I have always been a fan of the martial arts, but I never had enough money or time to get into it the way that I wanted too. I have always wanted to get all my belts and every degree of my black belt. But I heard it takes years to get all of your degrees of you black belt. At age 40, is it too late for me?
2007-07-18 09:07:17 · 17 answers · asked by Penny 1 in Sports ➔ Martial Arts
no way man, go for it
2007-07-18 09:11:02 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Not too late at all. For a while I practiced Hapkido with a group that was nearly all over 40. Most had been there a long or very long time but a beginner at 40 wasn't a problem.
Some forms with lots of hard contact are probably not appropriate any more. It takes longer to recover but there is a lot available.
No idea what you mean by getting all the degrees of a black belt. But you can certainly obtain a good level of proficiency. At 40 you have many years in which you can train. Maybe it will take 4 or 6 years to get a 1st degree black belt. There's no hurry. Enjoy the learning no need to worry too much about the belts. That's all kind of silly and artificial anyway.
2007-07-18 09:17:15 · answer #2 · answered by TC 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's never too late to start. Just some things you will be better at than others, but it does vary. You may find kicking difficult. We have a few guys that started this year that are mid 30s and they are doing well. As for the martial art. I would say Aikido, Judo or Hapkido. They use leverage , rather than brute strength to take down an opponent. Also they don't require you to be super fit and agile. Hapkido would be a bit harder though because there is some pretty difficult kicks for me to learn at 20 years old.
2016-04-01 00:24:16 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, there are tons of middle aged adults taking class at a martial arts place I go to. Getting up to before a red belt takes a lot of time and practice, but is fairly easy. The real difficult training comes when you reach that level, and "getting" all the black belts is uh... possible but not for most unless you have a goal of becoming an instructor. As I said before it's not too late; there are tons of parents who take classes with their children. So have a go at it and have fun-
2007-07-18 09:13:57 · answer #4 · answered by i need help 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is never to late. As for belts, don't worry so much about being a Paper Champion as much as learning a system that will prove usefull in your life.
I suggest go for it with an outlook on making personal goals a must, like quit smoking for example. These goals will be a far better achievement than any color of belt.
Then as time goes on add up your personal goal accomplishments. This will tell you the true value of what you have learnt. If your Martial Art doesn't benefit your life adding a form of meaning and goals it is worthless.
A great wrestler just killed his family and himself, he was a great fighter. But his way gave him no personal values. He only knew well educated fighting.
2007-07-18 09:32:04 · answer #5 · answered by Firefly 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's never too late to join martial arts. I have been in it for twelve years and our studio has people from 5 to 65. I think its awesome that you want to do martial arts. It takes about 6 years to get your black belt and then another 6 years for your physical tests. After your fourth degree black the res tof your tests coem from the service you put into it. Like teaching and stuff
2007-07-18 12:36:20 · answer #6 · answered by ladyvol001 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
40 that's just a number it isn't too late to start, all a black belt is just tells everyone how many techniques you know. Just because you are a black belt thta doesn't guarantee you will come out on top when you are in a fight. Instead of concentrating on what color of belt you can attain concentrate instead of what techniques form to your body make up. Focus on what works for you and master those techniques because what works for one person will not always work for you. You need to know yourself and what you can do and once you find that out you will attain more than the color of belt. Good luck on your quest
2007-07-18 10:10:22 · answer #7 · answered by gurowar 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely not too late. I teach Kung Fu and have many students that have started at 50 and above. The only difference is that if you get a little injury it seems to take longer to to heal. I'm only 30 now - started when I was around 22 & I've even noticed a difference in this recently. But go for it !!! Definitely not too late.
2007-07-18 11:17:26 · answer #8 · answered by stepss1 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dude, your ONLY at mid-life.
Did you know the world heavyweight champion of the UFC is 44 years old?
There are a lot of people your age that start. Don't delay, start before it is too late. Starting now wil add a lot of years to your life. You know, people in their twenties ask that same question.LOL.
Anyway, a good example is my Vet.
He started working out, and lifting weights at 38. Now he's 57, and he looks like a cross between Dr.Doolittle and Arnold Schwartznegger. No joke. He says he's happy he started when he did, cause the longer you wait the harder it'll be. Not to mention he doesn't look a day over 45.
2007-07-18 09:41:23 · answer #9 · answered by Mr. Bo Jangles 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I started Tae Kwon Do at age 44. 15 years later I am a 3rd degree blackbelt & still going strong. You are NOT too late.
Enjoy!
2007-07-18 09:45:23 · answer #10 · answered by yupchagee 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It's never too late to start something new. You might not accomplish all your goals in the limited time you have before your body gets too physically weak to keep going, but it can only be fun to try
2007-07-18 09:12:50 · answer #11 · answered by MLBfreek35 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋