Taekwon-do for a mature beginner

Discussion in 'Tae Kwon Do' started by Gazz73, Mar 15, 2016.

  1. Smitfire

    Smitfire Cactus Schlong

    My heaviest bell is 16kg so that's what I swing. Been doing more KBell stuff lately so been thinking of getting a 20.

    Well....part way through treatment I got a really bad ear infection (which went on for a couple of months) and so didn't do the exercises as often or as dilligently as I should have. By the time I got through the ear infection (which involved multiple course of antibiotics including one the doctor's needed special permission to give me!) my back felt better and I also felt stupid for not following the physio. Kept meaning to go back but then days turned into weeks and I just got on with things. Not ideal I know. :(
     
  2. Tkdfanman

    Tkdfanman New Member

    I couldnt see why not. There are many reasons to do TKD or any martial art other than being able to kick the highest and hardest and punch the best and hardest. There is more to doing martial arts than fighting and i look at it as development in general. You may want to develop different things than I or maybe not. I don't go to a one way school and probably wouldn't stick around at one that was that way.

    I hope you have or are giving it a shot and i hope you love it as much as i do. You may have to shop around to find what youre looking for. I did.
     
  3. Van Zandt

    Van Zandt Mr. High Kick

    I wouldn't encourage you to try the exercises I'm referring to in my earlier post (the ones which only take 15-20 minutes a couple of times a week). At least, not until you get your back cleared by a physiotherapist or GP (preferably the former). This is because supporting yourself without the use of your hands in a freestanding side split puts a lot of strain on the low back.

    Generally, there are three bench marks I require people to pass before I even let them touch the freestanding side split (let alone add extra weight to it). They are:

    1. Be able to do 5 sets of 30 hyperextensions (with additional resistance equal to at least 1/3 their own body weight), pain/strain free.

    2. Deadlift at least 2x their own bodyweight for 3 sets.

    3. Pass the "twerk test" - the person must be able to perform an exaggerated anterior pelvic rotation multiple times without feeling strain in the low back.

    All three bench marks are indicators of good back health and of sufficient strength to progress well in the freestanding side split.
     
  4. Van Zandt

    Van Zandt Mr. High Kick

    Edit - I meant to write deadlift 2x their own bodyweight for 3 reps.
     
  5. Frodocious

    Frodocious She who MUST be obeyed! Moderator Supporter

    Is that for men only, or do you apply the same standard to women?
     
  6. Smitfire

    Smitfire Cactus Schlong

    *Rapidly leaves thread*

    I can probably do the twerking. You'd have to pay for that though. :)
     
  7. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    I'd have to ask why the Tai Chi girls and guys are so balanced and flexible without all the weight training.

    They do train strength, but I'd bet nowhere near to the degrees you mention.

    When I did my back and couldn't walk I went to a Chek practitioner. A former professional footballer who was definitely stronger than me.

    He had legs to die for. The sort of functional physique that would turn heads.

    Couldn't stretch like me though.

    Your thoughts VZ.
     
  8. Van Zandt

    Van Zandt Mr. High Kick

    No, the deadlift bench mark I usually set for female athletes is 1.25-1.5x bodyweight because of the disparity in grip strength and ratio of fatty tissue to skeletal muscle in the upper body. That said, I'm an awkward bugger and I like to make people try for a 2x bodyweight deadlift (male or female) just for the hell of it.

    It's worth noting, strength is less of an issue for developing flexibility in fully grown females due to differences in bone structure, hormonal balances and athletic background compared to males. Generally speaking, a healthy adult woman can hit her maximal flexibility in anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 the time it takes a healthy man of equal age because of these (and other) factors.
     
  9. Van Zandt

    Van Zandt Mr. High Kick

    There are other ways to get flexible other than focusing on strength. Relaxed stretches alone will increase ROM too, but that requires a significant investment of time and effort that I dare say most Westerners aren't willing to make. Also, strength and flexibility are relative to the positions they are trained in and I bet the "Tai Chi girls and guys" you're referring to are pretty strong from the stances they have to work in (Tai Chi is deceptively hard).

    They're probably strong enough to have the flexibility they need for their chosen activity, i.e. strong enough to be flexible enough for Tai Chi. My focus is typically on more extreme movements, like high kicks in TKD. The more extreme the movement, the more stable flexibility (and therefore the more strength) that is required.

    Could be any number of factors at play here, though limited ROM is not uncommon in people with significant muscle mass (bad athletic form lets people lift more weight, and therefore increase levels of hypertrophy, but reduces flexibility).
     
  10. mjl

    mjl ITF Taekwon-Do (1st Dan)

    I'll be 45 next month, started training ITF TKD just over 2 years ago. With the best will in the world I'll never perform at the same level as some of youngsters; that time would have been 20-30 years ago but every session I give it everything I've got. Assuming you approach with strong willpower to succeed you'll be fine and as always the options are to do it and improve, or not do it at all (and later wish you had chosen to do it).

    So yes, it's suitable for anyone.

    I don't think you explained what your body shape might be but we have everyone in our club from little kids and a range above 100kg members.

    Also, beginners are expected to be unfit and no experience is required.

    BTW VZ recently I started trying that standing side-split with the relax into it/tense/relax into stretch/tense/relax into it again cycles. I think it might be helping but I probably don't do it often enough to make a true difference tbh.
     
  11. liero

    liero Valued Member

    Just to clarify. With no offense intended for Van Zandt!

    You can go try a taekwondo class at your age without reaching those fitness benchmarks.

    Though in the long run it would be sensible to see the physio again and ultimately get that back as strong as he is suggesting.
     
  12. Ruark

    Ruark New Member

    First thing.... don't be obsessed with all this stupid Jackie Chan Hollywood high kick nonsense. There are a million things to master in TKD besides "high kicks." And don't feel like you have to do splits like a 15 year old Floor Exercise Olympian. You might eventually reach that point, but don't feel like you're some kind of failure if you don't.
     
  13. AussieGirl

    AussieGirl Valued Member

    I began taekwondo 2 years ago at age 37. Joined because my kids did - my 11 year old and I are in the same class. :) My goal is to achieve black belt by the time I'm 40.

    I love it. It's a great workout, and I love having something to share with my daughters. I think it's also good for kids to see an adult having to work hard to achieve something. A lot of kids think that adults find everything easy. It was a real eye opener for my kids to see me having to practice and practice alongside them to master a technique.

    I've got bad knees, so have had to be extra careful in learning techniques correctly - particularly in relation to foot placement. I've noticed that the kids in our group can throw a kick any which way and it doesn't seem to bother them like it does me!
     
  14. mjl

    mjl ITF Taekwon-Do (1st Dan)

    Heya, yes similar here; I'm a bit older than you though, some details about me a page or two up, and I also started TKD (ITF) a few months after my son (then 6, now almost 9 years) joined.

    You're right that kids think it's easy for adults. Well I'm pretty sure it's harder. The grey matter for learning the Korean and the patterns isn't maybe as sharp as a youngster's, and the joints definitely less flexible in my case!

    But it just makes us try harder, often in our spare time outside of the dojang, and when we succeed in the dojang and overtake the youngsters maybe they perceive that it is less difficult for us.
     

Share This Page