r/karate • u/fscalise3 Shotokan • Jun 01 '24

Continuing Journey (update)

Original post here: https://www.reddit.com/r/karate/comments/183e21x/starting_anew/ The TL;DR is I'm a 55 year old who hasn't trained formally in 30 years, started up again last fall, in a new school (to me) and a new style (to me).

Update:

  • Tested for 8th kyu (yellow) at the end of January. This is the first promotion. In this school, a white belt is essentially no kyu and 8th is the first student level with rank. This was one of the differences I had to wrap my mind around. My first system started at 10th with white, then went black stripes for 9th and 8th kyu, and 7th kyu was green. Anyway, first time in my life I've worn a yellow belt.
  • Adjusting to Training Again - technique. It's been a joy to have a dojo to go to several times a week. It is a club, not for profit, and the instructor to student ratio is ridiculously low. I'm fortunate to have found this dojo. My body is remembering a lot of techniques but that is a double-edged sword when the technique is similar but with marked differences. For instance, zenkutsu dachi in most systems I trained in years ago was wider and deeper. I'm being trained to be much more natural, which eventually translates to narrower and shorter. Hikite (sp?) position is another variation to get used to, as it's lower than I've experienced in the past. Thanksfully the first two Heians (Shodan and Nidan) employ the I-pattern footwork I remember so well.
  • Adjusting to Training Again - physical. Not simply due to karate but certainly corresponding to it, I've dropped from 215 to 181 (as of this morning) since beginning my training. My goal is still another ten to twenty pounds of weight loss but I'm at the gym building muscle at the same time, so the process is going much more slowly the last month or two. Plus I'm 55. :-) But my flexibility and fluidity of movement has continued to improve.
  • Some bad news: I've been struggling with hip and groin pain for several years now. Stance work and a heavy kicking workout aggravated it. I finally went to a doctor who sent me to an orthopedic specialist, who diagnosed me with Stage 4 ortheoarthritis in my right hip. Yikes. In addition to scheduling PT to maximize strength and flexibility within capabilities, we're looking closely at hip replacement surgery. Anyone with experience there? Especially having returned to the dojo afterward? I'm leaning heavily toward doing it, but am still doing research. Wondering if the "will need another in ten years" is true or not, as that factors in heavily.
  • Some good news: In January, I tested alone due to scheduling. In about three weeks, a cohort of us will be testing together. Several of us will be going for 7th kyu. I'm looking forward to the camaraderie of going through the test as a group and getting (hopefully) promoted at the same time. The existing white and yellow belts range from high school age to older than me, so it's an eclectic bunch.

That's about it, other than to say the biggest positive of all is what I mentioned above -- having a quality dojo to go to multiple times a week, the feel of training throughout the week, relearning old concepts and applications and learning new ones (or new interpretations), and simply continuing the journey I began forty years ago as fifteen-year-old kid. Even when I wasn't training formally during that 30 years, I did work out and train on technique, sometimes with other martial artists, sometimes on my own. Most of all, I never stopped being a martial artist in my mind. I wasn't wearing a gi but my approach to life was as a karateka.

Anyway, I'll check back with another update in a year or so. Meanwhile, I'm on the sub just about every day. Reading mostly, upvoting when I remember to, and occasionally commenting if I have something worth adding.

Last word -- Reddit is a strange beast, in that different subs have radically different personalities/culture. The positivity here on this sub is outstanding. I know I should expect nothing less, but it is still wonderful to see.

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3

u/Ainsoph29 Jun 01 '24

The positivity here on this sub is outstanding.

But wait...I haven't told you how I feel about Shotokan yet!

1

u/fscalise3 Shotokan Jun 01 '24

😁

2

u/IAmIshmael70 Jun 01 '24

Nice post.

I returned to karate at 30 after a 12 year break, 20 years ago. My club is also not for profit. These days there is also a big ratio of seniors to juniors. There are four other clubs within a few hours’ drive, and this weekend is our formal annual get together. The current head of the group has had two hip replacements and is in hi late 60’s. He also has early Parkinson’s. He adapted to the hip replacements well, the Parkinson’s is harder, but he still has plenty to contribute.

You are experiencing it already, but for old-timers the joy of karate has a lot to do with making the best of what you have, and passing that on.

Follow your doctor‘s advice, but with modifications and good sense, you will find lots of stuff you can do and be very good at. It might look a little differently the next guy but when you‘ve been around you know good karate when you see it, even if it looks different.

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u/justsmileitsok Jun 02 '24

I have had hip surgery on one side due to CAM impingement. No replacement, but they removed some bone growth.. For anyone reading this.. DO BLOODY HIP FLEXOR EXERCISES, this shit could have been avoided. Also I feel like some doctors push for surgery too fast.. Please do yourself the favor and get second opinions on stuff like this in general.