I'm looking at studying Tae Kwon Do. I'm 49, and wondering, will I be able to progress as easily as younger students? Also, how many styles of Tae Kwon Do are there and what's the difference?
by 
stymie
ANSWERS: 9
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Although there are many TKD styles that have been personally altered by each instructor, there are two main concepts ... the officially & globally recognized sporting game of tag known as TKD ... and the fully functional self defense system that includes the game of TKD, but also includes the far more useful techniques from the older foundation arts of Hapkido, Hwrangdo, & Tangsoodo.
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Chido kwan, san moo kwan, Jido kwan, Han moo Kwan, sung mu Kwan, etc. Then the more realistic forms kuik sool wan, Hwrang do, and Hapkido. The only diff. is in some of the way the kata is done, One set for the Kuik Ki wan assn, and the other set for the Korea Tae kwon do assn.
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You should be able to progress at about the same rate as younger students. Your body may not allow you to do certain moves to the extent a younger body can, but any qualified instructor will help you to overcome that. While there are numerous schools going by the name Taekwondo, in the US, you are likely to run into one or all of three. WTF, ITF and ATA. The World Taekwondo Federation (or Kukkiwon) TKD is known for the Olympic style sparring. International Taekwondo Federation TKD tends to have a more traditional focus, with less contact durign sparring. American Taekwondo Association TKD is hard to know about because they guard their style a bit. They have patented their forms so it is hard to know about it unless you join. The bottom line about just about any martial art is to find an instructor you like.
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tkd is amazing. you get a good instructor and you work up slowly and you will be suprised what you can do. i teach beginners and i have found its more fun to teach adults because they get more joy out of learning something new.
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I do Tang Soo Do, which is similar to TKD. I'm 51 and am doing very well. Sure, teens may be more flexible and even have more balance. But TKD will definitely improve your balance through forms (kata/hyungs - a sequence of movements that teach you how to move) and drills. Endurance is very important. I can run circles around the teens with my endurance. If you are determined, you can do as well as anyone. The thing to remember is that you are competing against yourself. In our school, we have people with disabilities as well as structural foot problems, back problems, etc. There are some people who are naturals. Oddly enough, some of the naturals drop out when things start to get more difficult, 6th - 3rd gup.
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I'm 48, and have taken TKD for years. It's wonderful for balance, flexibility, stamina, and focus. Who cares if you will or won't progress as fast as anybody else - I tell new students not to compare themselves to anybody else in class. There'll always be people who seem to have a very hard time with simple movements, and other people who could be in the movies. . Some do-jangs (schools or academies) may differ in their focus on tournament sparring or street techniques, but the art is fairly uniform. As I understand it, there are two main worldwide organizations, which have their own sets of "forms" (Korean word hyung, same as Japanese kata), plus you'll get other variations.
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Well if my experience of karate, started when I was 42, is anything to go by you won't be kicking easily to the head any time soon, if ever. The upside is that I am still studying karate in my 65th year. I think that you miss the point in asking about progress. Concern about progress is the bane of westernised martial arts. What matters is the process, the moment, now. Your experience of martial arts will be different from that of a teenager and as long as you recognize that difference does not imply inferiority you will benefit from the practice.
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You WILL progress slower, but you will progress better. I studied TKD when I was a teenager and stopped just before reaching BB. My son and I started again when I reached 38 and my son was 14. He kicks higher than me, made it to BB faster and remembers forms faster. That said, I am much quicker at the self defense drills and can beat (sparring) all of the teenage students that are my same size and rank. Our age gives us sneakiness and perception. That said, if you looking to get into shape. Look for a school that emphasizes Olympic style sparring. If you are wanting to become a martial artist then do what shinin1 says and look for a traditional style (I am partial to MooDukKwan and HapKiDo). Olympic style is hard on the knees and back. I was over 300 pounds when I started the second time. I lost 100+ pounds in two years of olympic TKD.
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No you wont be able to progress as easily as someone in his 20 lets say, but with work you will be able to defend yourself against an amateur thug in the street.
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