Awaken Your Inner Martial Artist

“Starting Tae Kwon-Do in your 40’s? You can’t do that! In your 60’s!? C’mon, get serious!”

Sometimes, it’s the negative words of a co-worker or “friend” that keeps you from taking the first step. The reality is that, many times, they would love to reap the rewards of the Tae Kwon-Do lifestyle themselves, but can’t work up the courage or motivation to begin. 

But, most of the time the main thing that is stopping you, is you. I see it all the time. 

Every time someone walks into my dojang and asks if they’re too old to start training, I tell them I’m 60, and the oldest person that has come into train with me was 74!

“How old are you?” I ask.

Watching too many martial arts movies might make you think that it is only for the young. It’s not. Older students think they’re going to come in and get smacked around by the younger students. 

I’ll be honest, that is not going to happen. But way down the road, and when you’re ready, you may actually choose to begin sparring. (My students are always ready.)

The truth is that you can begin Tae Kwon-Do at any point in your life. I have had students start as late as 65 years old, and as early as three.

People ask me, “When is the best time to start Tae Kwon-Do?” My answer is always the same, no matter how old they are. “The best time to start Tae Kwon-Do is the moment you are ready to start making a commitment to yourself.” In my opinion, there is never a bad time for that!

Sure, if you start Tae Kwon-Do later in life, you’re going to have some challenges that someone starting early might not experience. Your body is not as flexible as it used to be. But, you can gain flexibility, and I promise that I will get you as flexible as you can possibly be. Your body isn’t as strong as it used to be, but I promise that I will get you as strong as you can be. Your aerobic ability isn’t what it once was. I promise that I will get you breathing better and more efficiently. 

Are you going to be a tournament champion if you start at 40? Maybe not. But I promise you… some people have. There isn’t one person, young or old, who has trained in this dojang and hasn’t become better. 

So, why would you not even try?

There are two types of people in the world: those who do Tae Kwon-Do, and those who wish they did Tae Kwon-Do. 

I believe that there are only a very few people in the world who don’t, on some level, wish they did martial arts (if for no other reason than they want to be able to beat someone up!) Who wouldn’t at least want to be more flexible? Who wouldn’t want to be more confident?

They might not see Tae Kwon-Do as being the way to achieve it, but it is. 

Tae Kwon-Do is an all-encompassing activity. It’s mental. It’s physical. It’s spiritual. Not in a religious way, necessarily, but it allows you to get in touch with yourself, understand yourself better, and become a stronger, more capable and expansive person. 

There are any number of reasons people start Tae Kwon-Do later in life. For some, it is because they have been the victim of violence, physical or otherwise. Some start later because they realize the gym isn’t working. The important part is not why they’re starting. The important thing is that they’re starting.

Showing up to that first class – as hard as that can be – is the most important step you can take. And we tell you not to be a superhero and to go at your own pace.  Do we push you to your limit?  Absolutely!  It’s our job, but we aren’t out to make you question why you came in the first place.

I think there is a dormant martial artist inside everyone. That first step is all it takes to awaken it. So, how about you? Are you ready to wake up and become better? It’s the reason why we exist.