Teaching an old dog new martial arts tricks?

Question

The past year and a half has been my worst for injuries. So I've gotten more into Judo and Aikido. It's been really hard to set the other stuff aside, and learn new tricks. Any advice on setting the old aside (for just a while) to bring in the new? I want to mix everything up once I have a good healthy streak. Thanks for any answers 8^D

Answer 1

An old dog new tricks. Well I can tell you a few things that have helped this old dog get through. One is that you have to take warming up, stretching, and injuries, even little ones, more seriously not less. Your years of experience and training do not make you impervious to injuries. They actually make you more susceptible to them due to the affects of the aging process on your body while still trying to do the same things you did when you were younger. So on those days or workouts that you are working out hard you have to take more time warming up and stretching. Also injuries need to be avoided since your body now takes longer to heal and recover from them. If you do get an injury then take extra time and extra care to treat it and let it heal so that it does not become a nagging injury. Avoiding injuries may mean less physical contact, less physically demanding workouts, and more rest in between.

Along with that another thing that has helped me is the old Japanese masters and their approach to things. They rely on their experience, skill, and understanding of martial arts more so than their athletic and physical abilities as they get older. This is especially so in workouts where hard physical contact will be encountered. This way they tend to save their bodies somewhat and can extend the time that they can be active in doing martial arts. If you start to take the above approaches now and change your approach to things you may find in the long run that you will be much happier. Not only that you will still be able to stay active and do martial arts at a satisfying level. Good luck!

Answer 2

Submerse yourself in Judo and Aikido, work hard do what your sensei tells you. Don't say we'll in (what ever art here) we do it like this. That is fine but you are in a Judo / Aikido class so do the technique as shown. Take what you like disgard the rest. Encorporate what you have learned into what you already know.

Answer 3

To take anything worthwhile from a new M.A., you have to be willing to give it time and focus. There are no halfways or sortas in learning.
A lot of Karate classes start with a "mokuso" period.
A time when you clear your thoughts of everything that is going on in your life and focusing on that class.
If you think to much or compare to often, with the other styles you have taken, it will get confusing as heck.
If you give the new Art(s) time, you will be able to take what you need from it, and apply it properly when needed.
A lot of people take various M.A.s but not for a long enough time to be able to blend what they learn.

I have taken Karate for 16 years, but also became fairly proficient in Tai Chi Chuan. Two arts worlds apart but the fluidity I achieved through Tai Chi helped with injury and bettering my chosen M.A. (Shito-ryu Itosu-kai Karate).