tkd competition question

ladylouise

does age play factor when entering competion against younger opponents

i feel age play huge factor sparring younger opponents

i am 29 years old i feel i am too old tkd continuous sparring at my age because i feel old long side younger opponents in the early 20s and me at my age i feel i don,t i have in me any more .id feel like old pensioner a long them

some people agree that i am .but i can,t help my age.i still feel too for for it:(:(:(:(:(:(:(

Tim_Murphy

Speed and timing play a large part in TKD sparring so I guess it is something that is more suited to a younger person than an older one. That said, people like Sean Keane and Shane Fitzgibbon are still doing well in international competitions as far as I know and they were oldies back when I was doing TKD.

ladylouise

Tim_Murphy wrote: »

Speed and timing play a large part in TKD sparring so I guess it is something that is more suited to a younger person than an older one. That said, people like Sean Keane and Shane Fitzgibbon are still doing well in international competitions as far as I know and they were oldies back when I was doing TKD.

what age are u?

Tim_Murphy

ladylouise wrote: »

what age are u?

I'm dangerously close to 28 but I haven't done TKD in about 6 years, bar doing a few Galway Opens for a bit of craic.

RedXIV

ladylouise wrote: »

does age play factor when entering competion against younger opponents

i feel age play huge factor sparring younger opponents

i am 29 years old i feel i am too old tkd continuous sparring at my age because i feel old long side younger opponents in the early 20s and me at my age i feel i don,t i have in me any more .id feel like old pensioner a long them

some people agree that i am .but i can,t help my age.i still feel too for for it:(:(:(:(:(:(:(

It is tricky alright to come up against energetic new blood, saying that, any of the guys I used to lose to in competitions were always older than me. Alot to be said for using the head in a fight. I used to have no problem fighting young guys who'd throw themselves at you but older fighters were sneaky as hell

keane2097

Tim_Murphy wrote: »

I'm dangerously close to 28 but I haven't done TKD in about 6 years, bar doing a few Galway Opens for a bit of craic.

He was never much good anyway :pac:

keane2097

Tim_Murphy wrote: »

Speed and timing play a large part in TKD sparring so I guess it is something that is more suited to a younger person than an older one. That said, people like Sean Keane and Shane Fitzgibbon are still doing well in international competitions as far as I know and they were oldies back when I was doing TKD.

I'm not so sure about this - I was terribly slow!

ladylouise

i suppose i am too old after all.becasue i feel next to younger ones.
then i wish i was 23 year old again in the 2010 but i can,t get younger or control my age

keane2097

ladylouise wrote: »

i suppose i am too old after all.becasue i feel next to younger ones.
then i wish i was 23 year old again in the 2010 but i can,t get younger or control my age

I don't think you can be too old at 28 tbh.

You can be not fit enough, or you can lack mental strength to cope with younger fighters' aggression, but there's nothing that will have happened to your body just by going from 23 to 28 that would make you incapable of competing.

ladylouise

thanks for encourment i miss competing but i feel i am too old.i stop enting because i got a fright in a match i kicked under the jaw and nearly my teeth driven through my head i stop entering because of that.i actual miss it and traveing.i don,t mind losing it just i feel i can,t cope the power of the kicks and punches

Tim_Murphy

keane2097 wrote: »

I don't think you can be too old at 28 tbh.

You can be not fit enough, or you can lack mental strength to cope with younger fighters' aggression, but there's nothing that will have happened to your body just by going from 23 to 28 that would make you incapable of competing.

Agreed, you're not too old at all. It is ealier for a younger, faster person? Ya probably, but that's not to say somebody a bit older can't do well also. Fitness, mental strength, skill and generally sneakiness (:pac:) will take you a long way too.

I'm not so sure about this - I was terribly slow!

I would have mentioned general stubbornness too!

Tim_Murphy

ladylouise wrote: »

thanks for encourment i miss competing but i feel i am too old.i stop enting because i got a fright in a match i kicked under the jaw and nearly my teeth driven through my head i stop entering because of that.i actual miss it and traveing.i don,t mind losing it just i feel i can,t cope the power of the kicks and punches

I hard kick can rattle someone I know but the only way to deal with it really is to get back in there and give it another go. Things like that will happen every now and again but I would say they are rare enough.

keane2097

Tim_Murphy wrote: »

I hard kick can rattle someone I know but the only way to deal with it really is to get back in there and give it another go. Things like that will happen every now and again but I would say they are rare enough.

Massive +1 to this.

As I suspected it seems pretty clear that your problem is in your head rather than with your body.

You could have gotten the exact same kick at 23 and would have had probably the same reaction to it.

A freak hit like that won't happen very often, and you need to use your experience to make sure you avoid it the next time one comes your way.

Always remember:

"Youth and talent are no match for old age and treachery" :pac:

antybots

While I agree that age does go against you eventually, I think that at 28 there's a few years of life left in you yet, as long as your head is right. I'm 36 I still compete (although not internationally after this year). I'm definitely not as quick as I used to be but as a previous poster said, being sneaky makes me beat many younger, fitter, more flexible guys. I tend not to win the golds any more and I'm retiring from competing abroad, but for me I feel that competing at national competitions will keep me reasonably sharp.

If you really miss competing, then go back to it and if you get more hard smacks then maybe it will be time to give it up, but I think the age thing is not really the issue and you just met someone who was on a different level. It happens sometimes.

Boogienights

I competed a lot aged 19-24 and then I stopped for 15 years. I went back to TKD aged 40 with my 2 kids and decided to compete again... I was slower, no stamina and my flexibility was shot, I did manage a National title and a place in an International by fighting a lot more strategically..BUT it was tougher and I got hit a lot more then I was used to :-)

The main problem is not just my current age, it's that in my 20's as a single guy I had the time to train 4 nights a week and attended the Gym 3-4 times a week but now aged 40 I'm busy with work,kids, wife etc and it's a hard to find the time to put in to training.

Bottom line is, if you want to compete into your 30's you need to work harder then the 20 year olds at your fitness & flexibility. If you do this you'll be back to your winning ways.

Best of Luck