These days there are many more older or Senior people practicing karate. Or many of our Shihans are well above 50! As our bodies age so the focus of our training should, otherwise we risk injury or pursuing goals that become unobtainable. Some are fascinated by the over 40 or masters level tournaments which are available these days. However, if you have reached 40 and tournament fighting is all you know, then you may be missing the point of karate! There are some exceptional athletes who have managed to excel on the other side of 40…George Foreman is one of those. He became a two times World Heavyweight champion at the age of 44! But in a world with a population of around 7billion people, there are very few like him.
From my brief insight at Oyama Sosai’s Honbu dojo during the last 6months of his life, I noticed that there were separate classes for women, children and old men. I say old men because at that time I was 22, now I am 49 and one of those older men. Oyama Sosai’s dojo was very popular and it ran 3 general classes everyday from Monday to Saturday! Which dojo can match this today? The average Western dojo will have classes once a day and that may only be 3 or 4days per week. So from an economies of scale point of view it makes sense that some General classes will incorporate adults and children above a certain age. This could cover quite a wide age range, say from 10years old to 60 or older. Thus, we have a diverse range in age that has to be catered for!
Let’s discuss progression through martial arts, 10 to 18years – in this age group emphasis should be on learning to be accurate in techniques. Flexibility is the first basic of martial arts and young bodies are more easily made flexible, so there must be a strong focus on stretching. Basic structure and balance in all techniques is important. There should not be too much emphasis on kata, 3 or 4 is enough. Sanbon kumite is also very important! So many karate colour belts with low level karate want to fight in novice tournaments. Why not first learn karate before engaging in one of its most difficult aspects which is knockdown rules tournament fighting? I recommend “Clicker” sparring for this age group. However, not the IFK type, but as modified and taught by Shihan Kenny Uytenbogaardt from South Africa. It teaches distance, speed and accuracy…without these fundamentals many knockdown karateka are plodders, heavy footed and relying on mere physical strength as face punching is not allowed. Few look like Michael Thompson, Andi Hug, Gary O’Neill on the tatami. So, in summary focus on flexibility, Sanbon kumite and Clicker rules sparring.
18 to 30years – The tournament years. These are the years when you can physically train the hardest. This is your window to grow strong and punish your body with arduous training which will also strengthen your will power or spirit. Once this window closes you can never train at this intensity again. It’s the intensity reached during this time that builds the base of your pyramid in karate. Without reaching high levels of intensity your spirit will not be polished by pain and you may get older and still train, but you will not attain the spiritual insights later in life which is the main point of karate. So many older karateka end up with titles and lots of gold bars, but the main outstanding feature they display are their enormous egos. They didn’t train hard enough during this period.
30 to 40years – Exploring the other arts. Choose those that complement your existing skills in punching and kicking. The obvious two are wrestling and boxing, but others are Thai boxing, Judo and Jiu jitsu. Shihan Cameron Quinn started his journey in Jiu jitsu around 1995, many in Kyokushin were critical, however he clearly understood the principles described by Musashi in the Book of Five Rings and applied these! (recall one should study the techniques of your competitors)
40 to 50years – specialization & returning to kata . By specialization I mean finding your unique fighting style or expression. Oyama Sosai was well versed in many fighting arts, but chose primarily karate. If you are tall, perhaps you like kicking and certain aspects of jiu jitsu. If you are short, perhaps knees, elbows and takedowns define your favourite attacks.
Over 50years – Kihon and Ippon kumite should form the main basis of your training. By this time you should be able to bring intense quality of concentration to your practice. Your body will be slowing down and there will be many physical constraints from injuries. So unpredictableness must be minimized in your training, this means the end of dojo sparring. What?? Yes, white belts and early colour belts can now end your karate career! They always do unpredictable techniques which can throw off your timing and results in injury. Drilling Ippon kumite should now become a fully obsessive exercise…put every ounce of your will and determination into the techniques. Explode with a strong kiai that shatters the air. When I was an uchi deshi in Honbu, sharing the last six months of Oyama Sosai’s life, we could still feel his raw energy! He still worked hard during the kihon, drenched with perspiration. He still practiced with his concrete dumbells while we drilled ido geiko. And if our kiai lessened he would immediately scold us. Yoga and Tai Chi can also be done as additional training for older karateka, a flexible body is the starting point for creating a fluid and adaptive open mind. Human life tastes sweetest when it is not boxed in by over thinking, rituals, rules…an open calm mind allows oneness with the greater or larger eternal consciousness.
Older high rank/ black belt students can also be useful in the dojo in teaching and coaching during class. They can line up at the back of the class. This allows white belts to see or copy them when returning during ido geiko. Older students should also adopt Pensioner’s discounts. If 30 repetitions are to be done, they can rather do 20 or 10, this way they can keep up with the class. By standing at the back they can rest or excuse themselves without disruption. They can also call out some white belts and at the back of the class correct them. Or teach them on something specific for 5 to 10minutes before letting them return to the class. Older students should not try to model themselves on a 25year old strong version of themselves. This will lead to feeling of inadequacy and they may give up karate, wheras their experience must be maintained and supported in the dojo.
Finally, like Oyama Sosai trained to virtually within a month of his passing, so we should seek to train and kiai to the end! Osu!