I Fell Down

I finished class a little while ago and walked over to the pizzeria for lunch.  It rained heavily this morning with gusting winds.  Leaves were scattered everywhere.  I walked along, took a step, and my right foot sank into a deep hole, sending me sprawling face-first onto the ground HARD!  You’re in your 60s and you fell down?  You could break a hip; break an arm; break an ankle!  I did a break-fall (mae ukemi), caught my breath, then got up and continued on my way.  Was this an example of self-defense?  Let’s see... I protected myself and prevented injury so, yep, it’s self-defense.

Everyone knows that martial arts are for the young.  It’s that cute, adorable activity that little children play.  No serious teenager would be caught dead doing Karate.  Adults go to the dojo to watch their darling kiddies perform in a little recital for rank promotion.  *Sarcastic irony detected*

Today proved what I already knew: Martial Arts training is for ALL ages; perhaps even more important as we age.  Older people are more likely targets for attack.  If attacked, you can defend yourself.  If you are never attacked, your training may have helped you avoid danger, or made you look less likely a victim to attackers.  If you fall, your training may have increased your bone density and taught you to break-fall minimizing the chance for injury.  If you never fall, it could be that training improved your balance.

Whether you’re young, not-so-young, or old, I’ll see you at the dojo.