When does an individual become too old to practice martial arts?
Depends on the art: For “soft” style arts such as tai chi quan and aikido can be practiced as long as you can stand, however in the case of aikido, there was a wheelchair bound practioner who became a blackbelt For “hard” style arts such as karate, kickboxing, judo, etc. arthritis will often kick in (oun intended) during your golden years. Martial artists often develop arthritis in their hands and feet from striking them against both hard and soft targets. This can be alleviated to an extent by wrapping your hands and feet before practice. For grappling arts, arthritis may happen in your knees, elbows and ankles, because being strained in submission holds, and from improper breakfalling. In any case, there is a minority of martial artists that try to keep their bodies in good condition so they can practice them well into old age. They tend to be instructors however.
