I am a female in my late 40’s and not in the best shape. I am quite willing to work out if it’s something I would enjoy. I took a self defense class with the Irving, TX police dept about 8 yrs ago and it was a great start. My issues, other than not being in great shape is that I have a partial tear to my rotator cuff that dr does not suggest surgery on unless it becomes really bad.

My interest in Krav Maga started after seeing something on You Tube and I like that you learn from the get-go useful defense for real world situations. The steps,  stances and moves like in Tae Kwan Do, which I took in my early 30’s, showed me that I enjoyed the martial arts, but it seemed it would take forever to be proficient and learn something useful in everyday life. My questions:

1. Should I get into some kind of shape before taking up Krav Maga classes?

2. From the many posts on this forum, there seems to be a lot of Marines, Special Ops, etc…which is great - just wonder if they’ll start kickin’ my butt from the start or work up to it as my level and stamina improve?

3. I am a hard worker and in my younger days was quite active with racquetball and other sports. Just wondering if it’s probably too late for me to do something as intensive as Krav Maga?

I would appreciate any input or suggestions for prep before getting started or let me know if realistically Krav Maga may not be for me due to my age and sad physical condition. Thanks.

***By the way, I loved the “How I kicked my own A$s thread”, I laughed so hard I cried. Didn’t want to read them all because I want to save some for later. ***

Hey, Rambette!

I won’t address your injury very much as there are qualified people and trainers here who can advise. I do know that you don’t want to wait to be in shape to start Krav. It’s a great workout in itself and will improve your fitness if the instructors are using the kinds of warmups, and drills as at Brand X.

That said, you should definitely try CrossFit for getting in shape even if you begin KM training. It’s a strength and conditioning program that has proven to be great for Not So In Shape women in their 40’s. Me being one of them. I started at 38 and have been doing the program for 5 years. It can be done with shoulder limitations under the watchful eye of an experience trainer. Again, others will be more qualified to advise you on how to use the program with your shoulder in mind.

I also did train in Krav Maga at Brand X and the combination of KM and CrossFit is an amazing self defense / work out combination.

Welcome to the board! There are more than solders, marines and special ops here, plenty of moms, office workers, computer geeks and students as well. All are welcome, all are welcome…

wannaBrambette - 11 October 2009 05:04 PM

I am a female in my late 40’s and not in the best shape. I am quite willing to work out if it’s something I would enjoy. I took a self defense class with the Irving, TX police dept about 8 yrs ago and it was a great start. My issues, other than not being in great shape is that I have a partial tear to my rotator cuff that dr does not suggest surgery on unless it becomes really bad.

My interest in Krav Maga started after seeing something on You Tube and I like that you learn from the get-go useful defense for real world situations. The steps,  stances and moves like in Tae Kwan Do, which I took in my early 30’s, showed me that I enjoyed the martial arts, but it seemed it would take forever to be proficient and learn something useful in everyday life. My questions:

1. Should I get into some kind of shape before taking up Krav Maga classes?

2. From the many posts on this forum, there seems to be a lot of Marines, Special Ops, etc…which is great - just wonder if they’ll start kickin’ my butt from the start or work up to it as my level and stamina improve?

3. I am a hard worker and in my younger days was quite active with racquetball and other sports. Just wondering if it’s probably too late for me to do something as intensive as Krav Maga?

I would appreciate any input or suggestions for prep before getting started or let me know if realistically Krav Maga may not be for me due to my age and sad physical condition. Thanks.

***By the way, I loved the “How I kicked my own A$s thread”, I laughed so hard I cried. Didn’t want to read them all because I want to save some for later. ***

You don’t need tobe in shape to be able to defend yourself. If you want to be able to protect yourself or loved one’s, then you should start Krav NOW!  It’s all about being aggressive and saying “how dare you!” and doing something about it. I have all kinds of people that take Krav. all of who feel it’s a must to be your own protector. Also, it is NEVER too late to defend yourself!

Welome to the board, and at least your asking the right questions. Now go get started!

Thanks all for the feedback. I looked online for the Crossfit and it seems just the kind of program that WOULD whip me into shape. Is there a location closer to McKinney or Frisco, TX? The one off Dyer in Dallas, TX would be a pretty long drive. I think I will also go check out the Krav Maga class. I am not looking for easy, but I also don’t want to end up broken or crippled! LOL

There’s a Frisco Crossfit:

http://friscocrossfit.com/

and one in Allen

http://www.crossfitfxtx.com/

Fantastic. I will check out both the Allen and Frisco sites tomorrow or Wednesday. I am super excited! Thanks all.

Just a follow-up as I was in sort of the same boat. My shoulders were starting to share the pain of Krav. Talk to the instructor and let them know about the shoulder thing. Doing all out punches will give you issues if you’re prone to them. Doing CrossFit and Krav is actually a mutually beneficial blend. Throw in some stretches and an occasional Advil and you’ll be fine. 

Leam