This is an article I wrote for Shotokan Magazine, published in 2023. Its for those of us who want/need to carry on training into our dotage! I believe its possible to carry on training into our sixtes and seventies, I am 74 now, but, Shotokan makes heavy demands on the body, particularly the knees and hips. One must train sensibly. You’re not 25 any more even if you think you are!!! (-:

For those of us who train in the martial arts, there is a constant need or drive to improve our technique and maintain our fitness and flexibility. Shotokan karate is an excellent discipline for the mind and body, there is no doubt about that. However, is it possible or even wise to continue to train into old age? This article is an attempt to answer that question, with some thoughts and ideas on the benefits of “karate for seniors”, and I don’t mean senior as in grade level or proficiency, but senior as in 60 years old and beyond!

Many of us have trained since our youth. In my case, I started training in 1972 when I was 20 years old. I have kept up my training almost continuously and still train twice a week (I had an 8-year break from training, raising children and trying to keep afloat financially!). For young people training in karate, it is a magical time; you are learning new things, you have boundless energy and are flexible enough to perform ushiro mawashi geris. Or, if you’re not, with regular training and correct instruction you can begin to master the more advanced techniques. By my reckoning, it takes about 3 years (minimum) to achieve Shodan (1^st degree black belt), if you are training regularly 3 times a week. A fact of life that many of us try to ignore is that Shotokan karate is in many respects a younger person’s discipline, and we cannot expect to train as we did in our 20’s and 30’s when we are 60 or 70 years old. If you can, then you’re lucky. Kanazawa Soke acknowledged this fact when he introduced Tai Chi into the SKIF syllabus in the 1980’s.

Let’s talk about flexibility. Even more important for us seniors are the warmup and stretching routine at the start of training. Our standard SKIF warm up stands the test of time. It works, preparing the body for the rigors of the training that is to follow. Have you noticed how similar many of the stretching techniques are to yoga? Many of the postures in yoga’s versions of “salutation to the Sun” are similar to zenkutsu dachi (Warrior pose, front lunge). The seated stretches for hamstrings, the spine twisting exercise and the hip stretches are all very similar. Did martial artists borrow these from the various forms of yoga? A question for the historians amongst you!

A suggestion for instructors: incorporate more yoga postures in the warmup.

For example, the downward dog pose is excellent for stretching the calf muscles. The cobra pose is very good for improving the flexibility of the spine.

I would advocate extending the time for each posture or stretch to a minimum of 30 seconds, gradually increasing the level of stretch from easy to more challenging, and I believe it is very beneficial to stretch again at the end of the session.

Shotokan stances are generally acknowledged to be quite low and, in some cases, difficult to master. Taking the width of your shoulders as a guide. Zenkutsu dachi should be one width of your shoulders, wide and twice the width of your shoulders, long. Your front leg is bent, and you should be able to see your big toe. When the hips are forward, the back leg is straight, when the hips are at 45 degrees, the back leg is slightly bent. We know all this! But if this is challenging as we age then we could make the stance slightly higher and shorter without compromising our ability to perform powerful gyaku zukis. A quick note here concerning your class, hopefully full of young, aspiring karateka. Don’t for one minute worry about your stance being a little higher “do as I say not necessarily as I do” your students will have the respect for your seniority, experience, and expertise.

Modify your stances to suit your body

Maybe even substitute zenkutsu dachi for fudo dachi. Look at the grainy black and white pictures and videos on YouTube of the old masters, without a doubt, they adapted their karate. Kiba dachi could be a little higher, maybe with the feet not quite parallel but turning out slightly, not as much as shiko dachi as this is an entirely different stance with a very different feel to it with respect to balance. Kokutsu dachi (back stance) is a difficult stance to compromise, because the body weight needs to be concentrated over the back leg, so try 60% instead of 70%, experiment to see what will work and still allow you to kick reasonably freely with your front leg.

Shotokan is renowned for its range of kicking techniques, mae geri (front kick) is probably the easiest to maintain for 60 year olds and kicking to chudan level is sufficient for all basics and kata; don’t try and over-extend to jodan unless you can! A quick note here, as I sound like I’m preaching, I will always try and kick jodan, when will I accept that I can’t! I would suggest that yoko geri keage (side snap kick) is another kick that we can manage at chudan level into our 60’s. Mawashi geri (roundhouse kick) maybe too much for the hips, if so, ditch it! Don’t try and perform a technique that your body won’t allow (note to self). And then we come to ushiro geri and ushiro mawashi geri (reverse kick and reverse roundhouse kick). I’m afraid we may have to let them go, so if that’s the case stop trying to do them. Why we are reluctant to stop trying them is because the instructor has just demonstrated them with ease and is now commanding you to follow suit. All the students around you are banging out ushiro geris with power, elegance and balance. I have to say “good for them” but I may have to slide forward into zenkutsu only.

Acknowledge and accept that certain kicks are no longer possible.

There are 26 Shotokan katas and a further 5 that Soke introduced from Goju Ryu and Shito Ryu (Seienchin, Sepai, Gangkaku Sho, Nijuhachio, Hyakuhachio). I also teach Tensho (not on the syllabus, but I know Soke taught it sometimes). So, we have 32 katas to choose from and train with. Personally, I think all 3^rd Dans and above should practice these at some point in their training. The 60 year olds now have to pick and choose which kata they can perform adequately and concentrate on them. A point of information here, there are no kicks in Seienchin kata and yet it’s a pretty devastating kata with many interesting moves. Let’s talk about Unsu. One of my favourite katas which I performed for Godan at the age of 59. It’s well known that the 360 degree jump was included for style and athletic ability. Far easier to swivel on your left foot and perform ushiro geri as you fall to the ground. This was probably the original idea behind the jump technique. I still want to perform Unsu, but I can’t do the jump, should I avoid the kata? Well, no, because the 4 gyaku zukis feel so good to do, the blocks and ippon nukite strikes also feel good. I can do most of this kata. But what about the drop to the floor and double mawashi geris? ….and having to get up smoothly into kiba dachi to perform the cloud hands technique? That’s not so good! Again, my suggestion is to leave these techniques out. One could perform two standing mawashi geris. You won’t win any kata competitions, but maybe we’re past worrying about that.

Modify kata to enable you to perform 80% of the moves; remove a kata from your practice if the technical level exceeds your capability

I might get reproached for saying this, but I think it makes sense. Referring to the side kick and uraken combination in Heian Nidan. You could perform mae geri instead of yoko geri, in Wado Ryu the kata is performed exactly this way.

There is no reason why we cannot continue to enjoy kumite as older karateka. We may be a little slower but perhaps have slightly enhanced timing over our younger students (I said perhaps!). The SKIF kumite syllabus is varied and detailed and this allows us to try out a range of different blocking and countering techniques. It prepares us for jyu kumite (free sparring) by giving us a platform of ideas to work from. However, there is nothing wrong with “block, counter” for each attack. Many successful kumite champions have a limited range of blocking and countering options that they use in competition, and they perfect them to the point where they are automatic. We can adapt many of the kihon ippon and jyu ippon kumite techniques to maintain their effectiveness. For example, blocking a jodan attack (kihon ippon number 3), it is just as effective to slide in with the empi counter having omitted the keage. In jodan number 3 (jyu ippon), leave out the mawashi geri from the front leg and just counter gyaku zuki, or, substitute the mawashi geri with a mae geri off the front leg. Lastly, thinking of chudan number 5 (jyu ippon), the ura ushiro mawashi geri is challenging enough for many 20 year olds and is a great kick to the side of the head and bringing your leg down to sweep you opponent to the floor. This can be adapted to gedan barai block, sweep the leg and follow through with a counter once your opponent is floored. Not as elegant, but equally effective. These adjustments are easily made without losing the effectiveness of the kumite. In many cases, you will be more effective as you won’t be struggling to put a kick in before your final counter with gyaku zuki. Your partner won’t mind, he/she will still attack you ferociously and you can still reply with maximum power, intent and control.

There is also a safety issue here, we put our partners in danger if we can’t deliver and control the technique. They are, after all, stationary after the attack and allowing us to use their body as a target. 

Summary:

• incorporate more yoga postures into the warmup and extend each stretch to 30 seconds
• modify your stances to suit your body
• sacrifice certain kicks that are now no longer possible to perform
• modify kata to enable you to perform 80% of the techniques
• leave out some kata from your weekly practice
• adapt and modify certain kumite blocking and countering techniques
• where possible train 2 times slow, one time fast
• keep on training

Many of these discussion points and suggestions will also apply to older students wanting to take up karate for the first time. Starting karate at 40 or 50 will require a careful and measured approach to stretching. Fitness levels need to be good in order to get through a demanding 1 or 2 hour training session.

Conclusion:

Karate is a martial art that is beneficial for health and well-being. It is a fighting art that teaches self-defense and counter attacking moves. It has an aesthetic quality that manifests itself in the artistic performance of kata. It is possible to develop considerable power in one’s punching, kicking and blocking techniques. I am in no way advocating a soft approach to training as we age. I am suggesting a pragmatic approach to training that maximizes our current ability and flexibility, drawing from the experience and knowledge acquired from many years of training. Soke Kanazawa used to frequently say that “karate is for everyone”. He continued training into his 80’s. I interpret his words to mean that karate is for all, regardless of ability, age, gender or disability. It is no longer the sole domain of machismo, male dominated, bone crunching brawling. There are plenty of disciplines out there if you want that! Soke also said that a function of karate is “the improvement of one’s character’. Without being too philosophical about this, we are all witness to having trained with karate masters who live their art and are the embodiment of humility and peacefulness. Always strange and paradoxical that this comes about from a martial art that has the potential to cause maximum harm. Thank you for taking the time to read my discussion article. If you have any comments, suggestions or want to add to the debate, feel free to email me at: cliveyoung@f2s.com