Martial Arts After 40

Rating:
Summary: Expected more technical insight on aging...
Review: 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:
Summary: Love the approach
Review: I got a bunch of martial arts books for christmas and this is already my favorite. The author's approach is one step beyond the average martial arts how-to book. You can tell he's really been a martial artist all his life and knows how getting older impacts your performance. I'm enjoying his "big picture" approach and even though i've been doing martial arts for more yeras than some of the kids I train with have been alive, I found some excellent tips to cope with my creaking joints and sore muscles. There's also an unexpected bonus - a section on weapons training, specifically the short stick. I think this is a great addition to training as you get older. A weapon is a whole new ballgame for an empty hand martial artist like me and will give me new goals to work toward.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome book!
Review: If you are over the age of 30 and taking martial arts I have only three words for you: Buy this Book! It is money well spent, especially if it means you can keep up with the young turks in class.

Rating:
Summary: It's about time!
Review: It's about time someone wrote a book for those of us "over-the-hill" martial artists. Seriously, though, this is a great reference for any adult martial artist, regardless of age - sort of user's manual for the martial artist's body. And some of the information is very advanced - this is not just an introductory book for beginners. Great insight by the author into what it means to be one of the oldest students in the class. Very informative and inspiring book!

Rating:
Summary: If it is your first book, buy it; otherwise take a pass
Review: The hardest I've ever been hit was by a 64 year-old Japanese martial artist who nearly broke my leg with an arm block, a truly amazing feat. If you truly understand the techniques and bio-mechanics, age matters not in the martial arts.

This interesting book covers attributes of fitness, flexibility, power, reflexes, coordination, speed, and endurance with a focus on older martial artists. There is pretty good coverage on the effects of aging and how to train hard without hurting yourself. The sections on injury prevention, self-care, and over training are worth the price of admission. If you've never practiced martial arts before, the sections on progression in the martial arts, sparring, and forms are also very good. They are not particularly useful if you've been doing this a while, however. The introduction and the first few chapters are very basic indeed. The section on weapons forms near the end is a nice bonus though.

All in all the vast majority of material in this tome has been covered better in other books, some written by Kim himself. The target audience is the middle-aged beginner who is interested in pursuing an education in martial arts. If you are over 40, new to martial arts, and only going to purchase one book, this is it.

If you have been training for a while I wouldn't put this too high on the priority list. I'd recommend "Ultimate Flexibility: A Complete Guide to Stretching for Martial Arts" by Sang H. Kim along with "The Fighter's Body: An Owner's Manual: Your Guide to Diet, Nutrition, Exercise and Excellence in the Martial Arts" by Loren W. Christensen instead. Yeah, it's two books rather than one, but I think that combined they have the depth advanced practitioners require.

Lawrence Kane
Author of Martial Arts Instruction: Applying Educational Theory and Communication Techniques in the Dojo

Rating:
Summary: good for beginners, less so if you've been at it for a while
Review: This has a lot of information for the over-40 person who's considering martial arts training, but if you're already involved, the book may have limited value.

I found more details on the physical effects of ageing (what I was looking for) in Ted Weimann's Warrior Speed.