Starting martial arts as an adult... a guide

by Jason Ruiter in Adult martial arts Posted on 09/16/2023 12:46 PM

Of course the best time to start will always be answered by saying you should have started yesterday.

Quite often we get an email from people inquiring about starting martial arts as an adult and ultimately what we end up hearing is a desire being quickly defeated by an excuse. Here are two of our favorites:

1. I have to get into shape first.

- I can't begin to tell you how wrong this is but if you've caught yourself thinking this way you are centering on the ego. We are all train wrecks when we start. Adults eat too much, drink too much, and think too much. What we say here is "No Ego... instead We go!".

2. I have no time.

- Nobody has time... we are all on borrowed time. What you really have no time for is procrastinating. it's that simple.

As you get older, life is a slow motion fight for survival. If you never get ahead of it you will miss out on being there for your children when their adults which is when you truly appreciate who they are and the people you have guided them to be.

With that in mind, start any exercise regime and stick to it. If you've ever wondered about martial arts, here's what you need to know:

1. The best martial art to do is the one that gets you out of your house. All martial arts are great for personal development and fitness. Start one and stick with it.

2. I can only commit to once per per week. We get it - we have options for that.

3. I can't call someone "master" or wear "pyjamas" -  how do you think I've felt for 40 years? It's a culture thing in the martial arts, see the comment about "Ego" above and the comment about adults being "train wrecks". A little humility goes  a long way. That said, BJJ is a little more relaxed in that sense being one of the newest forms of traditional martial arts.

Here's the 10 seconds sales pitch for either Taekwondo or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as an adult.

Taekwondo - It's fun and it's cardio - everything you need to get your ticker right. The tenure of our current students in the over 40 group is close to 10 years and they are mostly female. It's not as "hands on" as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (I bring this up for the germaphobes out there). Taekwondo involved lots of dynamic striking and can be adapted to every other martial art which is why you see so many UFC fighters that are also Taekwondo black belts. Taekwondo practitioners do their best to defy gravity.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu - excellent for the smaller person to handle themselves against bigger stronger opposition. This martial arts is grappling based with an emphasis on opponent control and submission. Everyone can punch, not everyone has the skill to triangle choke someone. BJJ has a lot of controlled sparring (rolling) and; therefore, very "hands on". At a higher level you will have an answer to everything when on or going to the ground. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner accepts the power of gravity and works with it.

An ideal situation would be to do both martial arts but if you have to pick one, it depends on what vibes with you. Both are phenomenal forms of self defence. Hopefully we see on the mats.