What martial art for a war ravaged body?

mugwumpjism · 16-01-2008 03:05PM #1

Hello all,

I have been toying with the idea of starting a martial art for years, I did a little karate as a youngster and tai chi with combat as a student. I like the philosophy side and am not an aggressive person but realise there is nothing better then pounding on pads or a bag, fitness is a desire as is a high level of self defence.

Anyway I'll get to the nub of it, after years of working outside, a few accidents and medical corti steriods I have several weaknesses, namely weak knee's (if they got enough kicks), and weakened hand and wrist joints from the steriods. i am by no means a wreck and could do intensive training/sparring etc.

My question is what styles do you think would suit me? I'm 31 by the way 12st and out of training for about 4 months but usually a good fitness level.

Sorry for the long posting

Roper · 16-01-2008 03:11PM

Well, worst and knee problems will limit you no matter what you do to be honest. My advice would be to do what you want to do most and know your limits within that rather than just picking something you wouldn't enjoy just because it fits your injury profile.

Wehere are you living and people might be able to point you to some local clubs. Sounds like thai/kickboxing could be the thing you're after if its bag and pad pounding you want.

mugwumpjism · 16-01-2008 03:18PM

city centre, I would hate to be part of a club and have to stop certain moves or training because of my limits, but then again thats the state I am in now so maybe I'll have to realise that.

Is there much direct side knee kicks when sparring in kickboxing, its the fear of twisting them again which I have done several times, the pain of which still makes me shiver, I don't mind wearing heavy knee support and padding.

My friend trains in the kickboxing club off smithfield. I have also had a soft spot with 'traditional' martial arts too....hmmm. I understand the time and effort that will have to to be put in to gain any sort of level so I'd like to make the right choice.

Roper · 16-01-2008 03:29PM

To put it to you this way, pretty much every night in any gym anywhere in the world, someone will be training with an injury. They just have to be smart and as I've said before, you may just have to adapt to do the things that you want to do. Who knows as you get stronger you might be able to take part in more and more things.

Yeah I'd visist a few paces and see which one fits.

mugwumpjism · 16-01-2008 03:49PM

Thanks roper, had a look at the KO site,impressive and a very good attitude by the coach! you a member?

SorGan · 16-01-2008 03:52PM

city centre, I would hate to be part of a club and have to stop certain moves or training because of my limits, but then again thats the state I am in now so maybe I'll have to realise that.

well theres nothing wrong with adapting what your thought to fit with your own needs/limitations, any decent club will help you with this rather than holding it against you.
perhaps some grappling, or would leglocks kill ya?:)

Roper · 16-01-2008 03:53PM

mugwumpjism wrote: »

Thanks roper, had a look at the KO site,impressive and a very good attitude by the coach! you a member?

Yeah the coach is great. He's fantastic, also extremely handsome and a real hit with the ladeez.

Okay, I'll never get away with that- I'm the coach.

SorGan · 16-01-2008 03:56PM

Roper wrote: »

Yeah the coach is great. He's fantastic, also extremely handsome and a real hit with the ladeez.
Okay, I'll never get away with that- I'm the coach.

mugwumpjism · 16-01-2008 04:05PM

A good attitude and modest too!
Cheers boss appreciate your input, I might pop up for a look see, towards March (I can't commit before this) and you can assess my shattered body

RedRaven · 16-01-2008 04:06PM

mugwumpjism wrote: »

Hello all,

Anyway I'll get to the nub of it, after years of working outside, a few accidents and medical corti steriods I have several weaknesses, namely weak knee's (if they got enough kicks), and weakened hand and wrist joints from the steriods.

In light of your post in my opinion Thai is not for you mate, I see by your post you like sparring etc. Thats fine but Thai sparring can be very taxing on the body plus have weak points, the ones you pointed out are area where you need to be strong, the knees are used to strike and block thus get alot of use, the hands and wrists are also used alot. I think for you to take up Thai would mean consistant injuries etc.

This is a shame because I feel you have been robbed of the chance to do an art that may have suited you.

I think this may be a lesson learned for the people on here about the use of steroids etc. and what effects they may have on the body.

Perhaps you can give us some more information on the negative effects of steriods on the body from your experience mate, I mean we have all seen the reports but I feel its better to come from somebody who has been through it...thanks for posting Mate..

Chok Dee.

mugwumpjism · 16-01-2008 04:09PM

SorGan wrote: »

well theres nothing wrong with adapting what your thought to fit with your own needs/limitations, any decent club will help you with this rather than holding it against you.
perhaps some grappling, or would leglocks kill ya?:)

Everything is going to kill me! Maybe morris dancing is the way to go....although those bells look quite vicious

mugwumpjism · 16-01-2008 04:18PM

I think this may be a lesson learned for the people on here about the use of steroids etc. and what effects they may have on the body.

Perhaps you can give us some more information on the negative effects of steriods on the body from your experience mate, I mean we have all seen the reports but I feel its better to come from somebody who has been through it...thanks for posting Mate..

Chok Dee.[/quote]

Well I wasn't juicing up for sports purposes so I can't comment on recreational enhancers. Mine was for a medical condition and were injected in heavy doses, this in addition to my condition (which can weaken the bones) have left them weaker and stiffer, not brittle at all...I run alot and was a big mountain biker so I'm not fragile just weakened. So stretches and muscle building will help me.

I do know how dangerous even medical administered steroids are though so find it very hard to fathom why someone would do it to win something/build mass? I have never valued medals very much and although I have won some comps, the training, exertion and riding alongside colleagues always outweighed this.

SorGan · 16-01-2008 04:20PM

RedRaven wrote: »

In light of your post in my opinion Thai is not for you mate, I see by your post you like sparring etc. Thats fine but Thai sparring can be very taxing on the body plus have weak points, the ones you pointed out are area where you need to be strong, the knees are used to strike and block thus get alot of use, the hands and wrists are also used alot. I think for you to take up Thai would mean consistant injuries etc.

This is a shame because I feel you have been robbed of the chance to do an art that may have suited you.

I think this may be a lesson learned for the people on here about the use of steroids etc. and what effects they may have on the body.

Perhaps you can give us some more information on the negative effects of steriods on the body from your experience mate, I mean we have all seen the reports but I feel its better to come from somebody who has been through it...thanks for posting Mate..

Chok Dee.

poster was talking about medical corti steriods...

...are you talking about the other kind?:)

RedRaven · 16-01-2008 04:31PM

Medical sort or not is it the same out come weak joints etc?

The angle Im taking is it might not be worth it if an injury is highly likely due to the condition ie missing time from work because of a broken wrist of badly injured knee.

Also an area that has reared its ugly head these days is the issue of insurance, I think most insurance companies and maybe clubs for that matter may not wish to train somebody with these types of problems, I dont mean this in a personal way. But it is a fact that at the back of every coaches mind is can my student control themselves in training and pray that injuries stay minor etc.

arybvtcw0eolkf · 16-01-2008 04:32PM

RedRaven wrote: »

I think this may be a lesson learned for the people on here about the use of steroids etc. and what effects they may have on the body.

Enlighten us?.

mugwumpjism · 16-01-2008 04:37PM

hmmm I think I've come across as feeble and accident prone, not what I meant at all, just to get opinions on martial art types and ways to minimise impact on some areas, we all have our weak spots and i have never sued any race organiser because I smacked into a tree at 30 miles an hour, you have to expect reasonable risks when you sign up for anything with any form of contact

jim2008 · 16-01-2008 05:46PM

Would you be interested in bjj? its mostly ground work so less impact on the kness. There are knee bars etc but if your training with a good club and the lads are aware off your injury you will be fine.

RedRaven · 16-01-2008 06:38PM

mugwumpjism wrote: »

hmmm I think I've come across as feeble and accident prone, not what I meant at all, just to get opinions on martial art types and ways to minimise impact on some areas, we all have our weak spots and i have never sued any race organiser because I smacked into a tree at 30 miles an hour, you have to expect reasonable risks when you sign up for anything with any form of contact

Perhaps Ive picked you up wrong then. Theres only one way to minamise impact in Thai..we wear a metal groin guard!!

And as for the sue nation ( not the indian one

it does happen!!

Anyway good luck with the search..

Chok Dee.

jmcguire · 16-01-2008 07:38PM

Have you ever thought about judo?
No leg locks. A bit of twisting and turning though.
Good hard training with lots of hard physical impact.

What about just plain old boxing?
It can be hard to find a club that teaches the older person
or lets them spar as most of it is aimed at getting kids in the ring
from what I have seen.

That said in the UK there is a big rise in "white collar boxing".
A quick google search shows the IABA list of associated clubs here

http://www.iaba.ie/boxing/Main/Clubs.html

and I recall some article about a Cuban guy doing some boxing
in the National Stadium.

http://www.metroeireann.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=147&Itemid=26

Boxing does not have that much "direct" impact on your knees (meaning that you will not get kicked or struck intentionally there only!!

) and I think that it is possibly one of the best ways to get skills necessary to defend yourself while standing up. It will teach loads about angles, build up strenght, fitness and stamina.

It is also compartively cheap to do. Buy some gloves, some pads a gum shield and off you go.

I think this could be the one for you. Pretty sure a lot of the guys who post here teach boxing. The only one I remeber of the top of my head is
Cowzerp. But I stand prepared to be immediately corrected.:D

If you want an outsiders view of what is out there you could do worse than have a look at Robert Carry's articles he does nearly every art out there to see what it is like.

http://www.metroeireann.com/

They are listed in the two links above (In the second one you have to root a bit in the sports section)

ryoishin · 16-01-2008 09:07PM

maybe stay away from th more traditional japanese styles coz you ll be spending lots of time sitting on your knees.

Dont rule out thai or boxing do a bit and find out. the good thing about hitting a pad is its up to you how hard you hit it. Maybe get private lessons if you feel that you might be holding your partner back.

I remember reading an article by dave carmilo, he was a top class judo player who injured his knee so he took up bjj as it did nt have as much impact on his knees.

RedRaven · 17-01-2008 12:34AM

ryoishin wrote: »

Dont rule out thai QUOTE]

You obviously have experience in Thai, where and who have you trained with?

ryoishin · 17-01-2008 01:12AM

Chai Yai gym in Chiang mai in thailand and bridgestone.

Dont rule it out as in he can still do it but at his own pace and level. So he ll have to relax on the knees a bit but if he has his heart set on hitting bags and some sparring then muay thai could make him happy. H does nt have to be world class fighter aslong as he enjoys it. Theres only one way for him to find out.

Best of luck.

Wabbey · 17-01-2008 09:00AM

Hi bud, 48 year old reporting here. I started up with Jujitsu 2 years ago and I'm now addicted. War ravaged would be a fair description of my body (broken toes, ankles, 4 knee ops, broken ribs, fingers, arms, cheekbone x 2, fractured skull) all through playing soccer and hockey.

I've trained fairly consistently all my days and was getting a wee bit bored with the endless trips to the gym and running so decided to go along to my local club. I had previously dabbled with judo as a junior and my MA experience was pretty low. My initial reasons were primarily for exercise and as I've developed I have become pretty opinionated on what I want do.

Club training usually consists of work in the 3 general ranges (Stand-Up, clinch and ground) and I find I can safely participate in everything we do.

I never start groundwork from my knees and therefore always go into some a particular position and start from there. Kicking, punching, padwork, clinch etc. is no problem although I do need to take a little care with twisting with particular throws.

I have recently started to attend a boxing club - to improve my core fitness and supplement my striking skills and my advise to anyone considering taking up a Martial Art would be to just give it a go; wish I had tried it out sooner.

RedRaven · 17-01-2008 09:02AM

ryoishin wrote: »

Chai Yai gym in Chiang mai in thailand and bridgestone.

Dont rule it out as in he can still do it but at his own pace and level. So he ll have to relax on the knees a bit but if he has his heart set on hitting bags and some sparring then muay thai could make him happy. H does nt have to be world class fighter aslong as he enjoys it. Theres only one way for him to find out.

Best of luck.

I disagree.

ryoishin · 17-01-2008 08:26PM

"I disagree." RedRaven

Ok. thanks for not mentioning my ma.

All the best.

RedRaven · 17-01-2008 09:47PM

ryoishin wrote: »

"I disagree." RedRaven

Ok. thanks for not mentioning my ma.

All the best.

You've lost me there dude!!

ryoishin · 17-01-2008 10:56PM

Just glad it was kept civil. You know how these things can pan out on boards.

deegs · 17-01-2008 11:23PM

ryoishin wrote: »

maybe stay away from th more traditional japanese styles coz you ll be spending lots of time sitting on your knees.

Not necessarily true. If someone has a bad knee in kendo they just dont kneel, end of.

Actually quite a few of our beginners in mid thirties + age group were from karate, tkd and judo. They ended up with dodgy knees and had to give up. Most of them heard kendo involves very little knee movement so it would suit you.

On the down side, there is a fair bit of wrist movement so maybe that would not.

ryoishin · 17-01-2008 11:31PM

Thats good to hear. Some traditional japanese styles are very strict about seiza. I was thinking from my own experience sitting in seiza gave me a dodgy left knee. It was a concern for me when i wanted to do muay thai but its holding up.

mugwumpjism · 18-01-2008 02:51PM

Thanks all for your advice, I am going to do some in depth research on a few styles I might consider and whittle it down from there and thanks for keeping it balanced as I know it is easy just to recommend your own style.

I'll keep you updated on my progress but I want to go all out on whatever i choose and most importantly enjoy it.

What martial art for a war ravaged body?

Comments