GERMANY: Senior citizens and martial arts do mix

MUNICH, Germany (DPA/Health News), August 11, 2008: By Aliki Nassoufis Senior citizens and martial arts do not mix in the minds of a lot of people, who associate whirling arms and legs with top-fit athletes and action movie heroes. However, experts say people over 60 years of age would do well to get onto a mat and practise karate, judo, jiu jitsu or tai chi. 'Strength, coordination, and endurance diminish in old age. These are precisely the things that martial arts can train very well,' noted Martin Halle, a sports medicine physician at the Technical University of Munich. Ludwig Prass, 89, is living evidence of martial arts' benefits. A practitioner of judo since the age of 15, he still trains - and also coaches judo pupils - several times a week at the school his family owns in Duesseldorf. 'My age makes itself felt, of course,' said Prass, a grandmaster with a 10th degree black belt. But he said that judo helped him to stay in shape. Many clubs now offer senior citizens courses in judo, karate, and jiu jitsu. The German Karate Association (DKV) was one of the first to discover the elderly as a target group. More than one-fifth of its members are over 50 years old, according to Elisabeth Bork, from the DKV in Duisburg. 'We even have karatekas (practitioners of karate) over 80,' Bork remarked. The DKV calls them 'jukuren,' a Japanese term meaning means 'experienced ones.' Allowances must be made for age in Asian martial arts, though. 'Only people around 50 or older are in the special jukuren courses,' Bork said. 'It makes no sense for them to train together with 20-year-olds.' The courses for seniors avoid particularly abrupt movements and hard kicks, placing emphasis instead on fairly slow, focused movements that are frequently repeated. 'Practising the exercises is the important thing, not tests of ability or participation in competitions,' Bork explained. Halle agrees with this approach. 'In advanced age, physical contact in all martial arts should be avoided,' he said, explaining that training should be focused on stretching and guiding muscles, coordination, concentration, and posture. 'It's simply too dangerous to be thrown to the mat after a certain age,' he said. Older people who keep that in mind can benefit hugely from martial arts. 'Up to now,' Halle noted, 'people of all ages have usually been advised to engage in endurance sports,' which he said were especially good for the cardiovascular system. 'But the older a person gets,' he added, 'the more important strength becomes.' People can look after themselves only when their bodies are strong enough, Halle said, adding that strength provided a sturdy gait and thus protection against falls. Practising martial arts has a further benefit for the elderly, Prass remarked. 'It's tragic how many older people are assaulted - for their wallet or simply out of arrogance - and take a nasty fall,' he said. Martial arts could help them become more self-confident and defend themselves if need be, Prass noted. Copyright: Deutsche Presse-Agentur