Martial Arts After 40

by Sang H. Kim

Book Overview

This book addresses important questions like: How old is too old start a marital art?; What type of exercises are best (and which ones are dangerous) for the over-40 martial artist?; What are the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1880336294
• ISBN13: 9781880336298
• Release Date: March 2000
• Publisher: Turtle Press
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

You are never too old

I started my martial arts journey 10 years ago when I was just 40 years old with my autistic son. Now, as an instructor I have many parents say they are too old to start martial arts. I show them this book and we talk about effective modifications like starting out slow, eating right and going at a pace that works for them as individuals. This book explains how to successfully spar a younger, faster apponent. It offers tricks of the trade that I've never learned before which have been helpful for me. This is a great book for those who are just starting in martial arts as well as those who have been doing it for a while. Getting into martial arts at 40, or older, is a great way to keep yourself in shape which in turn will drasticly slow down your aging process. It can be as mild or agressive as you like. Not only will you stay in shape, which can save your life, but you will also learn skills that can save your life as well or the lives of someone else. A training partner of mine (who is 65)once asked me; "What happens to a tomato when it stops growing? It dies! The same will happen to us." We have to keep growing mentally, physically and spiritually.

Very useful book

This book should really be called "martial arts for anyone who is not a super-fast, athletic, coordinated twenty-something male." Tons of useful tips not only for the older martial artist but also for anyone training with physical limitations, injury, disability etc. I'm a twenty-something martial artist and it's been incredibly helpful for my training.

Just what I needed.....when I needed it.

I started training again after a 22 year absence from formal martial arts instruction. Although I continued limited solo training and stretching, I didn't realize what kind of toll the years can take on the body until I began training with teenagers and 20 somethings at the age of 42. Dr. Kim's book has helped me address problem areas that I once thought were un-changeable due to age. I still have lots of room for improvement but am thankful I bought this book. It has helped immeasureably. Highly recommended!!

Love the approach

I got a bunch of martial arts books for christmas and this is already my favorite. The author's approach is one step beyond the average martial arts how-to book. You can tell he's really been a martial artist all his life and knows how getting older impacts your performance. I'm enjoying his "big picture" approach and even though i've been doing martial arts for more yeras than some of the kids I train with have been alive, I found some excellent tips to cope with my creaking joints and sore muscles. There's also an unexpected bonus - a section on weapons training, specifically the short stick. I think this is a great addition to training as you get older. A weapon is a whole new ballgame for an empty hand martial artist like me and will give me new goals to work toward.

It's about time!

It's about time someone wrote a book for those of us "over-the-hill" martial artists. Seriously, though, this is a great reference for any adult martial artist, regardless of age - sort of user's manual for the martial artist's body. And some of the information is very advanced - this is not just an introductory book for beginners. Great insight by the author into what it means to be one of the oldest students in the class. Very informative and inspiring book!