Learning Karate After 40
And how one thing leads to another.
I’m 40 years old and taking karate lessons for the first time. Don’t ask me what belt I am because I don’t have one yet. I only completed my second lesson on Thursday. I think I’m getting my white belt next week, but I don’t want to get ahead of things.
Last December, I made a bucket list for 2024. I know bucket lists are supposed to be about dying, but why wait until the end is nigh? I even drew little pictures to represent each item in the bucket, intending to color them in once completed. In January, we went sledding. I colored in a picture of a sled.
Next to a sketch of his face, I wrote “take a class with 8.” (I still can’t believe he’s 8 years old.) It’s something I thought of for a while. 8 often feels reluctant to try new things, and I thought doing something together might encourage him.
Then, kismet. The place I attend many local writing events happens to also have a karate dojo. 8 expressed an interest in martial arts. “How about taking a karate class with me?” I asked him. He grinned, his grown-up teeth sticking this way and that (he’s going to need so much orthodontics).
I had to find out if the dojo even had mixed age classes, but luckily, I knew one of the instructors. The answer was yes, of course. Last week we went. He loved it. Possibly more importantly, I loved it. Even if he gets sick of the lessons, I’m going to keep going. There’s a sense of power with the practice, and it’s a good reminder that my body exists as more than just a vehicle for my mind.
Before you ask: yes, I can break a board! Here’s the two boards I broke on Thursday
Breaking boards feels incredibly cathartic. I asked my husband if he’d be willing to hold boards while I break them for some stress relief, and he agreed. I wonder what I could make from the broken board pieces. Bird houses? Signs? Perhaps I’ll get into word burning.
I love the flow of karate and how my decision last year to get serious about writing lead to taking a karate class with my kid, which may lead to a new hobby. Who knows where it will lead next?