Howdy, Recently I turned 50 and am interested in returning to Kung Fu (My Jhong Law Horn, an acrobatic, Northern Shaolin Long-Fist style). I also weigh 275 lbs. I took Kung Fu 7 years and 30 lbs ago for about 9 months. I earned my White sash, so I'm far from being an expert! I miss the varied workouts and the challenges of the forms (Katas) as a good home training method of exercise. My question is: Am I too old for this? I've been taking Krav Maga for about 6 weeks now and miss the rich history and forms (katas) of My Jhong Law Horn. I'm not in as bad a physical condition as I was say, 6 weeks ago! My concerns are that this is an athletic style with an emphasis on mobility and with a fair amount of spinning/ leaping. I welcome your thoughts. PS: My goal with My Jhong would be to use it as a rich fitness program, with the added benefit of learning self-defense. I'd probably have to modify ( or even omit) some of the nimble moves, if permitted by the instructor, should I enroll.
Would you be open to other CMA systems i.e. Southern systems like Hung Gar which generally work more hand techniques and with an emphasis on lower level kicking which will be easier for you to adapt to. Of course this is dependant on what is available in your area, Is this something you have looked into, If so maybe you can advise what is available near to you? You would still have the rich history, forms and weapons which you obviously enjoy. Cheers Dan93
Maybe try and find some footage of older practitioners performing Mizhong Lohan? A lot of the acrobatic movements in Kung Fu are often "cheated" by younger practitioners using their athleticism, older practitioners have to do it right.
Howdy, You raise an interesting point, Dan93. The available arts in my area are: 1. BJJ: Very close to home! Taught by Brown belt and a Blue belt. 2. My Jhong Law Horn Kung Fu. Familiar and fairly close to home. 3. Continue with Krava Maga (2 lessons/ week) and Shorin Ryu (1 day/ week). 4. Aikido. I invite your comments and suggestions. Thanks in advance! PS: #2 contains lower stances and higher kicks, leaps and spinning. Something that may not suit me, given my age and..girth. I enjoyed it 7 years ago, fwiw.
I would continue the Shorin Ryu and look into the BJJ or Judo (most places worldwide have schools nearby) but firstly go along to the Kwoon and speak with the Sifu earnestly about your fitness/age and concerns, The art should be able to adapt to the practioner to a degree and see what he says...if not you wouldn't have anyone practicing over the age of 35! Cheers Dan
So just take the acrobatics out of it and do the rest, where in the rule book does it say that you have to do a triple summer Sault and double spinning back kick to practice a martial art.
50 years old is still too young to even worry about jumping kick. You must live either in Dallas or in Shreveport. My wife has trained My Jhong Law Horn many years after she had her TKD black belt. I also know her teacher. It's a good system that requires a lot of low stances. Here is one of their form that I recorded it myself exactly 40 years ago by my 8mm camera (I still remember that was the year Bruce Lee died). [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5GQWV36zHI&feature=youtu.be"]YouTube[/ame] Here is one of their weapons form. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM2M2DeLJtI&feature=youtu.be"]YouTube[/ame]
Howdy, Thanks everyone. Dan93: Were Judo available in my area, I'd have already been enrolled; it's my first choice! Pity. Currently my martial arts program consists of 2 Krav Maga lessons per week and a single Shorin Ryu lesson per week. I must say that Krava Maga can be strenuous, but so far I've avoided injury-call me a wimp! LOL. I've got some thinking to do. PS: Having 2 herniated discs pretty much eliminates Judo, anyway; even if it were available locally.
Somebody else brought up Hung ga, and I am going to second that with some age-relevant reasoning you might be interested in. It turns out that as we age gravity does progressive number on our spine, largely due to our posture over time. Learning to counteract that effect through training is a great asset in your later years. Hung kuen and some other southern styles are well known for their impressive core strengthening routines and core strength has been shown to be one of the best ways to prevent and alleviate the symptoms of all sorts of back related issues, including herniated discs, sciatica, etc. That said, everyone's health is different and I would talk to your doctor first. If they look at you funny, tell them its a form of kung fu for slowly strengthening their core. Don't tell them about the hitting parts. But I have scoliosis and Hung ga training has helped me with that. My wife has several disc issues and I've had her perform routines that have helped her. The "Southern Root" is a way of retraining your posture so that you can maintain a lower center of gravity easier, and most of your body weight is supported by your legs hips, etc as opposed to your back. This alleviates tension/pressure, can help reduce inflammation, etc. It's extremely effective with asthma, another thing that worsens (or magically appears one day) with age, because the improvement in posture also means easier diaphragmatic breathing and better lung expansion. Combining Hung ga footwork training with qi gong exercises for oxygenating the blood, I was able to improve lung function in both lungs by more than 30%. The style is also pretty barren of wild, flashy techniques requiring acrobatic skill, which is great if you're done with that sort of thing. Old Hung ga masters are a sight to see. This is Lam Chun Fai in 1979 [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XF9mzwbh40"]Hung Gar grandmaster Lam Chun Fai - full version of intro - YouTube[/ame] This is Lam Chun Fai at 69, almost 30 years later. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqRmAPiP6Xg"]Hung Gar demo Lam Chun Fai, Brno, 2008, 洪拳 - YouTube[/ame]
