Is it too late for me to start Tae kwon do?

Question

I am an athlete that loves to try many new sports. My last sport was baseball. I played it since 10th grade all the way to my senior year. After that I didn't play at all this past freshman year of college. With that said I know that I am out of shape and who knows how much I can stretch now...So I figured that I would try something completely out of the ordinary and seriously pursue it. I picked tae kwon do. Is it too late for me to try being that I am 18 turning 19 soon? I know there are people who started much younger. It just seems like a great sport. I also wanted to try fencing or kendo but tae kwon do is where I think I'm going. Is this a good idea?

Answer 1

Is it too late to start Tae Kwon Do ?
The answer is NO.
Tae Kwon Do is a great sport or art- form for Young & Old. Ps . ( You Still Very Young) . My Son & I started Tae kwon Do together a couple of years ago. I am in my Middle forties & my son is now 11yrs old. We had a blast learning this together & it was great for building ours self- confident. We competed in Tournaments & did quite well. I actually has more trophies then my son. When you compete it is group by age & belt rank. My Son is now a Black Belt but I still need one more test, due to some old injuries. Tae kwon do is great , you will love it !!

Answer 2

Nah, it isn't too late for you to try, hell, it might get you into better shape, maybe. This stuff is an Olympic sport after all. Now if I at 39 were to walk in, yeah, I might have issues.... *lol*

Just keep in mind, most of the Tae Kwon Do schools are going to be geared towards little kids (13 and under) so you might wind up doing a lot of "babysitter-fu". Oh...and most TKD taught in the United States has a notorious reputation for *not* teaching contact moves, so don't look for more than a workout, the stuff really does *not* seem useful in a fight at all (all sparring is light contact and to limited targets). Karate is slightly better in that regard--heck, if self-defense is your concern, either *full contact* Karate or Muay Thai boxing would be much MUCH better.

Answer 3

Not at all. I'm 46 years old and will be testing for a Black belt in 5 months. I also compete in tournaments sparring. Additionally, the person who got me into Tae kwon do is a 38 year old woman who competes in sparring at the national level. She started about 5 years ago, and had no prior martial arts experience.

Answer 4

You should. There are people in my tae kwon do teen and adult class who are like 50 years old. Some of them even have back and hip problems and they still are just as good as some of the younger people. Don't worry about it! I don't know how the tae kwon do class is where you are, but in mine the older people usually get their blackbelts faster than some of the younger ones...Have Fun!!!

Answer 5

Is it too late!? You can do Tae Kwon Do easy. At my school they have an adults class.... everyone is over 30! You are not too old! And you should be really good too with all your athletic talent. You should defiantly try it out!

Answer 6

I started tae kwon do at 17 and at 25 now, I am still in it. So, it's never too late to start a martial art.

Answer 7

Nothing is too late young man,go ahead to start Tae Kwon Do,is good for all ages,but a good club is most important.Good luck.

Answer 8

absolutely not I started when I was 28 and and earned a black belt in taekwondo in three years and was in the best shape of my life.I had an instructor who was an army ranger so his workout routine was a killer.He switched over to Hapkido and was training until last year.Had to stop because of to many previous injury's to the knees and back.Studied under the same instructor for ten years and never stopped learning.Earned a fourth degree in TKD and a third in HKD.Your just now beginning to start your life you have a long way to go and a lot of experiences to learn and share.

Answer 9

Its not too late. In fact its not too late for you to reach an advanced level before you are even 30. If you train consistently you can get a blackbelt in 3-5 years. You are still very young. Some people start in their 50's and still reach blackbelt. Go for it!

Answer 10

Age is never an issue. If you want to learn and are told, for any reason, that you are to old, you need to find another school. That is BS to tell someone they are too old. ANY age between 2-100, as long as you are able to follow instruction.