Is 50 too old to do sparring?A few years ago a trainer did'nt want me to spar and got butthurt about it.Am I right believing I can still do sparring(light at first then progress as I get better) or is he right in not letting me?I'm getting ready to start at a new place and not being able to will be a dealbreaker.
50 and sparring
- Thread starter Glenn67
- Start date
Depends on what kind of sparring, but I would say it's not too old. I regularly spar in my dojo and I'll be 56 in a couple months. I sparred in tournaments until I was promoted to shodan, which was more or less around the time I turned 50 as I recall. I only quit sparring in tournaments because a) most of the black belts in my age group who compete are much higher rank than myself, b) I found myself hurting people without meaning to - not because I'm a badass but because we don't train to do 'touch' based sparring in my dojo, and c) no real interest in competing anymore. It was fun but I'm over it.
Headhunter
Senior Master
Of course it's not as long as there's no major health concerns you can do whatever you want
I want to start lightly after a couple of month or so(got to get my cardio back up)I' need to get the movement down and have trained very little in actual sparring.I need it for self defense not competiton.This is going to be a smaller kickboxing muay thai class.I don't feel old or slow and as the weight comes down the speed picks up.I've been out of training a few years now due to circumstances and look forward to going back.I'm 230 and have been training kettlebells so I'm strong enough.I want the cardio up because I know you hit harder as you get tired.I want to be able to control that before I start.I think the smaller class will work better for me.Thanks.
Health is great.Cardio is my only weakness now and I'm starting tommorrow on it.Moving out of my place now so I can be closer to a place I can train.Not having a car can be a real pain sometimes
Chokes are a bad idea, but yeah, you should leave.
Headhunter
Senior Master
Huh? What does chokes have to do with this guys training and why should he leave?
Headhunter
Senior Master
Thing is sometimes it's not just the instructor but maybe they're not insured for people over a certain age to spar I've known some places like this
If that was the case it would have helped by telling me.I really liked their BJJ program and am planning to return to it next year when a new bus line will be running.
JR 137
Grandmaster
I don't think it's too old, but old is a relative thing.
If the guy is training a bunch of pros and/or pro prospects and he thinks you're going to be more of a hinderance than anything else, then I can KIND OF see his point.
If it's a bunch of kids, like 6-13 years old and you want to spar with them, then yeah, you're too old
If he's not sure if you can handle it from a health perspective, then ask if you need a physician's clearance (but I haven't seen this for someone who's 50).
If he's just a doucher, then find a better place. Don't feel bad about not sparring being a deal breaker; it would be for me and a lot of people here too.
If the guy is training a bunch of pros and/or pro prospects and he thinks you're going to be more of a hinderance than anything else, then I can KIND OF see his point.
If it's a bunch of kids, like 6-13 years old and you want to spar with them, then yeah, you're too old
If he's not sure if you can handle it from a health perspective, then ask if you need a physician's clearance (but I haven't seen this for someone who's 50).
If he's just a doucher, then find a better place. Don't feel bad about not sparring being a deal breaker; it would be for me and a lot of people here too.
Danny T
Senior Master
I'm 62 and still sparring.
Be aware getting punched in the head is not a healthy thing for persons of our ages. Taking hard shots to the body can be painful as well.
Soo...
I strongly suggest start by doing some light technical sparring with someone who has good control and who has a good attitude toward helping you get better.
Get used to having strikes coming at you in a manner you can see them and can safely deflect, block, or counter them. As you get better then increase the speed and in time a bit more power. Have fun. Sparring isn't about being better that the other person or beating them...sparring is about learning and growing your skills.
Be aware getting punched in the head is not a healthy thing for persons of our ages. Taking hard shots to the body can be painful as well.
Soo...
I strongly suggest start by doing some light technical sparring with someone who has good control and who has a good attitude toward helping you get better.
Get used to having strikes coming at you in a manner you can see them and can safely deflect, block, or counter them. As you get better then increase the speed and in time a bit more power. Have fun. Sparring isn't about being better that the other person or beating them...sparring is about learning and growing your skills.
The only answer I ever got was we will talk but never did happen and I asked the school owner and got the same answer and we never did.I got the feeling I was'nt worth his time but I'm guessing.When I switched to BBJ I heard him clearly tell another trainer he did'nt care what I thought.I'm going back next year to train BBJ again and wonder what I'm going to get from them if I have to tell them me and this guy won't be training together.Its a trust issue and Its hard to trust him not to try to hurt me out of spite.Maybe this will never come up.I'm probably a year away from his class level anyway.The hostility seemed way off for a trainer.Still don't get it.I don't think it's too old, but old is a relative thing.
If the guy is training a bunch of pros and/or pro prospects and he thinks you're going to be more of a hinderance than anything else, then I can KIND OF see his point.
If it's a bunch of kids, like 6-13 years old and you want to spar with them, then yeah, you're too old
If he's not sure if you can handle it from a health perspective, then ask if you need a physician's clearance (but I haven't seen this for someone who's 50).
If he's just a doucher, then find a better place. Don't feel bad about not sparring being a deal breaker; it would be for me and a lot of people here too.
That is exactly how I want to do it.never going to really go 100% just want to learn the dodging and deflecting and be able to return well.I've been kicked in the ribs hard plenty of times training.That can be tough on you
I got good at dropping my arm and blocking and that eased it a lot.This for me is self defense.I live in the city and you can see sometimes the way the drinkers on the corner are sizing you up.
JR 137
Grandmaster
It just doesn't sound like the right place for you. Keep looking around. You shouldn't have to beg someone to give you the time of day. Do you really want to deal with that long term?
This was one guy and the others were great.Could'nt have asked for better.Guy is still there in the level 2 class but I'm at level one for most of the year I would think.There is a level 2 class at another time if I reach it quickly.If it was more than one trainer I'd go somewhere else but right now I won't be able to travel to another class.That will change in a couple of years.The school I'm going to check out next month when I move into a new place is 2 blocks away and not this one.It is a Muay Thai school only.Smaller class like when I first started in a different city than I'm in now.The first Muay Thai school really mixed it up with more oriented towards self defense then standard stuff in most schools and he told me his classes were different but I had nothing to compare it too being my first class.You had to be able to take a little pain sometimes.It was cool though.I really like elbow and knee training and there was a lot less of that in the other class.My opinion which I knew better than to voice was they took it too easy.I figure it will be good to learn basic BJJ and then I plan to move to a more self defense oriented place to train Krav Maga.
For me I don't think it's too old. The biggest issue is going to be healing time. Most people don't spar the same way professional fighters spar, so as long as you can reasonable protect yourself, then sparring should be fine. You really can't put an age limit on sparring because it's a physical task and not an age related task. There are people in their 20's and 30's that shouldn't be sparring simply because they can't protect themselves enough. This means that they aren't able to block or avoid the dangerous punches that land clean if you aren't in defensive mode.
If you are taking a martial arts then you can spar and train technique without knocking your partner's head off his shoulders. There are various levels of sparring intensity.
At this point its all about technique.I'm thinking maybe I learn to block and dodge before I start attacking.Whenever the trainer thinks is best to start with.
Thanks,I believe I'm going to find a ton of useful info here as I learn.
To be honest the intensity level of sparring can always be adjusted so I don't see why anyone wouldn't be able to spar unless their bodies aren't able to deal with the punishment of physical activity at that level.
The only people who I've restricted from sparring are those who lack enough skills to defend themselves and people who weren't in physical condition to deal with the cardio that is required. I always remind students to listen to their bodies and tell them that it's ok if they need a break or if they aren't feeling good or feeling up to it.
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