Too old to start MA at 3 years old.

Not really a discussion point just a comment.

Looking at other MA forums I keep coming across threads tittled: 'Am I too old to start' etc only for me to open the thread and find out the guy is only about 19/20 years old. I can't understand how anyone can think this is too old. It might be too old to ever become olympic/world champion, but how many people get to that level anyway. On the British Judo association's website it mentions a 54 y/o who took the sport up and got his BB 8 years later which proves that using age as an excuse doesn't really cut it.

Rant over.


MR G3

 

Some people just get confused over how long it takes to progress in a Martial Art and what is required.

 

I started at the same time as a 50yo bloke, who took a little longer to get the softness and control but now (2 years later) kicks **** over us young fellas. In addition he has lost his flab and is fit as.

 

A little harsh methinks.


I started at the age of 18, and i do feel that i started too late. I figure i will be around 24 when i reach Chodan. There are a couple of Masters (5th Dan+) who aren't much older than that and they are head and shoulders above any other Tang Soo'ers i train with. Why? Because they perfected the basics before they reached their prime. I wish i would have started at about 12. I know that i have a lot of lost time to make up for, but i know that i can never reach the level of the masters who inspire me. Tis bittersweet.

 

Lol, I started when I was 14 and I feel like it was way too late. Personally, I wish I had had someone lead me through martial arts training from childhood.

I was a fat child....

 

I feel like I should have started from the moment I was born!
That's because I always wanted to learn MA but I never had the opportunity to (I'm 16 now and I only started about one month ago).

Hopefully, many MA'ists will realise this and will train their sons/daughters... not pushing too hard though.

 

Let's put this in perspective...

The questions are coming from teenagers (we've seen it on here). Whether they want to admit it or not, to most 15 year olds, 25 is old. To most 20 years olds, thirty is very old. When you're young, age is a big deal. When you get older, well, not so much.

EDIT: As for this rubbish about "starting after your prime", that's all in your head. Yes, as we get older our bodies cannot do the same things we could when we were younger. But really, your prime is what you make of it. I'm 34, started at 24 and have been training on-and-off in different styles for a decade. Now that I've settled into a style with which I am comfortable and satisfied with, I feel as though I'm a better martial artist now than I was when I was 24. Why? Because (a) I know more what I want out of training than I did when I was 10 years younger, (b) I stopped worrying about everyone else and started worrying only about my own skill and ability, and (c) I have the maturity to see past the crap and accept what I'm doing for what it is.

 

Most of us who love the MA's wish we'd started earlier, that's just the way it is, if you like something. So I'm thinking that if you feel you should have started earlier, then chances are you really like what you're doing and will become the best you can be.

Personally I was in my mid-30's when I started, now I am 45. Would I have started sooner if I could go back in time? Sure. I don't lose any sleep over it now though, just work at being the best I can be.

 

You're as old as you feel/act

Middle-aged guy here (47). I started my MA training at 37. Sure it would've been nice to start when I was in my teens but the opportunity didn't present itself. Guess that means I'll never be in the Olympics.

MA (whatever the style) is ultimately about personal growth. If all you want is self-defense, get a handgun. No swell uniforms, but very effective. Ten years in, not only can I defend myself, but I'm more flexible and I've learned more about FUNCTIONAL physical fitness than I did in college! I'm a better person in many, many ways because of my MA training. I hope all of you can experience the pure JOY I've experienced.

 

MrG3, I agree with you in some ways. Its funny to see people asking the question on a forum instead of joining an MA and seeing for themselves. Why start with a pessimistic or defeatist outlook?

Of course, most of us MA'ists love what we do so much that we wish we had started in the womb but part of my drive in MA is to continually learn, strive and challenge myself (physically, mentally and spiritually), you can do these things at any 'age'.

 

I started when I was 5, after 3 years of TKD I started doing Muay Thai, after a year of that my Mum started doing Muay Thai as well and she was 30. It took ages for her fitness to get to a level that she could walk properly the day after training but now our instructor uses her as speed training for the fighters as she is so fast, and she is 35 now.

 

It's a weird question, like there's a law somewhere saying you have to start MA before puberty or something... I think it just depends on how long it takes you to pick up the basics. Ok, you might have lost a few years training, but at least you start with the maturity to approach it in a way you might not have been able to a few years before.

I started around 13, and I thought that was fine. Had to stop at about 15, and picked it up again when I was 18. I was a bit rusty, but the basics were there. So It just depends on how quick the basics sink in.

 

After getting my butt handed to me by a 52 year old man on several occasions, I came to a logical conclusion. I grew up in a household that enjoys basketball, growing up admiring basketball made me think 30 was over the hill. I now realize that running up and down the court everyday for 12 years with little nagging injury that turns into a big one, sitting in packs of ice, taking cortizone shots to releive joints, and all those things are a massive factor in how well a person ages. My theory on a fighter like George Foreman is that his 10 year break simply allowed him to rejuvanate and become an "average joe", he wasnt forced to train through sprained ankles and messed up knees. He got to rest and enjoy life, like most of us on this board are fortunate enough to do. Can 30 be to old to start MA? in short probably not, but there are exceptions.

 

Ancient master-I hadn't actually thought of this but it is a very good point. With the football (soccer if your american) world cup on at the moment, the commentators are constantly talking about the likes of Beckham, Figo, Ronaldo (all 30-33 years old) and how they aren't as good as they used to be and how this is their last world cup. As you said, people begin to think that 30 is over the hill with sports people being critisized (sp) for their age.


MR G3

 

I just started JJJ 4 months ago at age 35. I have 2 uncles who pratice karate and they both started in thier thirties and where the ones who talked me into trying a MA. I REALLY wish i would have started earlier. I am absolutely addicted and wish to train every day. I still hurt after each class as i am 30-40lbs overweight but i have noticed it getting easier and actually have lost 5 lbs. IMO its never too late to start. The question I have now is about my children. My son is 4 and my daughter 2 and I really would like them to get involved in MA. What is everyones opinions on how early to start. Of course I would like them to pratice JJ, but is one MA better than the other for children? The local JJ school wont train kids til they are 6 but TKD, karate and judo clubs around have childrens programs at 3 or 4.(basically dicipline and street smarts stuff not too much actual techniques).All opinions would be appreciated.

 

Personally, I'm against children doing martial arts. I did Judo when I was 9-10 years old (like everyone else in America), and I was definitely too young to get anything worthwhile out of it.
Conversely, I started Karate (first serious MA experience) when I was sixteen, and I wish I had started a bit earlier. I think around 14 would've been the ideal age for me (which is when I started doing yoga).
I've been to a number of karate tournaments, and I've noticed something from watching the junior divisions - regardless of belt rank, little kids almost all look the same in terms of skill. They can train for years and never develope any kind of martial arts ability. I think that little kids just don't have the cognitive/emotional/physical developement to actually LEARN martial arts. Also, the high number of small children doing Karate and TKD has hurt the reputations of those traditions as serious fighting arts.

 

Quote:
"Personally, I'm against children doing martial arts. I did Judo when I was 9-10 years old (like everyone else in America), and I was definitely too young to get anything worthwhile out of it.
I started Karate (first serious MA experience) when I was sixteen, and I wish I had started a bit earlier."

My first serious M/A experience was at 5 years old! I have gone on to gain 2 (almost 3 ) black belts had hundreds of TKD fights, dozens of full contact Muay Thai fights and i've only just begun in my training.

After just 3 years M/A training don't you think you're a bit inexperienced to be judging anyones sparring?

Don't judge every 'kid' by your own low standards as a child. Todays young martial artists contain the crap the same as you adults do, but out there are thousands of young martial artists who train better than you, harder than you and now as science plays a major part in martial arts, will be better than you a lot sooner than you think.
I've a friend 1 year older than me, he's a swimmer TRAINING for the 2012 Olympics. Young Martial Artists(and good one's) are here to stay and will raise the bar higher than you will ever dream of. GET OVER IT!


You're welcome to come and train with me, see if you can keep up!

 

LOL!

Next thing you know we'll have people whining on here about not having been able to start martial arts in the embryonic stage or work out basic forms for the nine months of while their mother was pregnant with them.

Puhleeeeeze....

Where do people come up with crap from? :bang:

 

I'm for children doing martial arts when the child WANTS to do it. I've seen five, six, and seven-year-olds with incredible focus, who practice on their own at home.

I think it's okay if a parent signs up a kid for classes, as long as the parents are willing to accept the kids own pace, and the kid is okay with going to practice.