Martial arts for over 50 years old a.c.a. seniors

MaxMarks · Yellow Belt

I have mixed feeling on this. My first instinct is that if, as an instructor, you are allowing your students to scale - meaning that you're giving them options that allow them to work around limitations they may have - you should be able to get a diverse age group in any class. Then the young and old can inspire each other. Most of the adult classes in my dojo have a very wide verity with teenagers and 40 or 50 somethings in the same class. I feel the young ones keep us young and the older folks set an example for commitment and dedication.

On the other hand, with many sports, pier groups work. A class tailored to the desires of you XO's just may be worth a try.
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xo-karate · Purple Belt

Maybe XO should be an entry level for newby adults?
After one year of sparring with old and "not so flexible" partisipants should start taking classes with other players. (Or go to a basic class.)

I think that most important goal on XO should be:
1) Physical condition - flexibility and coordination
2) Basic techniques - blocking, hitting, kicking, break falls, takedowns, moving in/to positions, and some submissions.
3) Getting confortable in sparring and rolling.

xo-karate · Purple Belt

Maybe training with young players - like under 30 - keeps you active?

Maybe training with "more mature martial artist" let's you take it easier - and it will slow you down eventually?

Montana · Pre-Black Belt

xo-karate · Purple Belt

xo-karate · Purple Belt

My first question was if one should train with younger players or make a group for "oldies" - my conclution is that for an entry to martial arts a seniors group might have some advantaces, but maybe it should only be "pre-basic" training group to get an unexperienced newbie confortable for martial arts training.

What should an experienced martial artist over 50 focus on training?

a) I think that strength training for major muscle groups is important. (Strength training can be done with or with out weights - I use weights.)
b) Flexibility - I wish I'd do it more:-)
c) Learning new techniques and moves!!! (Works your coordination and keeps your memory sharp(er).)
d) Anaerobic training - I am going from stady state running towards interval training or "tabata" type of exercises. (First some basic conditinining with jogging, but as soon as my head can take it, I'll start intervals.)

What is your goal in training - as an experienced martial artist ?
How do you train?

tallgeese · Black Belt

As a guy in over 20 now, and far too quickly approaching 40 in a couple of years, I've made some definable changes in how I approach training over the last couple of years.

First up, you have to decide if this is going to be a life long thing for you. If the answer is yes, and it should be if you've already spent more time in your life training than not, you've got to look at how to make that happen. Realizing that you can't bang constantly like you used to at 23 is one of those things.

The body needs more recovery time as it gets older, you have to give it to them. It also pays to be more careful with diet and such, this starts to play a bigger and bigger role in performance when youthful genetics won't cover over all wrongs anymore.

But that's all ancillary, the question you posed is how you train differently. The big thing I've found is you slow down.

Yes, I said it. It doesn't hurt as much to admit after some time coming to terms with it. Slowing down your training, as I'm talking about, isn't referring to times per week or losing drive or intensity, but taking physical attributes OUT of daily routines. So, when you're working with your partner you're not strength and speed resisting. You're technically resisting, with as near to perfect movement as you can make. 100% mentally into the effort with as little physical effort as possible.

This sharpens your mind, programs the body, and keeps you from destroying joints. It also ensures that your older body can train tomorrow, and continual mat time is key to improvement.

Now, I'm not saying you're done with attribute driven workouts altogether. But, they are not your DAILY protocol. I work with more physical intensity leading up to tournaments. Occasionally, I'll work with some mma friends to keep the mindset checked. These are important days, but they are a minority now, not the norm.

That's the bid difference. It's also important to look at what you're doing art-wise. A few years back, say 4-5, I was spending a bulk of my time working in mma style gyms. This is constant, hard training, from sparring to conditioning, ect. I was beat up constantly and not recovering as quickly. It's depressing. However, by focusing on BJJ, I've been able to keep up a heavy training schedule, and due to the emphasis on relaxed movement, not have constant heath concerns that take me out of training.

It's a fact, we are more susceptible to injury as we age. If we don't account for this, we end up hurt more. More injury is not a badge of honor past 35 or 40, it's a ticket off the mat for extended periods. This is time you're now NOT putting into getting better. It's time to adapt.

I did this by moving focus a bit. Now, does that mean I never put the gloves on and bang. Nope, I just said that I do the occasional mma session to keep sharp. I'll also do rounds at training session other than BJJ to up keep the other skill's I've learned along the way. But I've moved my focus to an art and academy where the training methods are less likely to lead to injury.

I have also learned to be selective with training partners. If there's someone who rolls/ spars to intense too often I just don't roll with them. Again, there are days I'll get in there with them, but not every day. I don't need the headache and I'm past the need to prove anything. For me, staying healthy and staying training is more important that bragging rights. This does not have as much to do with age as it does the training philosophy of the partners you have to choose from.

On a side note, I limit my time with guys a couple of weight classes bigger than me. I float around 170 ish these days with tournament cuts taking me down lower. A good 235 pounder riding a mean knee in belly is a great way for me to lose a rib. Or an internal organ. Is this less than realistic, maybe, but a lot of guys I've needed to scrap with on the job are not the 200 pound plus muscle heads, but drunk guys my size. I don't really know the actual stats, but now that I'm writing this, it's probably worth a look. Realistically, if we want to go that way, that guy is why I'm carrying a gun anyway.

Notice I didn't say stop rolling with them, just limit it. Again, the individual has a lot to do with this as well. I roll with LP and MP every chance I get, they out weight class me, but I trust them to not smash me with the mean knee in and such in an effort to sideline me for weeks at a time.

Lastly, look at the tactics individuals are using in whatever kind of free training your doing (sparring, rolling, ect.) If their go-to moves are ones you consider highly likely to injure you due to the nature of the move or preexisting conditions you have, don't roll with them or set the ground rules early. I don't like twisting leg locks, or knee bars (or any lower leg attacks really, but I'll tolerate straight locks) so I either: a) don't roll with guys who insist on using them at speed, or b) set ground rules on what can and won't be used prior to the start of the match or the way they'll be applied. This keeps me out of the ACL reconstruction shop.

Again, I'll get them into the line up prior to competition, but really I focus on early recognition and defense (and near immediate tap in most cases if they are on) more than anything.

So there is my list of changes that I consider really worthwhile if you're looking at maintaining a serious training schedule as you age. I hate to be in a position to have to put so much though into it, but here I am like the rest of the human race

. My difference is that I want to train thru the entirety of my life and I can only do that if I'm smarter about training as I get older.
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xo-karate · Purple Belt

twisted my knee yesterday on Judo randori. Uke landed on my knee and knee twisted. Can't walk today and this means not aple to practise for a while.

This was an example of not so smart training...

Groinstrike · Pre-Black Belt

xo-karate · Purple Belt

Yep - this was the problem. We were on a BJJ camp and the instructor was a Judoka. For the last 5 minutes we had randori. My uke was a white belt bjj with no Judo background. (I toke it easy, but made a mistake of trying a Tai Otoshi. Got to much around my self and knee was flexed. Uke did not go over, but fell on my knee. A big dude:-)

I feel stupid! I should have stayed with Hiza Guruma and De Ashi Barai which are much safer and I can do them better.

(Or just walked throu the match... just blocking his attacks with my hip, which was one of the exercises during the session.)

I think I'll be training soon after Christmas.

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