Are you a martial artist? Are you older than 25 years old?

In a lot of sports, you’d be on the decline by now. Your stamina wouldn’t be the same as when you were younger. And your strength and raw speed will lessen with age as well.

Well, in the martial arts age isn’t so bad....

As we get older, we get smarter.

Maybe we do slow down, but because we also learn to move efficiently, this slow-down isn’t noticed ... especially by the novice and intermediate martial-arts practitioners.

I know several martial artists in their 60s who still scare me. I’d never want to go up against them in a real fight. (My teacher, Steve Golden, is one of them.)

He’s still very fast ... and his martial arts feel better than ever!

Are you a senior martial artist? Are you worried about getting older and still maintaining your skills?

Martial Arts Practice Advice For Seniors
Bruce Lee advised us to move with a purpose.

I advise the same ... especially as we get older.

This means, if the movement directly relates to your immediate goal, it’s OK. If not, it’s a wasted motion.

As we age, let’s eliminate those wasted motions.

If you move with a purpose:

* You’ll have more stamina without the wasted motions.

* You’ll seem faster ... extra movement slows you down.

* You’ll be more effective ... since every motion serves a purpose.

This means that hopping around in a sparring session, which tires you out, is a "no-go" ... unless, you are trying to get your aerobic workout.

For a workout, it’s fine. As a martial-arts strategy, dancing around the ring is not the best. Make your opponent come to you.

Let him (or her) get tired with the movement and the chasing around the ring.

One of your goals should be to make your younger opponent do all of the work. Let your opponent be the one to get out of breath in the martial arts practice.

Also, think about shorter techniques ... and efficient counters. And to further your movement toward martial efficiency ...

Keith Pascal has been a full-time martial-arts writer for eight years and a martial-arts teacher for 25 years.