Are you a martial artist? Are you older than 25 years old?In a lot of sports, you’d be on the decline by now. Your stamina wouldn’t be the same as when you were younger. And your strength and raw speed will lessen with age as well.Well, in the martial arts age isn’t so bad….As we get older, we get smarter.Maybe we do slow down, but because we also learn to move efficiently, this slow-down isn’t noticed … especially by the novice and intermediate martial-arts practitioners.I know several martial artists in their 60s who still scare me. I’d never want to go up against them in a real fight. (My teacher, Steve Golden, is one of them.)He’s still very fast … and his martial arts feel better than ever!Are you a senior martial artist? Are you worried about getting older and still maintaining your skills?Martial Arts Practice Advice For SeniorsBruce Lee advised us to move with a purpose.I advise the same … especially as we get older.This means, if the movement directly relates to your immediate goal, it’s OK. If not, it’s a wasted motion.As we age, let’s eliminate those wasted motions.If you move with a purpose:* You’ll have more stamina without the wasted motions.* You’ll seem faster … extra movement slows you down.* You’ll be more effective … since every motion serves a purpose.
This means that hopping around in a sparring session, which tires you out, is a “no-go” … unless, you are trying to get your aerobic workout.For a workout, it’s fine. As a martial-arts strategy, dancing around the ring is not the best. Make your opponent come to you.Let him (or her) get tired with the movement and the chasing around the ring.One of your goals should be to make your younger opponent do all of the work. Let your opponent be the one to get out of breath in the martial arts practice.

Note: If you are interested in reading more about martial arts training for seniors, here’s an article that will give you an important tip — Senior Martial Artists Make Sure You Don’tAlso, think about shorter techniques … and efficient counters. And to further your movement toward martial efficiency …

What if I could give you one simple suggestion that would significantly increase the speed of your learning martial arts?This is a tip for people who study in a martial-arts class that focuses on self defense.
Note: It’s also a useful tip for those who compete in martial-arts competitions. This is your opportunity to practice more realistically for tournaments.
If you are a person with a timid personality, then you are going to resist the following suggestion. Which, of course, means that you are someone who needs to follow the suggestion the most.Martial Arts Training PartnersWhen you choose your practice partner during martial arts class, are you allowed to choose whom you work with?Or, are you assigned to work out with the person next to you?If the former, do you choose you best friend as you practice partner? And if the latter, are you conveniently standing next to one of your friendly acquaintances?If you want to speed up your training in realistic self defense, I suggest you avoid working out with your friends.Who Scares You?Scan the martial arts studio or dojo. Who is the meanest, biggest, baddest-looking student or teacher there?Find someone who looks like a mugger. Choose the stereotype of your personal demon. Who scares you the most?And that’s the person who should be your training partner:
* It will make the martial-arts practice much more realistic.* It will add intensity to the training.* You will learn to defend against very strong attackers.And the biggest benefit is the effect over time. If you are afraid to fight a Big Herculean Jerk, this will get you used to “almost reality” training. After awhile, big attackers won’t phase you. You’ll be so used to them.After all, you train with big guys almost every day.Of course, there are other tips to making big improvements in your martial-arts training. Here’s an article with another useful tip for martial improvement, Martial Arts ImprovementAre you looking for more ways to develop confidence in a fight?

Have you even been in a martial-arts situation where you knew you were in over your head? What do you do when your opponent’s response to your attack is completely offensive? You may have a martial-arts problem.When is one time you might pause with an “Oh my gosh” response?You could get that sinking feeling after you make an uncommitted strike.

Note: It’s easy to make a mistake with a committed strike. You are putting your all into the martial arts technique. If it doesn’t work, you are in trouble you know it. This is different from the safety of an uncommitted strike. Or so, one would assume.
Test With Uncommitted Martial-Arts TechniquesThe fight could start from a distance. You go through some testing, like in a sparring match, before the close contact begins. During this testing, you throw out an uncommitted technique. You don’t put all your power and body motion into the technique, because you want to avoid giving your opponent too much to work with. So, you just test the waters. You throw a light, speedy move, just to see the reaction.At this point, if your attacker’s response is lightning fast, controlled, untelegraphed, and offensive rather than defensive … you might have a reason to say,”Uh oh.”You have just verified that you are fighting someone who is into a progressive martial arts style. The person facing you will do in one move what you are used to seeing in two. If you don’t know how to handle this type of martial arts strategy, then you will be outclassed every step of the way.Martial Options to the ProblemSo, what will you do?Can you run away?Do you still think you have more skill, so you’ll stick it out? Do you know some particular attack that you can try without committing? (It would be dangerous to over-commit at this point.) Are you planning something sneaky, dirty, and quick? Maybe sneaky will work.The one thing you will not do is fight someone better than you.Why?As stated in many of my other articles … if your attacker is truly better than you are in all martial aspects, including being sneaky, then you will lose.