My dojang is in a small town. By small I mean the town has no more than 3000 people in it. This small town is much like other small towns. Families are fairly important here and the families are dedicated to the usual social sports: football, baseball, basketball, and soccer. These sports follow the traditional model—kids on the courts or the fields and parents sitting on the sidelines watching. In the martial arts it isn’t much different. You see the kids on the mat and parents sitting on the side looking rather bored. I’m not sure why we hold to this model so zealously. It’s like we don’t give our kids enough credit to be able to recognize that we make them work hard physically when they are young so that they can earn the right to sit around and get fat when they are older like us.
One thing that is different in the martial arts is that it makes a place for adults if they choose to participate. Sure, in larger towns there are some adult basketball and soccer leagues, but these are only for ex-high school and college jocks who come to the league with loads of experience. I can’t imagine a beginner of just average athletic ability joining one of these leagues and finding a spot on the team let alone a warm reception. This can, and does, happen in the martial arts. I know from my own personal experience.
I began taekwando at 40 years of age and was definitely of non-jock stock. But I found the warmest welcome in that little dojang. The instructor and fellow students made me feel like I was honoring them by being there. They always welcomed me when I arrived and shook my hand with a bow before I left. Of course they did this to everyone else too, but that didn’t take the special feeling away from me. Make no mistake, even if he did make me feel honored the instructor didn’t take it easy on me. I was pushed to the point of collapse with the rest. Many times I got knocked off my feet during sparring while collecting numerous deep bruises. I was constantly corrected while learning my forms and I did my “corrective” push ups, mountain climbers, and tap jumps with everyone else. But still, I felt special.
What makes my martial arts training so much more engaging is the fact that I am in the same class with people less than half my age. I know that not all dojangs would mix the adults with teenagers—I don’t know that I would even recommend it—but due to our small population density there in Central Utah (far more horses than people) we can’t realistically field separate teenage and adult classes. There just aren’t enough bodies. Mixing adults with teenagers has its drawbacks, sure. It’s hard for many average adults to keep up with the teenagers. In reality this has no effect on the quality of training for the adult, but it can be a little intimidating and depressing. Watching the younger, skinnier students throwing jump spin hooks or axe kicks that break the sound barrier when mine don’t reach freeway speed can make me wish for my younger days. But when I remember that I’m not expected to be as good as them, but just as good as I can be I’m okay with this.
What I get out of working out with the younger students is an invigoration that just makes my day. Their youth and energy feeds my (older) youth and energy. When I see them do things I can’t do it inspires me to try harder and in trying I do things I couldn’t do before. But even more importantly I find it’s what I have to offer the teenagers that inspires even more. We are a small dojang and we know each other well. There are a lot of family connections. I find myself caring about the progress of each teen in and out of the dojang. I’ve felt them respond to my encouragement during tough workouts and I’ve enjoyed fun discussions with them after the workouts. Not always, but often, I feel their respect for my experience as an adult. It is the mat and the fact that we are on it at the same time brings their and my world together even if just for an hour.
Of course there are a few other adults in my dojang and working out with them brings me great pleasure, too. They understand my aches and pains. They understand my frustration with my lack of stretch. Most importantly they understand how difficult it is to take up the martial arts as an adult and to humble yourself to be told what to do by your instructor and do it with kids who are almost always better and faster. They also understand the joy of working out with your own children and having that bonding experience. For whatever else martial arts may have to offer that other activities don’t, this opportunity to mix the old with the young is one that I have come to truly appreciate.
No comments:
Post a Comment