“The true science of martial arts means practicing them in such a way that they will be useful at any time, and to teach them in such a way that they will be useful in all things.” Miyamoto Musashi
I was having a discussion with a fellow martial artist about the trend of losing the ability to kick as we grow older. I feel that as long as you stay in shape and can walk, you can kick. You may have to change your tactics for overall kicking strategy but it is possible to maintain kicking skill if you're willing to adapt your methodology. Because of of several injuries to my spine (ranging from getting knocked off the top of a over loaded hay wagon, falling of the top of speeding vehicles, falling off a cliff, a hit and run by a speeding car,being bumped from the side and from behind cars during traffic stops), I no longer do jumping, spinning and skipping type of kicks. I also do not use kicks where I torque my hips to generate additional power. Nonetheless I can still bounce a 200 plus pound man into the wall that is holding up an kicking shield. I keep my crescent and reverse crescent kicks at knee level or lower and my front kicks are aimed from the knee to the jaw, with the majority of the kicks having the center as the primary target; namely the groin, bladder, or solar plexus. The side, round, and hook kicks are thrown at targets from the ankle to solar plexus primarily. They are employed from a hot step movement or from subtle weight shifting to fit in underneath of the opponents attacking limb be it either a leg or an arm. This way the attacking limb serves as both camouflage and cover while keeping the kick nearly invisible.
Spending time daily learning to relax and maintain calm, focused, and centered is also beneficial; as is using food as medicine. A major change in training habits over the years helps eliminate excess wear and tear. Although high repetitions might be a necessary preliminary step and only after learning the skill can you drop down from doing 1000 to 10,000 repetitions daily to doing a mere 100 per technique. By using an alternating routine with my calisthenics has also contributed to this success despite having to contend with back pain and the advancement of years. Learning to change and adaptation is one of the best ways I have found to ensure that my training is still useful at any time, and in a way that it can be useful in all things, even when it's just writing about it.
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