The Three Most Common Reasons People Say They Can’t Train in the Martial Arts.
The Three Most Common Reasons
People Say They Can’t Train
In The Martial Arts
1. I don’t have the time.
2. I’m too old.
3. I can’t due to my bad back, shoulder, knee, foot, hand or etc.
Before we look at those subjects let’s talk about what would happen if you are ever forced to defend yourself or a loved one. Worse what if it’s a serious assault? Unless you are big, strong and fast you could find yourself in grave danger! Also you should know that even with that there is no guarantee. At least with some good street combat training like the Rapid Assault Tactics (R.A.T.) which is the core of my Jeet Kune Do (J.K.D.) and the Filipino Martial Arts (F.M.A.) instruction, you might have a chance of saving yourself or someone else!
Let’s start with the first reason: the lack of time to train. There are seven days a week, 24 hours a day you come up with 168 in one week. Takeing out 8 hours a day for sleep and 10 hours for work and drive time. There are 62 hours left for the week. I know what you are thinking. I have a lot more than sleep and work to deal with!
I have found that even if you only train one day per week for only 2 hours, you can still learn and gain skill at a steady progression. Most of the students I teach only train with me one day per week.
Some also really don’t get a chance to train at all on their own because of their busy lives, but they look forward to training because it is not only challenging, it is also a lot of fun. As Bruce Lee used to say, “Play, but play seriously.”
Second reason: “I’m too old to train.” Strange thing to say because I’m in my late 40’s, two of my instructors are in their mid 50’s and 60’s, and Dan Inosanto is in his early 70’s. I realize we have been training most of our lives but I’ll tell you that the older I get, the more I see the need for training. First, health wise, everyone needs to exercise. If you want exercise that will keep you moving and help your timing and reflexes as you age, J.K.D. and F.M.A. are great for that! Also the drills are fun. No matter how late in life you start, everyone can still learn. It is not how much you know but how well you can do the basics, have some flow and mainly have a lot of fun. The training is not only stress relieving but also fun.
Third we look at having an injured body part and why people think they can’t train because of it. This is a subject very close to me. Let me explain, at 48 years old and over 25 years of heavy construction work behind me, I know all about injured body parts and also how to continually train around them. I know this because I have had reconstructive shoulder surgery, three foot surgeries, degenerative disc disease, arthritis of the spine, and carpal tunnel in my right wrist. I also found out and my doctors and physical therapists agree, if I stop exercising and stretching, within a few years I’ll be lucky to be able to move or even walk normally.
Both of my parents did not exercise and after seeing them die far too young, I watch what I eat, I exercise, and I will keep training to the day I die.
In conclusion, you can always come up with reasons to not train but in the long run, it is just a matter of how much control you want over your own body, the way it moves, and how young you want to feel. Oh and by the way, I sometimes move like or better than I did in my 20’s and at times feel even younger. With that said, I say to you all, why not try it before you knock it.
