have lost due to aging by training differently (e.g., stretching more and smarter, being more regular in our practice, attending more carefully to our diet). We also can regain overall ability by strengthening areas that we may have not focused on when we took it for granted that we would always have the speed, flexibility and power we had in our youth. For example, if we didn't study vital points much or at all before, we can now. If we focused primarily on fast and high strikes and kicks, we can practice maximizing our power in striking and kicking lower targets (especially vital points), add joint locks and throws to our repertoire or increase our focus on their practice, and practice techniques of evasion more. We can also redefine what it means to be a martial artist. In spite of what we may have started off believing, Taekwondo is not just for highly athletic young adults. With no offense intended to any younger practitioners who may read these words, extensive life experience brings wisdom for those who are actively seeking it. Older practitioners may be more likely to realize the value of studying and practicing the philosophy of Taekwondo as an inherent component of the art alongside its physical techniques. That philosophy can sustain us as we face the challenges of practicing the physical techniques of Taekwondo throughout the lifespan. It can also sustain us as we face other challenges in our lives. Through the process of grieving the loss of what we could do before, we learn to focus on what we can do now and to build on those abilities in any possible way. Many older practitioners have successfully walked this path before us. We can do it too.
Cynthia
Cynthia
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Very well spoken ma'am, I appreciate you sharing your knowledge. I think that I always knew the answer but sometimes to hear someone else's perspective helps to rekindle the spirit and make reality not so tuff to swallow. Thanks again for your wisdom.
Thank you for your kind words. You're very welcome. And, I know what you mean about hearing it from someone else. I've always found it helpful to have my experience validated by someone who has had a similar experience. Just being heard and understood makes a difference.
Cynthia
simple. change the way you train. about ten years ago, i decided to move away from ballistic knee snap as my preferred method of kick power generation. I spent the next five or so years focusing heavily on hip turn, using the earth's power and weight transfer, especially for roundhouse kick. I am at a place now where I feel like I can do almost everything that I could do when I was much younger. I wish I had developed this method earlier, but I was too young to think that far ahead. My reaction time is a little slower, and getting slower, but I feel like my current methodology will enable me to kick hard into my 70's and 80's.
It can be done. 40 is still young. 50 is the number you should be really looking at.
Earl Weiss
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Ditto. Some years ago I had to eliminat jumping. Well, jumping wasn't bad, but landing was a problem.
Then, about 6 years ago I had to eliminate hardf impact training, So I stopped large repititions of heavy bag kicking and more focus pad stuff.
I also started wearing a good crosstraining shoe for teaching, and a training shoe to absorb some impact when just teaching, etc.
