By
Jim Brumbaugh and Carolyn Berg
It has been said that
karate is a lifelong activity. And
yet as we get older we may wonder if this is true.
Certainly the perception of older adults who have never trained in karate
most likely is that karate cannot possibly be done by someone my age.
So how can karate be a lifelong pursuit?
As we age our bodies
change. Despite all our wishing it
weren’t so, it is. Bumps and
bruises that would be gone the next day when we were 20 now last a week or more.
Our speed, strength and flexibility eventually decrease to the point
where it has an affect on our karate performance.
How do we gracefully accept that some things must change, both physically
and mentally, as we continue to practice our art?
Aside from what we already know about such things as having good
nutrition, keeping active, getting plenty of rest, drinking lots of fluids,
getting regular check-ups, etc., perhaps there are components of our karate
regiment that will need to be modified.
The question becomes what
kind of activity can will karate be? Surely
it will not be heavy kumite 3 times a week.
Reading books about the lives of the ancient karate masters hints that
they too felt the pull of Father Time and changed the emphasis as they grew
older. Believing that karate should
have something positive to offer for a lifetime, we begin to look at what that
karate will be after we reach 60, 65, or 75 and on up.
By examining the various areas of karate practice – kata, kihon,
two-person drills, sparring, waza – perhaps some changes are indeed realistic
and practical.
Even a superficial look at
karate shows us that kata can be an important activity at any age.
Kata can be whatever you need it to be.
Run it as fast and as hard as you can or run it slow, flowing like water,
no resistance and no stress.
Kihon also seem applicable
at any age. Just don’t expect to
do them as fast, or as hard. And
certainly don’t stress joints. Jumping,
spinnning kicks may fall by the wayside, but so what?
How useful were they anyway except to wow the crowd?
Two-person drills seem
like they should stay. But,
ippon-seoinage? Probably not that
one, nor some of the other more forceful throws.
We know some older judoka who have started cutting back on the
floor-thundering falls they take. So
why not karateka? In many cases,
two-person drills can have substitutional sets that are more applicable as
self-defense anyway and are easier on the joints, backs or legs.
So why not establish an alternate set of 2-person drills that would be
useful to older folks. They might
also apply to people with physical limitations.
Kumite?
Thunder in the pass! Blood-and-guts?
No, the only time I’d be involved in hard contact now is if I were
attacked on the street. Otherwise
kumite should be a fast, friendly game of tag, with lots of padding and lots of
control. But even that may no be
enough. So what if kumite goes
bye-bye? Most records indicate that
it actually wasn’t part of antique karate anyway.
And there are plenty of styles today that don’t teach it at all.
Maybe one could substitute form sparring.
Or some other limited sparring format.
Perhaps more importantly, what about karate as a self-defense for the older crowd? Can the techniques still be used for protection? Certainly the answer is “yes.” The older karateka may have less strength and flexibility but could easily use leverage and finesse to their advantage. Learning the pressure points becomes more important as the strength recedes. And learning little tricks that disguise what you are really up to also becomes more significant. So. . . leverage principles, kuzushiwaza, manipulation and clashing skills could be emphasized for the aging karateka.
So do all these modifications constitute legitimate karate for the older group? Are there other complementary activities that could accompany the practice of karate? What about weight training? Bag work? Stretching and aerobic exercises as sound activities to slow osteoporosis?
We are inclined to believe that karate may be practiced by an older person in most, but not all, aspects of training. It can be practiced as a form of exercise, as an art form, as a form of self-defense, and perhaps most significantly as a method for self-improvement (as in do, the way). As we get older and hopefully wiser, we can appreciate more the idea that karate-do is a search inward, one path to develop the self.
A result may be that training becomes more personalized. Since much of the records indicate that antique karate was taught in small groups on a individual basis where the training was tailored to fit each karateka, this may be a return to the old ways. Perhaps the training as we get older will also need to be more personalized. A challenge for instructors but undoubtedly more rewarding for the individuals.
For us, the time to develop such a program is now. We aren’t getting any younger. J