Can you be too old to fight? (SCA)

[Padrig]

I will go take a look at the local SCA and see if I like what I see. Of course there is much more than fighting but if I like what I see, as far as fighting is concerned, am I too old to start. Of course I am not that old, 35, but can you fight against 18 year olds and still walk the next day? I don’t recover from injury as I use to. Maybe there is an old age division?

Pad

[Vitus von Atzinger]

Aquire decent upper leg armour- cuisses.
Go out and seek honor.

[ironmongermisc]

That is self pitying baloney,,,

There is a guy who recently joined who is 58 years old and fights, he's no spring chicken, but he has heart and tries...

In Trimaris there is a fighting group called "The Order of The Greybeards" who are all over 50 years of age...

and always remember "Old age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill."

You have to visualize yourself as 'experienced', not old. I ask allthe guys I start the same question, "Would yiu rather be fast or quick?' A lot answer fast, and I say "Flies are fast, frogs are quick, which would yoiu rather a fly or a frog because frogs eat lots of flies.."

A good example, last month at practice I draw this 19 year old kid who jumps around like a ferret on crack, his strategy is to wear you out chasing him, so I just plant and soon enough he make an opening and THUD, one dead ferret.

[Alcyoneus]

I'm 42, and I can whip a lot of 18 year old ass. 18 yo guys, too.

No, there are no age divisions. I don't think there need to be.

[muttman]

I`m thirty four and while not a great fighter, I don`t suck either. One of my men at arms is thirty eight and I bet h`ll go far himself.
Nope. I wouldn`t worry yet at thirty five.
John/Drefan

[Mike Garrett (Orc)]

I'm 39 ( not old!), I do rebated steel controlled blow and also full contact combat. Them young 'uns may be fast but they know jack!
Enthusiasm rarely overcomes experience, especially if you're a sneaky b*****d!

Cheers
Mike
Da mihi sis crustum Etruscum cum omnibus in eo

[woodenboat]

I will go take a look at the local SCA and see if I like what I see. Of course there is much more than fighting but if I like what I see, as far as fighting is concerned, am I too old to start. Of course I am not that old, 35, but can you fight against 18 year olds and still walk the next day? I don’t recover from injury as I use to. Maybe there is an old age division?

Pad

The best fighters I know are 35 and older, and some of them have only been fighting a short while. All the 'older' guys I fight have, as Terry Pratchet would put it, "great economy of motion."

As ironmongermisc said in another post, think of yourself as experienced; be the frog. True you may not heal as fast as you once did, all the more reason to learn to block better.

Borrow some gear, get limbered up, and give it a go.

-woodenboat

[Louis de Leon]

I'd second the recommendation for good leg armour, and add some tassets for your hips. Nothing (for me at least) heals slower than a bad hip shot.

Also, spend 5 or 10 minutes stretching before you hit the field. I just recently started doing this and it's helped a bunch.

As for my age, I turn 36 in two days.

[Padrig]

[quote="ironmongermisc"]That is self pitying baloney,,, quote]

I would call it more being careful. Is it not one of the advantages of advancing in years? I use to just jump into something without thinking about what the repercussions could be and paying for it afterward. I have now realized that I can arrive at the same results with a little thinking and planning before hand and save myself some troubles. I don’t like pain that much, except when administered by a lovely lady of course.

Thanks all for the suggestions. I will go take a look and if I like what I see, I will come back to ask you fine gents more about appropriate gear.

Pad

[Morgan]

Duke Patrick Michael of Ansteorra, 5 time king, started fighting at 32 or 33.

I'll be 35 this month. Not only do I hold my own against 18 year olds, I usually take the field and wear 2 or 3 of them out before I take a water break. I highly recommend starting it up, my friend.

[Jehan de Pelham]

To answer the question, yes, you can be too old to fight. That age is a variable, but usually is best defined as when they lower the box into the ground.

Jehan de Pelham, squire of Sir Vitus

[white mountain armoury]

That is self pitying baloney,,,

.

that comment was not needed, he was simply asking a question, there was no self pity in his question what so ever, why not just answer the question instead of making a negative comment.
And to answer the question, yes i suppose if you regularly get a senior citizens discount at the movies you may be a little old.
Im 37, carpal tunnel, bricitis, degenerative disk syndrome, and am an above average fighter.
to quote my old fencing instructor, age and deciet beat youth and speed any day

[Wil]

Everyone has their inspirational story about the sixty year old who joined up and kicked ass, etc, but I prefer to be realistic.

SCA fighting doesn't require great athletic conditioning, but I find the most abuse taken is by your knees and your back. A relatively healthy cardio & respiratory system is somewhat important, SCA fighting is explosive bursts of activity, with lots of standing around in between. If you don't have health-related concerns about you back or your knees, and you feel your heart and respiratory system can kick into overdrive without bringing on coughing fits or chest pains, age isn't really a concern- proper coverage can keep bruises etc. to almost nil.

~Wil

[Hushgirl]

I worry about two things with older fighters: First, that they might overestimate their condition and injure themselve. Second, that they might--how should I put this--have a case of sensitive machismo and injure someone else. It isn't easy admitting you're not king of the hill anymore.

[Animal]

I'm 37 and nowhere near the fighter I was at 25. I miss those days but two blown knees and back surgery later just getting out onto the field is a win for me. Go fight at your own speed and enjoy yourself. Get good armor that protects you well and have a blast. And if some youngun gives you crap about your age beat 'em with your cane.

[Rainald]

I'm 45, soon to turn 46 and seem to be doing ok. Yeah the recovery rate is not as fast as it used to be but the instincts and muscle memory are still going strong. I work the heart and lungs at least 3 times a week so they are good to go.

I plan on being a viable threat on the field until they stick me in that box Jehan was talking about.

[Morgan]

Let me answer this a bit differently... Too OLD? No, like cars, fighters of any age may be running like a top, or at least running. Also like cars, less and less models of a particular year appear on the roads as the years turn farther and farther from thier time on the assembly line. Too old? No such thing. Too many miles? Too worn out? Broken too many times? Too much time in the shop after every drive down the road? No replacement parts available? These things can happen most certainly.

[Lachlann]

36 years old..one bad knee, and a screwy elbow. My shire is a college town and I easily hold my own if not wear out the younger fighters.

Advice ..good armor, knee and elbow wraps, the neoprene kind work best. Stretching before and AFTER fighting is also a really good idea.

Lachlann

[Marvin]

I've seen guys that were 35 that were too old to fight. I've seen guys over sixty going strong. It depends entirely on the individual.

The piece of advice I would give you is the one I violate more than any other: get to a healthy weight and stay there. Your knees will thank you in ten years.

Rainald! 45? The dude regularly pounds 20-somethings into goo.

Martin
36

[Hrolfr2]

Here in Pentamere (lower pennisula of Michigan), there are a number of 40+ fighters (and most don't suck). A friend of mine is 54 and still kicks butt.
Older=smarter (I hope)
My goal is to have my 2 youngest kids fighting alongside me (when the youngest who just turned one) is able to fight, in 17 years....
Hrólfr
41 and counting

[gargoyle]

I started at 49. (Three years ago) I'm not great. Maybe not even good, but I have fun.

[Alcyoneus]

Last year, one of our local Knights came out to fighter practice, the first one he'd been to in a while. He struck faster, and hit me harder, than anyone else did that day, or in quite a while. He says that if he had any discs left in his lower back, he'd be out more often. He's 60 something, and can still pull his weight.

[Padrig]

Wow! how can I not try it after all this. I will probably go tomorrow night to watch. I imagine that it also has to do with the mentallity of the group, a little like you have some good and bad martial art schools.

Thanks again for all the help.

Pad

[Maelgwyn]

I have a quote printed at the top of my workout plan. I do not recall who said it, but it says something like "My knight was 50, overweight and diabetic when he received the accolade." I found it in a similar discussion here on the archive.

Yes, the bruises take longer to heal at 40 than they did at 20. Whether that stops you or not is up to you.

Maelgwyn
41 in two weeks

[FrauHirsch]

I am a seriously asthmatic 45 yr old fat woman who has had two carpel tunnel operations. My husand (a knight) insists I am an above average fighter. I normally hold my own quite well against quite athletic young men, even the ones who've been around awhile.

I just have to kill them before I puff out

I don't bounce back like I used to. That doesn't mean I can't fight or have a lot of fun doing it.

I authorized a 69 yr old once. He wasn't good but he had fun.

I hope to still be fighting when I turn 58 and fight with my husband and both of my sons on the war field.

I've noticed more physical deterioration in those that have quit fighting than those that keep pushing themselves to get out there.

Juliana

[Wyrm]

I wouldnt consider myself old but I aint young either and as far as age goes with SCA for anyone to comment regarding someones fighting ability on age it should be their own, with honesty. Also keep in mind that it has been proven that just because someone has an age of whatever it does not mean that their body reflects this age.

Have you seen how old those guys are in the fechbuchs pictures?

Padrig, if you have the inclination and good protective armour the only requirement for you to participate in SCA combat from what I have seen is the ability to swing a stick.

There are so many variables in combat that a persons physical fitness and age are only some aspects that might contribute towards determining the outcome of a fight, woe to those who might forget the rest.

The other suggestion is the archery thing I think the SCA allows for, but I dont know much about that.

btw what ever happened to all the stories about taiji masters who could fling people about with their chi and who were 80 plus years old...


If you think you are too old, just think of Yoda and how well he swings a lightsabre

Wyrm.

I will go take a look at the local SCA and see if I like what I see. Of course there is much more than fighting but if I like what I see, as far as fighting is concerned, am I too old to start. Of course I am not that old, 35, but can you fight against 18 year olds and still walk the next day? I don’t recover from injury as I use to. Maybe there is an old age division?

Pad

[Marvin]

I've noticed more physical deterioration in those that have quit fighting than those that keep pushing themselves to get out there.

Juliana

Ding! Ding! There's the winner!

If you stay active in body and mind, you'll lead a happier and more productive life. I was partly raised by a man that believed this to the fullest. At the age of 86 he fought off two muggers and almost sent one to the grave. He had a 10th grade education and yet was one of the most well read men I ever met.

I got involved in the SCA when he was about 80 or so. He told me he'd love to try it, but really didn't have the time. He did help me make my first armor though. I've had good role models.

[Auguinare]

I`m thirty four and while not a great fighter, I don`t suck either. One of my men at arms is thirty eight and I bet h`ll go far himself.
Nope. I wouldn`t worry yet at thirty five.
John/Drefan

Nope John I'm Fourty and I started when I was 38. (you were talking about me right?)
The patience that comes with age will win out over the impatience of youth every time. It just takes us older folks longer to heal and being in shape (cross training) is more important.

Give it a try you only live once, you might as well go out with a bang (or smack)

[gmandragora]

Too old? Eventually perhaps. I'm 44 and yes, it takes longer to recover. Warm up properly and wear good fitting armor that is a good weight for you. If you want to wear heavy stuff, work on aerobic conditioning, lower back strenth and flexibility and abdominal muscles., oh yeah, condition your neck.


My goal is to fight till at least 60, and you don't want to know what I'm planning for my 50th birthday....


Geoffrey,

[twoswords]

I started at 49. (Three years ago) I'm not great. Maybe not even good, but I have fun.

This is the measuring stock we all should use. .."but I have fun."

We will slow down, we will have aches and stuff. But can anything beat the feeling as you stand there on the field, enemies on all sides, and you KNOW that you are with your friends, and you will defend them, and they you?

[Buqu]

37 year old me would beat the crap out of 25 year old me.

Buqu

[Stacy Elliott]

I started when I was 30 and I am now 38.

When I stop fighting someone will have to pry the rattan out of my cold dead hand.

[Odawara Taro Yoshinobu]

Just remember, Duke Patrick Micheal, 5 time King of Ansteorra, was 32 before he EVER picked up rattan.

[freiman the minstrel]

This is definitely an activity that you can practice into your mature years, but I find that as I get older I repeat the punchline to the "ole bull, young bull" joke to myself as I walk onto the field for the first time of the day.

I am concerned about the cumulative effects of (coming up on) fifteen years of fighting, but I don't see myself stopping anytime soon. I find that while I am losing ground faster than I would like physically, I am improving mentally even faster. I find that I am far more relaxed on the field than most folks half my age, and that makes a big difference in reaction time and endurance.

A couple of small bits of advice.

Stretch. Young studs don't need to do a lot of stretching. Ole Bulls do.

By the time you realize that you need wrist wraps, it is too late for them to do the most good. the best time to start wearing them is before the wrist pain starts. I assume that the same is true for knees and elbows.

Tiger Balm actually makes bruises go away faster. I cannot figure out why. A good medicinal chemist couldn't tell me why either. But it does. Epsom salts help too.

Make sure the damn armor fits correctly. The difference literally amazed me when I finally got that particular message.

If you try to drink with the 22 year olds, you will get up with the ninety year olds.

One beer and two asprin works a whole lot better than four asprin.

Your maturity has a HUGE intimidation factor to 18 year olds. Make sure that they can see your wrinkles. You got 'em. The young studs don't. Much of the time, if your gear is up to snuff, your opponent will think that you are better than they. If this is the case, you have already beaten them.

Good Luck

freiman

[Owen]

I'll be 41 next month.

"That stick-jock life is fun, when you're 21,
but mister, I ain't 21 no more..."

Freiman- I use that exact strategy in the Woods battle. When the cannon goes, everyone runs up the hill. I walk. Plenty of MidRealmers, bound to be some left when I get there.