I heard from somwhere that many years of muay thai will kill your legs in the later years...but i dont know. Now, if this is true...is it really worth it?? I may get responses like "live in the now" or "dont worry about it thats a long ways away" or something along those lines... i just want to be able to be an active old dude thats all lol
Most sports will affect you in later life one way or another, tennis elbow, dodgy knees etc, all you can do is live life, i dislocated 3 of my toes in training a fortnight ago and i have a feeling i will have the same problem as with my knee which was injured in work a year ago, arthritis might set in (already having problems in the cold weather with my knee), but it won't stop me from training.
The way I look at it is this... There are many things in every day life that will cause you serious problems in old age... and many more are emerging every day... cell phone usage leads to brain cancer and the whole nine yards... unhealthy lifestyles... etc. So when I train in MT and BJJ and boxing and whatever else... it gives me a lifestyle that keeps me out of trouble... out of the bars... away from bad habits... no drugs... no heavy drinking... no smoking. It forces me to have a healthy diet... stay hydrated and constantly improve my cardio. Not to mention improvements in bone density... muscle mass and overall improvment of my proprioception and my physique. Physique is important... when you think you look good... you feel good. Feeling positive is a major factor in aging gracefully. It's a stress reducer and lowered stress has incredible long term health benefits. I spend more time in the gym than many people.... woe to the people who sit in front of the TV with a bowl of Doritos and bags of McDonalds crap. The human body is amazingly durable and adaptable to physical stresses. Even when taken to a competitive level I've yet to see anyone provide any actual evidence from a credible source that Muay Thai leads to problems in old age that others don't have. It sounds like sour grapes rubbish to me to be honest. The hardest part for me has been dropping weight to get fights in a certain weight category... I don't think that's all the healthy to be honest... but it's not the end of the world. I feel it's more than offset by the positive effects over the long term. People often say 'Oh you don't see old nak muay still training in it'... err... but you do... if you're in Thailand... head to any of the gyms... look at the number of older professional fighters still kicking around. Tons of them. It's not like they stop fighting and become old and decrepit. That's absurd. There is also a cultural difference between aging in Thailand and much of Asia and there is in the west. I find that older people in Asia remain far more active than their western counterparts. Where as it seems many in the west have one foot in the grave and another on a banana peel... many elderly asians actually are involved in some form of physical activity or labor on a day to day basis. Here in Hong Kong I see it every single day. I never see anything even close to that in much of America or other western countries.
I have 2 videos that are clear examples of Muay Thai's effects in old age.... Take a look at this: These are two Thai fighters at a seminar in New Jersey recently. My coach, Kumron Vaitayanon (Master K), is SEVENTY YEARS OLD!!!! Yes, you read that right, 70!!!!!!! He is keeping up with Kaensak Sor.Pleonchit (2x Lumpinee Champ and 2x Fighter of the Year), who is 37 years old.... Almost 1/2 his age! http://youtube.com/watch?v=OtO48w5w_U8 http://youtube.com/watch?v=19b5_tETCF0 One important thing to note here mirrors what slipthejab has said. Master K wasn't just a Thai fighter when he was young. He continued to live the lifestyle ever since. He doesn't drink. He doesn't smoke. Definitely doesn't do drugs. He trains every single day.
I often find myself worrying about this. I seem to have a permanently injured knee and foot. (foot from once attempting to teep someone in the face and catching a sole full of elbow, the foot broke on impact - ouch) and stress fractures on my right shin. :/
Basically what everybody here has said. If you live a nice healthy lifestyle you can squeeze more mileage for the long run. Maybe not as much as Master K but you won't turn into a Jabba the Hutt that's for sure. As any contact sport, Muay Thai offers its share of bumps, bruises and cuts. The human body does indeed wear down after time especially with old age. Your body's ability to heal quickly slows as well. Depending on the extent of your injuries, if any, you may feel it in your later years. However that's up for grabs as each person has his/her own level of resilience, tolerance and even genetic predisposition to being able to handle this sort of stuff. Each person is unique. That being said I don't believe Muay Thai is one of those styles where you can compete in for long simply due to its reliance on pure physical conditioning.
As Slip has said - the physical benefits of the arts far outweigh the consequences. Just be careful when you train, give your injuries plenty of time to recover, and have fun. Martial Arts will keep you young because you'll always have the chance to be around young people when you practice the arts. I personally love living the lifestyle. I keep a clean, healthy diet, drink plenty of water, take my fish oils and vitamins. I really feel like the lifestyle I lead will be more likely to yield a healthy old age than sitting on the couch or doing mild exercise.
