What martial Arts SHould My mother take?

Question

I take shotokan karate but that is to intinse for my mother and my mother dosent want to fight in tournaments but if some one attacks her she wants to be able to defend herself she wants to stay in shap and not to much of an agressive styles but somthing more focused on fitness.

Answer 1

Krav Maga

Answer 2

Honestly I think it really isnt' about the style but the instructor or school they go to. At the school I go to - which is a pretty hard core traditional kung fu school, we have much older people joining all the time and do well. The idea is they have to have an instructor that can build them up slowly - and of course make sure the tournaments are not required and fighting is not required. Most schools have like an intro course she could take and see. At my school we have a 65 year old that just started martial arts for the first time in his life and while he moves slower - he seems to be doing very well.

Answer 3

Shotokan is usually pretty easy on the body... Gichin Funakoshi practiced actively until the age of 90. If your Shotokan school doesn't offer a class for older adults, you may want to try Tai Chi. If you can find a "Chen" Tai Chi they almost always teach self-defense appliable moves along with the forms. Often other Tai Chi instructors also teach self-defense along with Tai Chi, or Push Hands and Chin Na... but many just use it as a New Age meditation device, and drop the martial art out of one of the oldest martial arts. So, you'll have to do research. We have at least one Yang Tai Chi class close to me where you take one class in Tai Chi (the basic form) and a conjunct class in Chin Na. (The applications of the form)

Answer 4

Shop the instructor and school-not the style. A good, knowledgeable instructor will take your mother and do the best for her based on her age and what her reasons are for taking martial arts. While martial arts was never meant to be started for the first time by people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s you will find some instructors have modified their approach to things to take this segment into account.

There are some aspects that I teach my older students about and how to do. It's an entirely different thing to expect them to actually perform those aspects. I teach them alternate methods and techniques to use in place of the more difficult ones and I certainly don't expect them to fight in tournaments.

There are many older or aged martial artists that have never competed and never will who can adequately defend themselves and be aggressive when its called for.

Answer 5

There is a great misconception about TaiChi, in that people don't think it can be used for self defense. Tai Chi Chuan etc.
If she finds the right instructor (one who actually knows Tai Chi, in all it's aspects) Practitioner rather than player; then it would be an effective art for her. It doesn't rely on physical stature or force. No I'm am not one of those one art practitioners, and TaiChi is just one art. Push hands (just one technique)executed correctly can launch one across a room.

Answer 6

I agree with sixmillinoways above. Learning martial arts for an older woman is a self-deception and it's not going to work in actuality. Don't subject her to wasting her time and money.

It will work, however, for the karate school because her money is as good as anyone else's.

Answer 7

Any martial art can be modified to anyone individual. Kenpo and Hapkido are 2 great arts that can be easily modified for older individuals. Hapkido also has great cane fighting techniques. My mother trains in Kenpo and is 67 years old.

Answer 8

Depends on what kind of fitness she's looking for, cardio, strength or flexibility. I can't answer for you, but if my daughter expressed interest in the martial arts, I'd steer them towards Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Much more based on leverage, flexibility and thinking as opposed to brute force. Search on youtube for some clips of the Gracies, the most famous version of BJJ. I remember seeing something on ESPN once about it and it's intrigued me since, especially since the rise of MMA.

Answer 9

tia chi is a good example for your mother. there are plenty of schools that are self defense based.it dosent mater about the style they all have tourment based schools and self defense schools. so look at the schools not the style

Answer 10

I would go with a practical style of Aikido. I know there are many styles of Aikido and alot of them are not practical styles.Look around for a good Aikido Dojo.
here are two very practical styles.
Shinbu Aikido,Tomiki Aikido,
here is my website www.sleepingstormaikido.com