The student approached the old master and asked, ‘Master when is the best time to learn kung fu?’ The master, with a subtle smile said, ’10 years ago.’ The student somewhat perplexed thought the answer over and then asked another question. ‘Master, when is the second best time to begin learning kung fu?’ With a bright smile, and knowing eyes, the old man replied, ‘Right Now.’
Many times throughout the year I will get an inquiry with the following question, ‘Am I too old to start training?’ The simple anwer is almost always, ‘No.’ In our 12 years of teaching Wing Chun in the greater Pittsburgh area we have had many students begin their training in their 60’s and one who actually started his journey just before turning 70.
Age is not a limiting factor as long as you are in relativly good health, and follow doctors orders on what you can and cannot do. At our school we are willing to work with students regardless of factors such as age, or even physical limitations because Ving Tsun is not a ‘one size fits all’ martial art. In fact training can be tailored to your particular needs to help you get the most out of your experiece.
Beyond that, we all know that with age comes wisdom, and many who are somewhat advanced in age can learn some of the finer details of the art faster than younger students.
The key to it all is to know what your goals are and to set appropriate expectations. If you are interested in becoming a world champion cage fighter and you are 68 years old, you might want to reconsider that goal. However, if you would like to improve your general health, improve your ability to protect yourself, enhance your balance, timing, coordination, relaxation, sensitivity and learn something that you always wanted to… well then we have a good fit for you.
If you think you are too old, you might be surprised simply by taking advantage of our free trial class. Give us a call at 724-847-3300, or inquire online at iLoveWingChun.com.
photo credit: Image by <a href=’https://pixabay.com/users/analogicus-8164369/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=3358873′>analogicus</a> from <a href=’https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=3358873′>Pixabay</a>