Customer Reviews

Martial Arts After 40

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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!

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

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.

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.

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.

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!!

This book actually convinced me that it wasn't such a crazy idea to take up taekwondo at 48. I'd always wanted to learn a martial art but never had the opportunity until recently. A little voice in my head said "too late" but after taking a few introductory classes and then finding this book I realized that it's definitely not too late. Kim's book is 80% instruction and 20% inspiration. I learned a lot about what's "normal" for someone in my age bracket, especially what to expect to be able to do and what to focus on improving, both in class and at home on my own. Very helpful guide if you are "of a certain age" and interested in taking up a great new sport.

I found this book on a friend's shelf and it eventually led to me signing up for my first martial arts class. I'd always wanted to take lessons but when I was younger, girls just didn't do things like karate and as I got older, I figured it was too late to be jumping around with a bunch of kids. Well, I was wrong and the first paragraph of this book told me so. Right from the start the author dispels myths about middle age athletes and then he realistically sets up what we can do and do well. I think I like this book as much for it's encouraging positive tone as for the concrete tips I've learned from it.

I started in Martial arts at the age of 41 and have discovered that I needed to think in a different way than those "young teenagers". After progressing for a few years, I was given this book and it helped open up new areas of thought on how I should progress and train. There is a lot of good advice to be gleaned from this book on proper rest, nutrition, sleep, and attitude.
It helped me to realise I am not too old to train hard but I need to take precautions.
At the end of the book there is a section that gives different areas to train in mentally which is still of great help.
And yes, those "young teenagers" still respect me, partially as a result of this book.

(added 2/2010) - Almost 5 years later and now as a 2nd Degree Black Belt in my 50's it is still my go to book especially the Mastery Points section. It has helped me realize and master the mental portion of martial arts as my body more and more reminds me of my physical limitations.

I had taken up karate with my son, who is now a black belt, and struggled on and off to stick with it. I loved the discipline and workout that karate gave me but it seemed like I was always getting injured or working twice as hard to keep up with class. My wife bought me this book for my birthday and it's been a great help in getting me back to class on a regular basis. I started out doing some of the exercises at home first so I could get in better shape. Once I felt more confident in my flexibility and speed, I started going to class again and saw a big change in my ability to keep up with the younger guys and gals. Sang H. Kim includes a lot of little tips and tricks to train smarter and not waste precious time and energy. I especially like his positive "can-do" attitude. I'm looking forward to getting my black belt and joining my son in black belt classes in the not too distant future.