How to best train in the martial arts when your old?

Question

I want to train in an effective style not just like a dance, but to really take care of my self.

Answer 1

Train like anyone else, to the limits of your capability.  It is absurd to limit yourself by age, but at the same time, take care of any injuries you may have, be mindful of them.

Every student should train to the limits of his capability, as an instructor, I should be mindful of your capabilities and maybe enhance them, by increments.

I had one man start Krav Maga in his 60's he is still a student years later, improvements were incremental, just like with every other student.

Whatever your age, be mindful of your capabilities and look to enhance them, which is what martial arts is about.

Answer 2

You know your body better than anyone else, so stay within your limitations and make your goals/intentions known to your instructor.  An effective instructor will take into consideration your limitations and your goals to help you meet them in a manner that will not harm you in the process.  Just keep in mind that this is a slow/time consuming process and that results may not come as quickly as you would like them to.  Be patient.

Answer 3

A lot really has to do with your age and what kind of shape you are in and if you have been active in other ways through the course of your life.  If you have that's good since your body may still have some resilience rather than none at all.  Being older myself now I started altering my own training fifteen to twenty years ago with the idea of extending my ability to practice martial arts.  One of the things I started doing first was wearing a good athletic shoe much of the time when teaching, training, and working out.   This has helped my knees and ankles a lot and I can still do some of the things that I could do when I was thirt-five while many of my counterparts have trouble doing them or can't do them at all.  I am also careful mostly to use a heavy bag when actually throwing things hard and fast.  This keeps joints, tendons, and ligaments from being strained repeatedly when I miss or don't make contact.  I also am more careful with regards to aches and pains and baby them and myself a lot more since it takes longer to heal now and is more difficult for them to go away.  In so far as contact I limit that moreso now for that reason although I can and do spire with my students as well as roll with them on the mat; just not as much as when I was younger.  

I would look for a school and instructor that is older and takes a simular approach with respect to some of the things like what I mention above with his older students.  They are out there as many of us from the pre martial arts boom era are now in our 50s and early 60s.  If you have not been so phsyically active then you will have to take a more gradual approach to things and really monitor things and your body and how it reacts more closley especially in regards to contact that you might receive in your training.  You will have to first build yourself into better shape and that might be done with doing something like Yoga, Tai Chi, swimming or Pilates.  Once you have increased your stamina, flexibility and strength in your joints you can then move up to something with more physical contact and more intense workouts and I have seen several oldsters take this approach with some good success.  You are really never to young to start-you just have to be more careful and maybe limit yourself from some aspects that younger students are expected and do participate in frequently.

Answer 4

do brazilian jiu jitsu.  It consists, of joint locks, chokes and takedowns.  It was made as a self defense system.  Helio Gracie is like 96 and he still trains in it.  Their are tons of old guys that would absolutely destroy a young guy with it.  Also, if you want an effective style you have to look at the guys who actually fight for a living, mixed martial artists.  Every one of those guys train in some form of submissions, whether its judo, sambo, jiujitsu, catch wrestling.....predominately its jiu jitsu.