How hard is kenpo karate? i did kyokushin when i was much younger 15 years old and shotokan karate at 16 years old. I also did Tae Kwon Do from 16 to 24 years old. I am in back pain rehab now with lax ligaments nothing major in the spin or disks. Just wanted to know how hard was Kenpo, from what i have seen the techics are really cool. But i know nothing about the sparring if its full contact, light contact, i know the school near my house has a lot of protective gear when they do sparring, same has in Tae Kwon Do.
ASK A PHYSICIAN!!. They'll know better if you're in good enough condition. It won't matter what the contact level is too much. Just whether you can do it or not, period.
36 is not in and off itself too old to start. I started Shaolin Kempo 3 years ago when I was 36, and I have been loving it. The system I train in is definetely the hardest conditioning I've ever done. I thought I was in fairly good shape when I started, but quickly found I had a lot of room for improvement. I am now in the best condition of my life (I played varsity soccer in high school, as well as a lot of weight lifting, and I have always excersized to stay in shape for my job, so I was in fair shape when I started Kempo). 36 is just a number. What is more important is your health and how enthusiastic you are. I agree with Panzerhaust that you should discuss this with your MD due to your back, and also discuss it with the instructor that you are considering training with. As with any significant physical training, there is always the risk of injury, especially with previous issues.
I dont want to disapoint you guys the every one i saw for my back where asshollles, from the chiro to the massage therapist to pertty much anything else. A matter a fact yesterday i saw another quack in posture re-education, telling me that i have to much curves in my posture. I have been doing a program that i got off the internet called rebuild your back which is fantastic, she told me to stop doing it. What i fear about so called specialist is that they just dont know how to deal with back pain, i have been cleared my times to start weight training again and martial arts, while my pelvic was getting out of alignment like crazy. Sept 5th i am going to get some prolotherapy injections, that fixed the lax ligaments, i am pertty sure that this combined with the RYB program will fix me for good. Back or any kind of pain at least where i leave is very good money for theses so called professional and what would be the point of curing you if after a few chiropratic session you are hooked for life. RYB has 4 sections the streching, back decompression, disk rehydration and strenght. Its just amazing. Thanks for the word of encouragement i will surely know when i feel good to start again. Why do 3 exercises that produce minimal relief when RYB has 20 that remove a back spasm and work to do what it says rebuild your back.
36 is absolutely not too old. In fact it is the perfect time because you are ready. 18 years ago I was 36 and entered an okinawan school because I wanted my then 14 year old son to study after he suffered a humiliating beating by two smaller kids. I began to study and plunged myself into it. My son studied 2 years, grew 5 inches and eighty pounds and quit, I continued 2 to 3 classes and daily practice at home and this past May I successfully tested for my 5th dan. At your age you probably have the patience to settle into some serious, disciplined study. The health benefits, stress relief, orthopedic benefits, etc will be fully appreciated by an adult. An adult can realize that it can be a lifelong study. There are plenty of schools where there are adults only. You don't have to start at age 8. Too many schools cater to children , not because it is a requirement but because that is where the money is. My personal opinion is that karate taught correctly is an adult activity with better benefits for adults than kids. Kids have many opportunities to learn discipline, confidence, etc. We adults have fewer. I don't do kenpo but I think the only caveat would be taking on a style that is too invested in high. head height, kicking. If kenpo is not suited to your physical issues the seek out a style that is. Don't pass up the opportunity to study a legitamate martial art. If you do you'll be kicking yourself down the road. I'd suggest you do it and not look back.
On 4-11-1990 I was in a car accident where I was struck from behind no less than 5 times by the same driver. Since that time my back has been a nightmare of pain and frustration. The health care providers I had would not authorize an MRI until an X-RAY showed indications of soft tissue damage. I was assured by the doctors through the years that an X-Ray would NEVER show the damage to the spine they couldnt confirm without an MRI. Last year, I finally got my MRI, 18 years later. Hernaited discs, soft tissue scarring...it was all there easily seen. Thats quite a frustrator. I spent a great deal of that time working out and getting grief for occasionally collapsing during practice as my back spasmed. Without any confirmation of an actual injury, I must have been making it up to avoid the workout of the moment. No, 36 is not too old. Make sure you are taking care of your back and listen to your body. Make the excercises that are recommended part of your daily plan. Best of luck in your studies. Rob
Rob sorry to hear your story, man that is frustrating, i been going to the chiro for a year and a half after a year the one i was seeing sent me to is friend because he did not have the technic to adjust my C7 vertebrae. I went there with a lot of frustration, in my mind chiropratic was pure crap but i decided to give this guy a chance, he was full of bull. He gave me 10 treatments and said i would require 6 more, my insurance would not cover 6 more treatments because 10 was the max, so i told him if you dont send me for an MRI i am leaving, in fear of losing money he sent me to a private clinic. MRI came back with 2 discopathy L4L5 L5S1 http://forums.steroid.com/showthread.php?t=338853 this is a link to my MRI pictures i am also the tread started there. Chiro told me that he was the only one to fix me because i had subluxation, i gave him the finger and went elsewhere. Never be afraid to go get a second, third and ever fourth opinion, some medical doctor dont know nothing, chiros most of the time when it comes to muscles and ligaments even hernia are out of there league. I am on the spineforce right now for posture and stability of my pelvic works great also doing prolotherapy i got my 10th treatment today ligaments feel a tone better, i also got pulse signal therapy something new suppose to rehydrate my 2 discs in the lower back. If everything is well in April i will be all set to go. Thanks for feedback i am frustarted to hear things like your story and wish you could sues them mofo for all that pain they causes you. Good luck in your future treatments and training
Thanks man, keep your head up, or at least as up as your back will let you, and work on what you want to achieve and experience. Best of luck Rob
Hi guys, i've been interested in Kenpo for a little while now and i really want to try it out, the problem is that i live in essex, england and i'm really struggling to find out if they do it anywhere near me? I'm 19 and had a check with my doctor and he said that everything was ok to try this form of it becuase i have had back problems in the past but wondered if anyone knew of any sites that could help me find a place to do it near me?? Thanks in advance guys p.s - 36 is never too old haha
Kenpo and age I'm 33 and I've restarted training in Kenpo last week... Subscribed myself to Sunfuki Ste-Marthe. (Not very far from where you live from what I see of your older posts). So far, I can see no problem for a 36 yo. Even if you were 50, it won't be much of a problem. You do what you can, they don't expect you to be a gymnast or anything.
I am Kenpo black belt. (American Kenpo/ Parker System) What you have seen is correct to an extent, Kenpo is usual taught as a street fighting / self defense system. As such high kicks don't feature much. The system can be adjusted to a student's range of movement. If you are in good shape and are willing to learn a complex system, 36 is not too old to start. It normally takes some time to progress up the belt rankings, this may be an issue as you get older, assuming rank is important to you. The system gets complex quickly and usually demands good memory / mental sharpness as well as aerobic fitness and stamina. It has been criticized by other MA practitioners as overly complex, employing "over kill" in its multiple fast hand strikes. It is a good system but in its original form it is primarily a striking art and lacks true grappling attacks, throws, locks, or ground-work. What are you hoping to get out of the MA? I mean will it be your sport, an art-form or a means of self defense for you?
As a matter of fun I saw a 65 year old start a very hard Judo class the other day and he seemed to be doing quite well.
I'm 38 and started taking kenpo (american/parker) this Jan. I'm overweight, out of shape, and inflexible. Granted I've worked hard and I'm in much better shape and more flexible now, but I still have a ways to go. All I can say is I think it is awesome. I'm doing it, so there's no reason why anyone else shouldn't be able to do so as well. Do I feel awkward sometimes? Yes. Can I see myself improving? Yes. Can I envision myself being that much better a year from now? Yes. Do I want to say "I wish I had signed up for martial arts" five years from now? No. If you even have the slightest idea of doing it, walking through the dojo doors is the hardest first step. The rest is just a life decision. You only live life once. Go and do it. Enough said now go.
In an unrelated art, there's a man in his 40s in my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class who started last september (i started earlier this month) and he is in better shape now than I've ever been in my life. I get winded by our warm ups and i look over and see he's still going. So no, 36 isn't too old at all. a further example: a lot of capoeira mestres still play well into old age.
36! You are just a kid! Seriously though, I started my MA career, albeit in a different syle namely Kuk Sool, at the age of 38. I was dragged along by my 6 year old son. Now, 15 years later, I am 53 and 3rd dahn, hoping to promote to 4th next month. Oh, and I now teach MA full-time as my living...so beware...its addictive! LOL As for my son, well he got his junior Black Belt just before his 10th birthday, but now he no longer trains.:bang:
Do it! Seriously, Ken(m)po isn't that hard. My mom did it when she was in her 40s!! She's almost 60 now, but she did it in her late 40s, early 50s and she, for lack of a better phrase, is a bit over weight too. I've met people, when I trained in Shaolin-Kempo karate, that were well over 50 years old when they were doing it. My former instructor's mother was doing it, and I believe she was in her 60s AND had a 1st or 2nd degree black belt!! I had another instructor that who was in the same age region and had a 2nd or 3rd degree black belt! Trust me, you are never too old to get into a life long martial art. I mean, shoot, I'm 25 now, and I'm geting back into martial arts myself after taking a few years off from it.
After seeing my 5 year old in class for a couple of months I just couldn't resist. I'm a 42 year old, out of shape mom of 2 boys (5.5 & 1.5), who trashed her back playing soccer (keeper) before I was a teen. I decided that this was the perfect birthday gift for myself, and started less than a month later. You do what you can do, if you don't feel comfortable with a move, adapt it! Kenpo isn't a static art, but one that evolves. Ladies 10+ years older than me, a woman (22) blind in one eye, a blind man (climbing Mount Kilimanjaro right now), and a young woman with hearing loss, and some sort of lymph disorder in one leg all manage quite well in class. Now I am a slightly less out of shape mom of 2 who is an orange belt. E
No kidding! My mestre is around 40, and he has more endurance/stamina/speed/power than anybody in our group.
Age will only be an issue if you want it to be! There are many advantages to be slightly more mature and you should make full use of these benefits.
