How many football, baseball and basketball players do you see playing professional ball way into their 50's, 60's and 70's? The answer is none. Now, I'll tell you that many martial art masters are still going strong in middle age and well into their senior years.
Most of my student body is in the age range of 35 to 70. Many of them show up at the school looking for lessons for younger families members and initially wouldn't dream of taking up the martial arts. That's until I've had a chance to talk to them about the benefits of training and actually have them meet students who started their martial arts training later in life.
A lot of mature adults are disgusted with the atmosphere at their local gyms, but would love to do something that would help get them into shape. Unfortunately, martial artists in the media are mostly portrayed by either children or young adults, so there are few role models out there. If you want to a great way to get fit and healthy, then consider martial arts.
Training in the martial arts requires that you start with a beginner's curriculum and work your way up to more advanced levels through a belt or sash system. If you were to join an adult softball or volleyball team, you'd have to keep up with everyone else. This would be discouraging and could lead to injury if you are unfit.
Depending on the rate of your progress and the amount of time you spend in class, your instructor will tell you when it's time to move to the next level.
A well-run martial art class combines aerobic, flexibility, and strength exercises. Martial art training is great for burning body fat, which is important to address as we grow older and our metabolism slows down. Balance is also improved as many martial arts movements involve kicking and shifting the body weight from one leg to another. How often do we hear of seniors breaking hips because they lost their balance and took a nasty fall?
In addition to being a great stress reliever, martial arts is also great to learn for self-defense purposes. So you really get a two-for-one, fitness and self-defense!
The best tip for an adult learner is to find a martial art school that caters to adults. Some martial arts schools are heavily oriented towards children and the adult classes are merely incidental to the business. You want to stay away from this type of school.
Also, select a school that has adults' only classes so you don't have to keep up with kids mixed in the adult class. Make sure your class is taught by an adult instructor and not the 12 year old black belt or the instructor's girlfriend whose hell bent on teaching dancing instead of martial arts. Once you find the right school, sign up and enjoy the martial arts for the rest of your life.
