I was reading Xue Sheng's pansy thread again, and got to thinking....
A year or so ago I went to a seminar taught by Bob Campbell. I go every year when he's in town. There are a lot of older guys there and we all exchange pleasantries after the workout. Bob Campbell was talking about arthritis. Says he doesn't have a lick of it, not even in his hands. He attributes it to not hitting things - like bags, makiwara, mitts, trees etc. (Bob's in his sixties, been training about fifty years.) I spent half my life hitting things and I have arthritis all over me. Especially my hands. It's kept in check, though, because I'm still training. I heeded the advice given me by all the older guys I knew in the arts, which was, "You'll be okay for the most part if you keep training. But if you stop you'll stiffen up so bad it ain't funny."
I know there's a lot of ways to do things in the Arts. Bill Wallace only hit air and people, he never used a bag. Joe Lewis only hit bags and people, he never punched and kicked air. (I never spoke to either of them about arthritis.)
Do you guys think there's more of a likelihood of developing arthritis from the constant pounding of bags etc? Do you think it's genetically predisposed only? And if you could, would you check with other guys our age and see what they say?
Thanks.
A year or so ago I went to a seminar taught by Bob Campbell. I go every year when he's in town. There are a lot of older guys there and we all exchange pleasantries after the workout. Bob Campbell was talking about arthritis. Says he doesn't have a lick of it, not even in his hands. He attributes it to not hitting things - like bags, makiwara, mitts, trees etc. (Bob's in his sixties, been training about fifty years.) I spent half my life hitting things and I have arthritis all over me. Especially my hands. It's kept in check, though, because I'm still training. I heeded the advice given me by all the older guys I knew in the arts, which was, "You'll be okay for the most part if you keep training. But if you stop you'll stiffen up so bad it ain't funny."
I know there's a lot of ways to do things in the Arts. Bill Wallace only hit air and people, he never used a bag. Joe Lewis only hit bags and people, he never punched and kicked air. (I never spoke to either of them about arthritis.)
Do you guys think there's more of a likelihood of developing arthritis from the constant pounding of bags etc? Do you think it's genetically predisposed only? And if you could, would you check with other guys our age and see what they say?
Thanks.