But now, that I am turning gray,
   I tend to say .. no way, Jose'!

     -- Pascal, 2004

Take me back more than 35 years, and you have a kid who was fascinated by Judo and Karate. It's what I saw on the movie screen. I wanted to develop fist that could break boards. I thought of my self as eventually being able to karate-chop an assailant into a quick slumber.

The YMCA offered Judo. I was there.

I my teens, I switched to Te Kwon Do.

My life revolved around being able to kick to someone's head and to fly through the air with all sorts of kick.

And speaking of revolving, I thought that spins were 'cool beyond belief.' Spinning anything -- spinning kicks, spinning back fists, whatever.

Oooh, that flying through the air.

I Finally Settle on a Martial Arts Style

>From there I met one of the original Ed Parker Black Belts and Bruce Lee students. And the rest is history ...

for twenty-some-odd-years.

I noticed that over the years, my goals in the martial arts changed.

And I have noticed something else. Now, before I tell you what it is, let me say up front, 'old' does not mean infirm. I don't want you writing in and telling me about this master or that master who, at a very old age, could still _____________ (fill in the blank with grapple, fly through the air, or be thrown through the air).

Martial Arts As You Grow Older

Fact of the matter is that our bodies change as we get older.

At a certain point, you won't want to go to the ground any more. It won't be a wise choice for you:

1. Can you avoid going to the ground when you don't want to ?

For me, as I age, the reverses and counters from Wrist Locks: From Protecting Yourself to Becoming an Expert become much more important.

Sure, folks have a variety of ways to try to drop you down. But I like to know that any takedowns involving joint locks or arm bars can instantly be reversed. End result is that I don't drop; I stay on my feet.

2. Have you planned how your martial arts and ability to defend yourself will change as ... your bones become more brittle, your 'muscle hustle' slows, and you bruise more easily?

You need efficient movements -- energy savers. You don't want to prolong a fight. As you age, you want a serious encounter to end quickly. After a few fast movements, you bring it to a controlled close with a wrist lock.

3. Can you avoid playing the other person's game?

Don't fight a youthful, fast-paced battle, if you are a little aged. Impose your rhythm on the situation. Control with a wrist lock. Don't grapple, if you don't want to ...

Avoiding Grappling Fights

May I encourage those who are already of graying temple to consider avoiding the grapple. Yes, it can be done ... no matter what folks whine on The Net.

And those of you who still have an exuberant and youthful bounce to your step -- maybe you should plan what you will do when your body screams ... be kind to me.

Do you hear the future whisper of your aching muscles and tendons?

Your body is saying, "Let's become efficient before we have to. My friend, learning to deal with the attacker 'before' he grapples US, makes sense."

Martial Arts Strikes for Seniors

Download my Free ebooklet on Countering Elbow Strikes. You'll learn to make your elbow strikes more dangerous in the process ...

Free Martial Arts Ebook Elbow Strike Counters

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