New to all of this!

[dark_horse]

So a little background about me. I was always into competative sports when I was younger (I'm 25 now) I was a competative swimmer up until I was 20 and then competed in the triathlon for a few years while I was at university. It was great, there was alot of support, workouts were difficult and the coaches were amazing. After I graduated, I moved to a new city and was dissapointed to find out that the masters swim teams and triathlon teams were lacking. The sessions were too easy and I'm not a pro athlete so I was stuck in the middle and eventually got bored and became out of shape.

I've been looking for a new challenge ever since, something that I have absolutely no clue about and that will give me a challenging workout. I think that kickboxing might be it. There is a local club that trains right near me and I'm going to enroll in their next beginners class...but obviously there are several things I need to work on before then and I'm just wondering if you guys have any suggestions.

Several major problems

1. Flexability- I can't even touch my toes anymore!lol! When I was racing my coach always used to make fun of me because I have never been flexable. Now I would like to become more flexable. Does anyone have any ideas about how to do this?

2. I have been told I punch like a girl- So ok, I am a girl, but still!lol! Does this get better or am I DOOMED?!

3. Am I a little too old to be starting this stuff?

Any advice you guys could give me would be much appreciated. I'm looking for something I can really focus on and push myself doing!

Cheers!

[george stando]

First you are only 25.

Dont get into a negative headspace because somebody told you this or that.

Do you want to do muay thai, kickboxing or whatever?

If so, be dedicated to pursuing your goal.

In terms of flexibility, you will work on that and do what you can to develop the flexibility needed to kick, knee, etc. If the class is good, they will know you are beginner and take you through it from A to z. Everyone who starts needs to focus on something they might be weak at.

If your flexibility needs extra work, try a simple yoga class or dvd to follow at home.

In terms of punching like a girl, that can change with training, body alignment, pads, bags, sparring. If the teacher is good, he will make you the best you can be. If your punching winds up not being of ko power then maybe your knees, or kicks will be a strength. Somewhere there is a strength and time will tell.

Never too old to do anything you want to, people in the old days were constantly you are too old for this or that. In three years, you will be 28 and in three years you can accomplish alot, more than you ever imagined. Forget the age number game, just take the first step.

Now its up to you.

Do you WANT to do it?

If so there are good people on here who can help you, inspire and offer tips to get you going.

Your decision.

[Tom Yum]

So a little background about me. I was always into competative sports when I was younger (I'm 25 now) I was a competative swimmer up until I was 20 and then competed in the triathlon for a few years while I was at university. It was great, there was alot of support, workouts were difficult and the coaches were amazing. After I graduated, I moved to a new city and was dissapointed to find out that the masters swim teams and triathlon teams were lacking. The sessions were too easy and I'm not a pro athlete so I was stuck in the middle and eventually got bored and became out of shape.

I've been looking for a new challenge ever since, something that I have absolutely no clue about and that will give me a challenging workout. I think that kickboxing might be it. There is a local club that trains right near me and I'm going to enroll in their next beginners class...but obviously there are several things I need to work on before then and I'm just wondering if you guys have any suggestions.

Several major problems

1. Flexability- I can't even touch my toes anymore!lol! When I was racing my coach always used to make fun of me because I have never been flexable. Now I would like to become more flexable. Does anyone have any ideas about how to do this?

2. I have been told I punch like a girl- So ok, I am a girl, but still!lol! Does this get better or am I DOOMED?!

3. Am I a little too old to be starting this stuff?

Any advice you guys could give me would be much appreciated. I'm looking for something I can really focus on and push myself doing!

Cheers!

None of the things you mentioned are an issue.

So what if someone said you punch like a girl. You will learn how to throw a punch, an elbow, knee, kick and do other things.

I was in a kickboxing class with a guy who was in his early 40's and he was pretty damn good.

[the tick]

At 25 you don't go looking for a gym, but for a place to get buried.

[george stando]

Dont be cruel, tick!!!!

[quitwishir]

be calm down

[William]

A lot of good advice has been recommended already. At 25 you’re in your prime. One of my training partners back on the west coast was in his mid fifties at the time and his hips were pretty much shot from years of high kicking in Karate and TKD. He was also an old school boxer so his hands were good. We had him concentrate on developing his knees, elbows, and shielding. Let me tell you, he was not one to be trifled with. Don’t let your perception of age be a limiting factor. If it interests you give it a try.

Best of luck,
William

[dark_horse]

thanks for all the posative words guys! I'm really pumped about starting this and finding some focus in my life again!

george- you gave me a thought. True my arms are fairly weak, but my legs are extremely strong and especially my inner thighs (12 years of breaststroke training!) I'm gonna go buy a yoga DVD today (yoga...who would have thought?!lol!)

LOL@Tick- you sound like my best friend who loudly announced "OMG, you're halfway to 50!" ROFL! How rude!

I guess the best thing I have going for me is that I'm a pretty intense personality and I'm very obsessive. When I set my mind to something I can focus on it 100% and block out all distractions. I was always a very technical swimmer and I'm sure that will translate well into kickboxing.

I have 2 jobs, one is an insurance broker (yawn) and the other is a writer for a local mma company. I'm always so impressed when I talk to fighters about what they tell me about their lives and how they train. I'd love to have that kind of simplicity and focus again!

My boss, on the other hand, is worried I'm going to mess up my pretty face! Hahahaha!

Thanks again everyone! So inspiring to hear that at 50 you can still be going strong at this stuff, love that! I think I'm gonna like it here!

[Garland]

My advice is this...
1) look around before joining the gym, don't get locked into a contract. Make sure to double check credentials of the people training you, see if it's a fight gym or not. Make your intentions known when you go in, see if there are other fighters around, and how well they do. (most gyms have websites...if you put one up, I'm sure people here can help you assess the quality of the place based on a few criteria)
2) co-enroll in that yoga class, bikram or kundalini are good methods of really pushing your flexibility. BE dilligent in stretching on your own. Run a little everyday or most days of the week at the very least. Do lots of pushups, and once you learn the proper mechanics of a punch, you should be able to punch alright. Work on form in front of a mirror while you are learning the basics. Make a mental checklist of where your body should be when you're doing certain things. Power comes from form and not just physique.
3) you're not that old. Most people in the US don't start training until their mid-twenties. In Thailand people at 25 are burned out from having hundreds of fights...or they've made enough money to retire or do something else with their lives.

[the tick]

LOL@Tick- you sound like my best friend who loudly announced "OMG, you're halfway to 50!" ROFL! How rude!

A quarter of a century!!!

[Normal]

OMG your a girl? I teach girls flexibility all the time. Please contact me.

[Hardball]

Enjoy your youth

I'm 52 and I still train/spar but for self defense purposes.

[dark_horse]

Tried yoga for the first time last night, bought a dvd (for beginners) and it kicked my arse! LOL! I really loved all of the stability holds though, I'm a huge fan of those as I tore my abdominal muscles a few years ago (overtraining...silly me, I always used to train with the philosophy that if it hurts a bit just train through it, so there I was running harder with a pulled muscle until it was torn!) stability holds helped me get my stregnth back slowly when I was recovering! The stretching was HARD however, just hope I get better at it over time.

Garland- Thanks for the advice. I'm pretty sure the club I'm going to start at sucks as it's almost purely for beginners and once you pass their basic course you have the option of training for health or competition. (you can also only reach a certain level at this club) However it has several things going for it. 1) memberships can be bought for a 4 month period. 2) it is LITERALLY 2 minutes walk from my place (which when it hits -40 outside in the winter will be a BLESSING!) My plan is to do their basic training, see what it's like, if I find it overly difficult I'll stick there for a while until I get some of the basics down and when I feel like I've gotten what I can from it then I'll search more seriously for a better club. There's actually one that looks really good near where I live as well, so shouldn't be a problem. I guess the point is, I want to get my feet wet. I have absolutely no martial arts excperience so anything will be really challenging for the first few years. Thanks for that comment about the age thing as well. In swimming you burn out really quickly. I started racing at 8, was training way before then (I actually don't even remember learning how to swim) and I peaked and went to nationals in England at 14! After that it was downhill, I was burnt out from 2 sessions a day and a REALLY full racing calander! It's get that at 25, I can pick up something totally new and see what I can do with it!

Normal- Really? Besides yoga, what would you recommend for leg and hip flexability? Anything you can tell me would be a HUGE help!

[Hardball]

Books on Amazon dot com

One of the best books I ever read on stretching was by Bill "Superfoot" Wallace one of the worlds greatest kickboxers. The Title is "The Art of Kicking and Stretching"

Flexibility is something that has to be worked at; it does not come over night. You can probably find a really good "used" copy of this book for less than ten bucks. Go to Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & more

One of the byproducts of your martial arts training will be increased self confidence and self defense skills. Martial artist can walk into a room full of Kings and Queens and still hold their heads up high.

[Garland]

F my life...I totally wrote out a full length list of exercises in a good sequence and had links to a few book torrents...and my modem broke. I'll try to rewrite it if I have the time tonight.