I'm 18 and want to start Taekwondo??

Question

I want to start learning taekwondo. Am i too old? I have no experience in it at all.

Also, i heard there is great emphasise on being flexible. I cant even touch my toes with my hands, will they stretch me so i can become more flexible for those kicks?

Answer 1

No, Roger, You'll be fine.

You will be sore all over for a few weeks after beginning, but stick with it and you will soon realize that you made a great decision to study the Martial Arts.

Have fun!

Answer 2

Flexibility is like strength-some are born with more of it than others but the important thing is that you can build it if you don't have it. Most people start losing their flexibility in the groin, hamstring, and lower back areas at around 11-14 years of age. These three areas are key areas to good flexibility and so the fact that you are only 18 and not 48 means you can build them back into shape and increase your flexibility easier than that 48 year old student that is just starting out. Everyone started sometime, somewhere, even an old guy like me that has been doing martial arts now for a very long time. Go for it!

Answer 3

Under the guidance of a morally upright instructor and community, even younger kids can start learning suitable martial arts systems. There should be no age limit too as there are various aspects of any martial art that can be helpful to a person. 18 is a good age to start. You are more likely to be matured enough to appreciate the discipline, and physically in your prime for the training. Since you will be doing a lot of high kicking, you need to be flexible. It's a lot harder getting started with that when you're around 40.

Answer 4

You're not too old to start the martial art. If you were starting something like boxing and wanted to actually fight, then there might be some debate, but 18 is a good age. As far as not having any experience, anyone who starts a new class always starts at the bottom regardless of prior experience. This is done because techniques are different, even if they may be fundamentally the same in another form of martial arts.

Flexibility will come with practice and time. You just need to find a good school and practice.

Answer 5

I agree with JV...you'll definitely be sore for a while, but you should do fine.
As for being too old...it just depends on why you are studying. Realistically, you are probably too old if you want to compete at the international level in TKD - unless you have some very serious athletic background.
Other than that... at 18, you're still very young, and your body is still very strong and capable. I've taught 60-70 year old white belts that were studying for exercise and fun. You'll be fine.
And please don't put much stock in opinions that state that TKD is no good, or that "style x" is "the best". Only you can decide which style(s) are best for you. If the style, the school community and the instructor meet your needs, then you've found "the best" style.

Answer 6

TKD in my own humble opinion is all very flashy and looks good but as far as street applicabilty wont work. I'm not saying TKD is a bad style but there are to many mcdojos out there to risk it. I'd go for something like ju-jitsu, judo, boxing, kickboxing or something like that. Basically any art that will promote you to bb in under 2.5 years is generally a mcdojo. So try to find something better unless your completely sure the place your goiung to train at isn't a mcdojo. As far as your age heck no 18 is a great age to start.

Answer 7

Nah,18 is a very good age to start taekowndo.In my class,the best student is not the one who start the earliest,but the one who spent the moet time practising,i am sure you can do it,my cousin is 35 and he can do a perfectly full split,however you ought to know that there is there gropus of taekowndo,The ITF,WTF and GTF..WTF is spor ts taekwondo which emphasises mostly on kicks,ITF is traditional taekowndo,and the founder of taekonwdo choi hong hi is fromITF taekwondo..and we do both hands and leg attacks...To witness the prowess of ITF taekowndo,view the following video..

Answer 8

I started at 44. I'm not & never will be very flexible. Starting at 18, you can gain a lot of flexibility. Go for it!

Answer 9

I started Tae Kwon-do when I was 21 at my college. Trust me your never to old to start. You don't have to be flexible to take Tae Kwon-do I'm not. They have stretches that they do that help make you more flexible. They really just want you to do the best that you can do.

Answer 10

You're not too old, unless you plan to be one of those Jedi monks with no other life. Find a good teacher and you should do fine. (Good test - look for an instructor with a sense of humor.) Stretching exercises are an important part of the training, so that will be covered.