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Have you ever sparred against a person who's much taller than you? It's challenging isn't it? You have to change the entire way that you spar. When you spar people who are closer in height to yourself, you can both use the same amount of reach. But against a tall person, they have a big advantage, so you must come up with tactics that diminsh that advantage. You have to adapt to the opponent. All karate is like that - adapting to your opponent and your own body. There's no point trying to kick head high if you are short and inflexible, or your opponent is fast and tall. There's no point using your strength against a much younger, vastly stronger person. But there's far more to it that... When karate came over to the West, early students suffered joint damage from long-term practice because the techniques were not suitable for our taller bodies and longer limbs. So we don't fully lock our techniques out, like the shorter oriental originators used to. We use muscle tension to stop just short. Even now, there are techniques that favour taller people, and those that work better for shorter ones. Sumo stance is a good case in point. The forces placed upon your joints become massively greater when you are taller or heavier. Thus, for a tall person to lower himself to the same angle as a short person, it involves placing a huge amount of strain on the knee joints, which causes long-term damage. I would therefore suggest that you only sink to half way, rather than injuring yourself. Knees and backs are common weak points for karateka, especially once they get into their 30s and beyond. You may need to adapt and modify your karate to protect existing injuries or to prevent new ones. But it's not just tall, older people who need to adapt. If you're a slow mover, perhaps it's not such a good idea for you to fight reactively - it's just too hard to move quickly enough to get counters in. Or if you do prefer that style of fighting, then you're going to have to learn to read people much better so that you can pick the subtle clues about their intentions so that you can start to deal with them more quickly. If you're a short person, you're going to need to develop explosive movement so that you can close on opponents quickly when the slightest opportunities present themselves. You're also going to need to work on your tae sabaki (body movement), so that you can avoid getting struck from long range. If you're very slight or skinny, you may want to condition yourself so that you can take blows to the body. Alternately, you may want to fight is such a way that evades the big power moves like front and side kicks. We have lots of students in their 50s and 60s, and they can still get a huge amount from their karate. Maybe they can't all bring athleticism or gymnastic ability, but older people bring wisdom and experience. Generally speaking, many young people are so busy being competitive that they never stop to analyse what they're doing. As comedian Dave Atell says, "If I want directions, I'm going to ask a one legged man, because he definitely knows the best, quickest way from A to B!" By the same token, older people have to be observers and thinkers, because there's no point competing in terms of speed and power, with people half your age. Even if you are a person who finds it hard to think under pressure, you can compensate. So you can't make up techniques on the spur of the moment and adapt instantly to every situation? No worries - you need to prepare half a dozen killer combinations that you can use in different situations. Practice them so that they become second nature, and try to use them in appropriate situations in class. Then, when you need them, they'll be second nature, and you won't need to think at all! GKR Karate really is for everyone, and you can get so much from it, whoever you are. If you are challenged in particular areas, there is always a solution if you just take the time to think about it. If you can't come up with an answer on your own, talk it over with your sensei: he or she is sure to help - after all, it's what they're there for! |
