Am I too old to trick?

beginner tricking

What is usually implied when someone asks this question is, "Am I too old to become one of the best at tricking?" which is a stupid question. 

"Am I too old to do a 540 kick? A backflip? A b-twist? etc?"

Is it age that is holding you back? Why age? Just because your knees ache doesn't mean you're too old, it might mean your legs need strengthened. It might mean your knee cartilage is a mess from abuse (or disuse, have you used your knees in awhile?) Have you been sitting in a chair too long? Are you overweight? Can you do something about it? I bet you can. Eliminate the "too old" excuse from your vocabulary.

"Do I have the physical potential to do a 540 kick? A backflip? A b-twist? etc?"

Why wouldn't you be capable of learning a particular trick? Do you have a real disability? If you picked just one simple trick to start with, could you nail it if you really put in the time (months) and effort (daily practice) to learn it? And if you could learn any one particular trick, what's stopping you from learning a couple of other tricks too?

My experience


I didn't wonder if I could be a good trickster when I started tricking, I didn't even think about being a trickster, all I wanted was the 540 kick! That's all I cared about. Six months of busting my ass and one new 540 kick later, I found myself taking an interest in other tricks...

A recent example


At the time of writing this I'm 23 and have started playing the piano this year. I'm not good at it, and I'll never be as good as those kids who've been playing since they were 5 years old, but I don't care! I didn't start playing the piano to be a concert pianist, I started because it seemed fun, and because I thought I'd be cool if I could play a few favorite songs.

Hey, if my electronic piano explodes tomorrow and I decide not to get it replaced, would it have been a waste of my time? No way! So what... I started something and then quit and never got good at it: Big deal. If you decide to quit tricking after a year of practice would you really regret having spent time on it? No way! You'd be awesome for putting even that much time into it.

Just try it! Yeah! Come on!


When you enjoy what you do, you'll figure out a way to be excellent at it. Go out and see if you enjoy tricking, give it an honest attempt, a few tries. If you don't like it, that's okay, try something else. You've got nothing to lose!

Jujimufu flashkick

Older Post Newer Post


  • Jujimufu on

    I’d be interested to know, the difference in longevity between tricking and parkour. My guess is, parkour longevity is a more difficult thing to accomplish…

  • Jon Call on

    Thanks Javier, glad you chose tricking!

  • Remco mendes on

    Hello.

    I liked your article. I started tricking when i was 35 years old. Now going on 38, i’ll never quite. Age is just a number. Landed my first backflip on my 37th birthday. Ofcourse i see the young kids learning these things much faster, but i want to keep on pushing.

    Thanks

    Kind regards remco

  • Jujimufu on

    Thank you Remco, I still think this way of looking at it is a really… good way to look at it. :-)

  • Jamie on

    I’m 47 and train Parkour, Freerunning, and Kung Fu with my 16 year old son. Sure I get stares at the gym when I do a round off arabian, but for me they are the good kind of stares – like “Did you see what the fuck that old dude just did?” LOL I don’t mind it and it fuels me even more! Never stop playing!



Leave a comment