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Martial Arts After 40

May 13, 2010


Product DescriptionMartial 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. . . . More >>

Martial Arts After 40

Written by SelfDefenseWatcher · Filed Under Self Defense 

Comments

5 Responses to “Martial Arts After 40”

  1. A. Smith on May 13th, 2010 10:45 pm

    This book had its moments, but the writing needs a lot of cleaning up. In particular, the consistent misuse of “it’s” was very distracting to me. Also, one of the pages repeated the last few lines from the previous page.

    I think that the author’s advice is all right, but it’s biased towards complete beginners and non-contact martial arts.
    Rating: 3 / 5
    Martial Arts After 40

  2. Stephen Beckvonpeccoz on May 14th, 2010 1:21 am

    This book is too generic and full of platitudes, plus poor grammar and typos. The sloppy editing gets worse at the end of the book. For anyone over 40 who has ever done martial arts, there is nothing new here. For anyone who is just beginning in their 40s or later, it is okay but not great. If you are into fitness or are even aware of your body and have anything resembling an active lifestyle, you will be disappointed.

    The first four chapters are a waste of space – why fitness is good; the fact that exercise, diet, and mental attitude contribute to health; that most people over 40 resist exercise because it is work and can hurt; etc. Most of the rest of the book discusses the changes in fitness you can expect when you are older, and tells you to keep your chin up and not give up even if tempted. There is also not nearly enough specific information on how to compensate for various physical limitations due to injury, etc. that prevent a full range of motion for many older martial artists.

    The only thing I found of value was Chapter 19 Sparring: a few recommendations on how to modify sparring technique to compensate for a loss of power, speed, flexibility, and agility for the older martial artist. Most of it was fairly obvious (circle away from your opponent to avoid being hit!), but there was some good info about disrupting the fight rhythm and using a few simple techniques that you know well and that work for your particular body.

    The book finishes with some guidance on meditation and mind/body connection. A good final chapter would have been how to know when to call it quits and stop training for good, or at least change styles to something easier on the body like tai chi.

    If I had glanced through this at Barnes and Noble, I would not have bought it. You can have mine.
    Rating: 2 / 5
    Martial Arts After 40

  3. Cristiano Teixeira on May 14th, 2010 3:35 am

    Although this book is very well written and is a great guide if you do not have any other martial arts technical book on your shelf, after reading the other reviews, I was expecting some more technical insight on the aging issue and on the specifics of over-40 training. This info is there but in my opinion it’s rather superficial and introductory. More than 2/3 of the book feels like a “beginner’s guide” on stretching, strength, speed and general training techniques that already exists on hundreds of other “training guides” with more detail, and that every Martial Arts practitionist already knows from experience.
    Rating: 3 / 5
    Martial Arts After 40

  4. B. Bransky on May 14th, 2010 6:28 am

    This book is a pretty well written fast read. It does contain some interesting thoughts and tidbits, especially towards the end, which could be valuable to anyone. The problem is, if you’re over 40 and have spent any significant time at the gym or in martial arts, you probably won’t find alot of useful information here. There’s alot of generalities which are not age specific and are well known to any excercise enthusiast. If you’re fairly new to working out and/or the martial arts, this is probably a pretty decent book.
    Rating: 3 / 5
    Martial Arts After 40

  5. L. Davis on May 14th, 2010 9:07 am

    This book would be good for a new martial artist. If you have been doing martial arts for any time, you can skip to about page 200 or find a different book. However, as with any martial arts writer worth their salt, there are some insightful nuggets here, if you are willing theo sift through the basic stuff.
    Rating: 3 / 5
    Martial Arts After 40

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