Karate for Seniors

Karate for seniors

Karate was for getting over 40's crisis.

I started Karate at 41 years old because I wanted to change something. I found a dojo(a place to practice), and I joined a Karate club. I had less idea about Karate and later found that I was participating in one of 4 four major styles of Karate-dos, Shoto-kan. I remember well that one of the blue belt holders, Roger, said to everyone when he saw my face at the first lesson, "Finally we got a Japanese!"

Why Karate?

I had loved ones to protect when I started. But that wasn't the ultimate mission to start Karate. I wanted to know why people practised and how Karate had not died in this modern sports era. Karate wasn't something special for me. I read Karate-manga, I watched Karate-anime, I practised Judo and Kendo during my high school period. So Japanese martial arts weren't rare stuff.

I was over 40, and I felt to need something. It was a 40's crisis. I was practising SKI, and I knew that I should leave it one day because of my physical condition. So I would need a different physical(not mental) sport or activity for elder age. Then Karate was one of the best candidates to learn, I thought.

After ten years of Karate, what I found.

The prior learning from 10 years is that Karate isn't a physical sport. It is a Dou, a path to know and understand myself. It isn't to create a physically strong fighter. It is to become a peacemaker. Karate helps to keep our minds calm and gentle. It sounds strange to many because people, in general, have a different image. I ask my friends of my generation about Karate. The typical answer is "I am too old to fight" with a boxing posture.

What I want from now on

I want to open my Dojo where senior and busy people practice mindfulness through Karate with science and academic taste. I have participated in many Karate activities, and I found a demand for seniors to learn Karate in different ways and concepts.

In Karate Dojo, there are many different generations, cultural backgrounds and genders. The young age tends to prefer hard lessons. The older generations prefer meaningful content due to physical conditions. To meet both demands, any Dojo tries everything. But usually, only hardcore ones remain, and others leave. People left Karate due to this unconditional situation; they are the unnecessary victims of the system. This is where I want to involve to improve my Karate-do.

Why do I think I can do it?

I am currently a postgraduate professor in Barcelona, Spain and an International B2B LinkedIn sales-marketer consultant. My analysis skill having a mindset of critical thinking, data-oriented and customer-centric way, can develop a new way to open Karate-do for seniors looking for internal peace through Karate.

There is a huge trend to take care of mental health. The mental health impact of Covid-19 has been enormously huge. People have a lot of concerns: health, job, family and future. We need to take care of ourselves in a different way, and my proposal is Karate.

So what is the difference between an authentic dojo and my Dojo?

My Dojo is led by personalized consultancy applied by academic-scientific methods.

Karate for seniors program has a clear vision, goal and timeframe to understand the improvement of each individual. Creating a personalized program is an essential factor like schools do to keep our philosophy transparent and achievable.

The program is written, and students have individual reviews by the professors.

I need your help.

If you can provide me with any cases related to Karate with mindfulness will be great. The purpose of this Dojo is to help senior people grow.

Once you stop learning, you start dying.

By Albert Einstein

We are never late to learn something and anything.