Martial Arts After 40 [Paperback]

Sang H. Kim (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1999

This is the first book on the market to cater to two growing populations, martial artists and baby boomers. Once a blood and guts sport for tough young men, martial arts is now touted by athletes, aerobics trainers, actors, super models and soccer mums as the number one way for adults to get fit and stay in shape. 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 effects of ageing and how can martial arts combat them?; How can baby boomers keep up in a martial arts class full of gen-Xers?; What types of injuries are most prevalent after 40 and how can they be prevented? This book takes a positive and enthusiastic approach to taking up or continuing a martial art in middle age or later. Readers will be inspired, reassured and educated.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sang H Kim is an internationally respected author of 8 books. He currently devotes his time to teaching, writing and presenting seminars around the world.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Turtle Press (October 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880336294
• ISBN-13: 978-1880336298
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #41,894 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #70 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Individual Sports > Martial Arts

More About the Author

Sang H. Kim is an internationally respected author of 14 martial arts books, including the widely acclaimed Vital Point Strikes and the classics Ultimate Flexibility, Ultimate Fitness through Martial Arts, Combat Strategy and Teaching Martial Arts. He has also created over 100 martial arts instructional DVDs and video programs including Self-defense Encyclopedia, Knife-defense, Power Breathing, Junsado Training Series, and Complete Taekwondo Series.

He has over 40 years experience in the martial arts. Has has taught tens of thousands of students in his own schools and at seminars in Europe, Asia and North America and reached millions more through his books, videos and DVDs.

He won the 1976 Korean National Championship and was named Instructor of the Year by the Korean government in 1983. As a special agent during his military service, he developed tactical combat methods for hand-to-hand and hand-to-weapon combat for covert operatives.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's about time!, November 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Martial Arts After 40 (Paperback)

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!

70 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars If it is your first book, buy it; otherwise take a pass, November 16, 2004

By 

L. A. Kane (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Martial Arts After 40 (Paperback)

The hardest I've ever been hit was by a 57 year-old Japanese martial artist who nearly broke my leg with an arm block, a truly amazing feat. If you truly understand the techniques and bio-mechanics, age matters not in the martial arts.

This interesting book covers attributes of fitness, flexibility, power, reflexes, coordination, speed, and endurance with a focus on older martial artists. There is pretty good coverage on the effects of aging and how to train hard without hurting yourself. The sections on injury prevention, self-care, and over training are worth the price of admission. If you've never practiced martial arts before, the sections on progression in the martial arts, sparring, and forms are also very good. They are not particularly useful if you've been doing this a while, however. The introduction and the first few chapters are very basic indeed. The section on weapons forms near the end is a nice bonus though.

All in all the vast majority of material in this tome has been covered better in other books, some written by Kim himself. The target audience is the middle-aged beginner who is interested in pursuing an education in martial arts. If you are over 40, new to martial arts, and only going to purchase one book, this is it.

If you have been training for a while I wouldn't put this too high on the priority list. I'd recommend "Ultimate Flexibility: A Complete Guide to Stretching for Martial Arts" by Sang H. Kim along with "The Fighter's Body: An Owner's Manual: Your Guide to Diet, Nutrition, Exercise and Excellence in the Martial Arts" by Loren W. Christensen instead. Yeah, it's two books rather than one, but I think that combined they have the depth advanced practitioners require.

Lawrence Kane
Author of Surviving Armed Assaults, The Way of Kata, and Martial Arts Instruction

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You are never too old, July 14, 2006

By 

Brenda J. Goodwin (Medina, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Martial Arts After 40 (Paperback)

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.