“Am I too old to do Aikido?” I get this question from time to time, sometimes from people in their 40s!
It depends… Your chronological age is not the deciding factor.
Your health is. If you are aware of health conditions that may be worsened by or interfere with the training, you need to have two discussions: getting permission from your doctor to train; and with us, to discuss how practice might affect you.
If your health is good, Aikido is non-competitive and you can progress at your own pace.
Aikido can help you stay in good shape, physically and mentally and learn some survival skills including self-defence. Every year, seniors are injured by bad falls. One major benefit of Aikido practice is learning to fall safely.
The dojo is a community and offers the opportunity to make friends and socialise with interesting, like-minded people. Every age group contributes in its own way to the spirit in the dojo. We respect our older members for their calmness, discipline and perspective.
The best thing is to take a free trial class and see whether Aikido is right for you.
Many older people have activities that they intended to try but never had time for.
This reminds me of the story of the doctor who asked a senior patient if he had any regrets about things he had left undone. The patient replied that he had always wanted to play the violin. “So, take violin lessons,” said the doctor. “Are you kidding?” said the patient. “In two years, I’ll be 70 years old.” The doctor replied, “So, how old will you be in two years if you don’t take violin lessons?”