Essay: Training as you Age
It’s good to have intensity in your training, but it’s also important to stay injury free. You want to be able to remain active in the martial arts for your entire lifetime. If you accumulate too many injuries, your performance will be negatively affected later in your life. Classical martial arts is not something you retire from. However, you may need to tone down the intensity in your training as you mature and age. You may need to train differently in your 50’s than when you were in your 20s, for example. Train hard, but train smart. In my own life, I underwent some intensive training as a young man. And in my 40s, I did some very hard training, but it was not sustainable. In my 20s and 30s, I could train harder than I could in my 40s. That’s simply how it was. It’s important for both the student and teacher to acknowledge or be aware of this. We are training a martial art. An artform, yes, but not devoid of the martial aspect. But if you always leave class with a concussion and damaged ribs, your training is likely not sustainable. If you literally can’t walk home after class – if you find yourself limping to your car after every session, your body will age quicker and you won’t be able to keep up your training at that level of intensity. It is good to be exposed to training like that, but it’s desirable to train in a way that doesn’t destroy your body over time. Train hard, and train smart.
