Martial Arts After 40 (Paperback)

by Sang H. Kim (Author) "Before we begin looking at how to get and stay fit for martial arts, let's take a look at why fitness is increasingly important when..." (more)
Key Phrases: martial arts benefits, total body agility, short duration endurance, Exercise Reps Beginner Intermediate Advanced, Turtle Press (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Martial Arts After 40 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 moms 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 aging 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.

About the Author
Sang H Kim is a forty-something martial artist who has been practicing and teaching the popular arts of taekwondo and junsado for over thirty years. He writes this book from the perspective of both teacher and practitioner, basing his advice on research, personal experience and traditional martial arts principles. In addition to authoring seven books and starring in dozens of instructional video tapes, he is a popular seminar presenter in the US, Europe and Asia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Turtle Press (October 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880336294
• ISBN-13: 978-1880336298
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #145,884 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #12 in

  Books > Health, Mind & Body > Aging > For the Aging

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

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

By A Customer

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!

41 of 45 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 (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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

17 of 17 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)

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.