Is it a bit late ?

Question

I am into kyokushin karate for 6 months now and don't have any belt yet, which is 100% OK by me. I enjoy the every aspect of the sport and am training it to learn new things, not trying to emphasise some fast progress. But when I see all the other people/kids i get the nervous feeling in my stomach that is should have started training it a couple years ago. I am 19 by the way, and I am in a very good shape, the fastest in the class even. It is for sure that some kid that is at this time 15 and has 2nd white belt will have the bigger knowledge than me in my age, and I am already lacking in cathcing up. One day I would like to do some serious competition (3 to 5 years from now ) and the kids my age who do that, on the state level at least , not talking about international championships only have green belts, not to mention that 25 year olds have their 1 dan black belts for shore for some time now surely. Could I ever aspire to do some serious competing, like Europian championships ?

Answer 1

its not ur age
its ur dedication
i seen people who been doin it for over 10 years and still dont even hav good balance
as long as ur dedicated and train hard anything is achievable.
usualy its good 2 start yung yes.. but wen ur older u grasp concepts better
sum kung fu schools dnt accept any1 under 18..
so js practice hard and dont worry about others and u will be fine.. remember ur main competition is urself..

Answer 2

National or international type tournaments like the NBL (National Black-belt League) or NASKA (North American Sport Karate Association) have under black belt divisions. At the black belt level in kata and weapons they have a traditional division which would be right up your alley. For fighting its not broken down except by weight classes and age brackets and rank. Although NASKA is now having a hard fighting divison for adult blackbelts which parallels the rules that are used in World Games and international competition. Besides this there also some other organizations and qualifying tournaments for competition at the national and international level and the United States uses one of the lesser organizations for its qualifying and team selection but draws many of it's team members from those who compete on the NASKA or NBL circuit. The team members subsidize their own costs out of pocket. The European teams get better support from their countries since they have karate in the World Games and the Europeans seem to favor that competition over the Olympics.

Start competing now at the local or regional level for experience and then pursue it at an ever higher level. Competition at the national and international level as opposed to the regional/local level is like pro football to college and high school football. While 19 is a little old to start it can be done and if you dedicate yourself and work hard you may be able accomplish this. If not you certainly will not be worse off for not having tried and won't sit there twenty years from now wishing you had. Good luck.

Answer 3

Yes. You're not too old for anything. You could be competing in tournaments in a couple of years, or less, although that would probably be more like reginals or nationals than European championships. There is nothing to stop you competing there, though. You just need to put in the time and effort. While it may feel annoying at times that people younger than you are advancing faster, it doesn't matter. I know someone who started training in karate when he was 23, was on a team that made it to a world championship, and now has been teaching himself for 6 years.

Answer 4

Different people have different ways in training. I am a 22 yr old female and I am going back to Taekwondo. I was in takewondo when i was 12 years old, karate when i was 14 years old. And I am back to taekwondo. Just train alot. And talk to the instructor and tell them what you would like to do. And they will be more than happy to talk with you.

Answer 5

never say never
in my dojo there are 4 or 5 older men and women that train regularly, and also teenagers aswell that have only recently started in karate.
if you train hard with a great coach youll find yourself getting better and more confident. after the first competition, youll wonder why you were worried.

Answer 6

Actually, you're not too old yet. If you get a good coach, he can get you in the shape in 5 years. You could be in mixed martial arts by then. I am concern about you though. I was promoted in one month. My sensei wasn't handing out belts, he just did it on merit. I would suggest that you get focused and enter some tournaments.

Answer 7

some people at my gym didnt start training in western/thai boxing till there mid-20s one guy in his 30s and they are great they compete in matches and win. 2 guys right now are 27 and 29 been training for 6months-ish and want to train to compete in golden gloves. most of success is dedication, train hard try to focus more on breaking your limits advancing yourself than being better than another person.

Answer 8

If your instructors are competent, and you are an active, attentive student who will take the time to actually practice what you're taught, anything is possible. How bad do you want it?

So far it looks like you've recieved some excellent advice.

Answer 9

its never too late. if ur dreams were to compete one day, tht would take at least 5 to 8 years of EXTREME training. i've seen people who started at your age and 8 years later, do all kinds of crzy stuff. good luck man

Answer 10

Sure, you can compete. Keep working out, and suppliment your training with running, biking or swimming, and some (a little) weight training.