Beginner Early days
Honestly not to sure why I'm writing this, if I want advice or reassurance or just to vent my thoughts but here we go . . .
So I'm 41, over 300lbs
And at the start of my karate journey, I've got recent experience in lifting and because of this I have a genuinely decent strength base and engine.
But my mobility sucks, I struggle with getting down on my knees to bow, I find the basics and line work ok. I'm no stranger to squats, olympic lifts etc etc. so I'm finding learning the basic kicks ok
But I'm not light on my feet, I don't bounce etc etc
I look at the rest of the class and the higher grades and there is a part of me that just thinks physically it's impossible for me to get there. At the moment my Gi jacket doesn't even close.
I'm determined to stick it out, but it's slowly dawning on me what an uphill battle I've got.
If anyone out there overcome the same I'd love to hear about it
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u/jmrawlins83 4d ago
There's an older gentleman in my class who's a second kyu. We both started at about the same time. He has COPD, and within the last year, he had to start being on oxygen with any activity, even just walking. He got himself a little machine that he can strap around his waist, and he continues to train with us.
Not the same story as yours, but I think it's a testament that even though not all of us who train are the same, we can all accomplish great things even with our limitations.
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u/Few_Ladder13 4d ago
The bouncy thing is very common these days, especially in sports karate, but it's not the only way. Sounds as if you have strength in your legs,. which means you'll be able to stand your ground and push forward.
"more training" is the general advice to all karate problems. Do all your basic fighting drills over and over until you find your way. It might not be bouncy and flashy, but it will work.
Karate is a long term game. Don't worry about what others are doing. Your journey is your own.
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u/WatashiwaNobodyDesu 4d ago
“ more training" is the general advice to all karate problems
=> I love this. Rule #1: always be training.
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u/jjpeters88 4d ago
I am okay with all your statements, but I want you to add one thing to each. It’s to change your mentality around it. You’re there working to better yourself. I’ll give you some examples;
My mobility sucks for now
I am not light on my feet yet
I don’t bounce yet
Look to the upper belts to see where you’re going. Dedicate the time and energy, your mental state to improving.
YOU GOT THIS. Need encouragement, read it again and again.
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u/Majestic_Hour_8836 4d ago
It’s a starting point I believe , I started at 37 weighing around 350 pounds, definitely wasn’t easy but I started to enjoy it, over time I found from struggling to do 1 class a week , the more I trained, the more energy I had and the more weight I lost , now 51 I’m sitting around 200 pounds, my mobility still sucks compared to the younger people who’ve been doing it all their life , but compared to where I was when I first started I’m almost unrecognisable
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u/WatashiwaNobodyDesu 4d ago
You mentioned an uphill battle. If you don’t mind a few platitudes, karate is all the way up the hill, not just at the top.
I started when I was a kid. 3 dojos closed, I had to leave another 2 when the schedule didn’t fit. Left 1 school due to injury. I’ve had to switched styles 4 times just to have somewhere to train. I don’t think I’ll get a black belt but that’s ok.
My last 2-bit piece of wisdom: Most of the time in martial arts you’ll be fighting against circumstances, against your limitations, fighting despair, rather than an opponent. Best of luck, and enjoy the journey!
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u/Linxous1 4d ago
There's a new white belt in my dojo that's 6'7" or so and when he started with us was just over 300lbs. He's only been doing it a couple of months and he said it's been really helpful for him. Obviously I'm not him so I can't speak to the same experience but I'm sure you've got this! You're putting in the work so you'll get results. I don't know your goals but make sure you don't try to be exactly like the other students in physique or ability if you have a different body type to them. You'll find your groove and figure out where your strengths lie
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u/HedgerowSurfer 4d ago edited 4d ago
I'm 50, and while I'm not quite as big as you was not far off, my mobility and flexibility was awful when I started. I couldn't bow properly, got out of breath easily, and I felt silly wearing a Gi that left me feeling sweaty and exposed.
I don't usually comment, but I've been training for a year and a half now. It's 6.30am and I sit writing this in a hotel room getting ready for my third tournament. I'm more flexible than I was as a teenager, my back pain has gone, and keeping up with Karate is the best thing I have ever done for myself! OP, please keep going. You will never regret it!
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u/rnlf 4d ago
Not quite the same - 240lbs at age 40. It's hard in the beginning, but 9 months in and my mobility has increased, weight went down and I'm not gasping for air the entire training session anymore.
Stick with it, do as much as your body allows and you'll see improvements.
In a decent dojo, if you can't get down for seiza, you should be able to talk to your instructor and they'll understand. If they don't and force you, find a different dojo.
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u/KARAT0 Karate 4d ago
You can do it. Don’t try to move like people with very different bodies. Move in a way that works for you. You don’t need to bounce or be light on your feet to be good at karate. Timing and distance can be used to great effect with very little movement. Hopefully sensei can help and modify some aspects of class to suit you better. Good luck.
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u/big-yugi 4d ago
I look like I should be light and bouncy, but I'm very, what I will call, grounded. I've never been particularly agile, but I was a swimmer I just powered ahead. I was also a fencer so I tend to mostly go in straight lines. But I figured out (and am still figuring out) how to work with these traits of mine. There's always a way to make it work, it might just be harder.
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u/Boyscout0071 Isshinryu 4d ago
Bro you got this. I'm older than you and heavier than you, when I was 20 I was like greased lightning, now I'm older and considerably heavier my game has changed, be kind to yourself and warm up slowly and thoroughly, I use a static bike with the elliptical arms for minimum 20 mins before class and I do hip rotation, trunk rotation and some very light stretches before hand (stretch properly after class when you are very warm and also yoga on your off days is a fantastic recovery ( I do DDPY, that was what built resilience for my return to Karate). As previous posters have mentioned you don't need to bounce, distance and timing your work is far more important, and your Karate is YOUR Karate, you move different than me, even in Kata you will see people move slightly to a different beat or cadence as suits them. Also reps help, basic Kihon is the foundation of everything, rep, rep, rep.
You got this.
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u/Bowd8t5 4d ago
Thanks, this is all reassuring. Luckily because of my lifting background my body is quite use to impact etc, Yoga is a great idea. Might need to look into that
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u/Boyscout0071 Isshinryu 3d ago
It's a very safe low impact way to open a stiff body up, it can be a "recovery" day activity. For weight work nowadays I use kettlebells (easier than gyming it where I'm living) best of luck and feel free to ask more questions, we always need more people in Karate
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u/CypherBob 4d ago
No one is a fit athletic karate badass on day one.
Everyone starts at the beginning.
Just keep training and you'll get better at karate, get more fit, and enjoy the journey.
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u/InnerCosmos54 4d ago
Yoga is the great equalizer here. It is the best way to improve your flexibility. Just watch a couple of videos on YouTube by searching ‘yoga for beginners’ and start there. Going to a yoga studio helped me to commit to a daily practice, but you can start in the privacy of your own living room, for free. Just take it easy in the beginning and remember to breathe when you’re holding the poses, called ‘asanas.’ You can also do mobility-focused calisthenics, but those are a bit more advanced. Good luck.
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u/Fine-Mail4400 Shotokan 4d ago
Hey! Fellow plus size person over 300lbs. I hear you and im just as worried but seems like you are on the right path! Be kind to yourself ❤️
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u/dangerd3an Gojukai 4d ago
Stick it out. Uphill battles aren't uphill the whole way. I'm almost 20 years older than you, not as big, but still proportionately pretty damned round, and I've been doing karate for nine years, almost seven of those at my current dojo.
Yeah, it's difficult, and I can't throw myself around like the younger, smaller, more athletic types, but I'm hella stronger than I was. I have to work hard to do some things, and my knees are swearing at me the whole time, but I do them, and get better at them.
Don't look at the higher belts as a level you can't get to, but look at something they do and think if you worked on that one movement you could do it that well. I'm not going to be throwing out Jodan Mawashi Geri any time ever, but we have a bunch of outstanding karateka in their 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s, so I have role models on how to be an age-appropriate badass.
So just do it and don't worry about it.
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u/foxydevil14 4d ago
Do what you can. When I was a teenager, my mobility was awesome. Not so much pushing 50. I still train and sweat, but my workouts are definitely different now.
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u/jegillikin Uechi-ryu Sandan 3d ago
We sometimes forget the “art” in martial arts.
I am 50 years old and around 270. Third dan in Uechi-Ryu.
No two practitioners will or should practice in the same way. I’ve recently enjoyed the privilege of helping a young man in his late teens test for shodan. He is tall and built like a bean pole.
I will tell you what I told him: Karate is just as much about capitalizing on your strengths and minimizing your weaknesses as it is in following a technical plan for a kata or a kumite. I am strong. But my cardio isn’t what it used to be. As such, my art is going to focus on rootedness and strong defensive techniques. My shodan student, by contrast, is never going to beat me if we square up face-to-face. He is at the point in his life where being fast and playing distance games work better for him, because they lean in to his agility and cardio while making it harder for me at the margin to protect myself.
If you are strong in the legs, don’t worry about bouncing. Bouncing is not a part of anyone’s repertoire. Instead, use where you’re at today to make you a better practitioner for where you want to be tomorrow — knowing that what works for a different practitioner isn’t what’s going to work for you.
And I wish you the best of luck. I came back to karate after a 17-year absence, and the first seven months were unpleasant, physically, starting at the ankles and ending at the neck. But once I got through more conditioning, it was like I was a 20-something again.
You got this!
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u/Wdpky 3d ago
One of my favorite sayings is Don’t compare yourself to others, compare yourself to who you were yesterday (I think that was Funikowski). Don’t give up I had a 28 year break in my training, returned very out of shape, overweight and could barely keep up with the beginners. I started from scratch in a new style and am now back to Shodan, still not in the shape I was at 18, but improving everyday
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u/Djinn7711 3d ago
I just turned 46. I started my karate journey at 41 and at the time, weighed well over 300lbs. I wasn’t a lifter and exercise was not my strong suit. I had significant flexibility issues as well as huge issues with stamina and cardio fitness.
Currently I weigh around 275lbs and I am scheduled to go for my Shodan Ho at the end of November. Flexibility is still not amazing but after stretching I can get my kicks to head height and I can comfortably do most stances.
Karate is not about the destination. It is about your journey. Push yourself but do so within your capabilities. I get to the to the dojo to stretch for 15 mins before warm ups start because I know that is what is best for my hip flexibility. Focus hard on technique over speed or power. Knowing the bio mechanics of most techniques will be your best way to avoid injury etc.
I won’t tell you it’s easy, but what worthy task is ever genuinely easy?
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u/EveningSky3731 3d ago
Are you changing your eating habits at all?
Weight loss in 90% eating habits, 10% exercise.
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u/kh19067 Shotokan 4d ago
Karate is yours as much as anyone else's. Regardless of age, weight, flexibility or rank. Do what you can do today. Keep training. The training is yours and yours alone.