The question I often hear is: “Am I too old to start Karate?“Another concern that people have is that they are not flexible enough to be able to participate in a karate class.

What distinguishes karate as a discipline from most other sports is its consideration of a person’s current level. A good instructor will be challenged to hone each student’s current fitness level and challenge them at the same time without getting injured. The idea is to raise that person’s level every time he participates in a class.

The fact that you think that you have to be in good shape before starting a class is wrong, but common. One of the reasons to commit to a karate program is to get in shape while learning how to defend yourself. Karate classes develop strength, flexibility, endurance and cardio in a functional way. Cross-training like weight training and jogging can definitely help, but it’s not required. You can get into functional shape by doing the normal exercises that karate provides.

I know an elderly lady (over 60 years old) who told me a story that she fell on a sheet of ice one winter. She tripped over a cable and fell hard. She admitted that if it weren’t for her karate training (even at her level), she wouldn’t be able to get up from that nasty fall.

Another example is the story of a 39-year-old man who had a nasty bicycle accident with an oncoming car. The car hit him so hard that there was a big impression (bump) on the front bumper of him. Although the ambulance had to escort him to the hospital, he was not seriously injured. He admits that this is due to his karate training which allowed him to build up that necessary “body armor” to withstand most of the impact.

People underestimate the importance of flexibility. The older we get, the more we’ll rely on our flexibility to do simple things like get up from a chair, walk up a flight of stairs, and walk with an upright posture without pain.

Make sure your goals are realistic and ask yourself if you are doing it to improve your quality of life or if you are doing it as a sport and competition. If you are of a certain age, say over 35 and just starting out, then competition should not be your primary focus. Your goal is to progressively build a flexible and strong body and mind that will allow you to age successfully and enjoy life without pain.

I am forty years old and have been practicing karate (both traditional and competitive) for over 25 years. What I love about this is the fact that it is an individual discipline that focuses on continually improving oneself. I also like the fact that there is a partnership and camaraderie that motivates you to do better and better.

No, you are not too old to start training karate. Now stop thinking about it and do it!

happy workout,