Best Adult Karate Classes in Brisbane: Are You Too Old To Start Karate?

Searching for the right adult karate classes in Brisbane, then you have probably encountered many myths regarding age and martial arts. Many people still believe that martial arts, especially hard styles like Karate and Taekwondo are only for young people. But are they really?

The short answer is no! None of us are too old to start taking martial arts classes, including hard styles like Karate and Taekwondo. The more in-depth answer is that there are many scientific studies proving this. The benefits to both physical and mental health of hard martial arts on older practitioners are quite impressive. 

At Focus Martial Arts Brisbane, our understanding of the health benefits of adult martial arts classes forms the core of our approach. So that all of our students can reap both the physical and mental health benefits of martial arts training. And whether you take up Karate, Taekwondo, fitness Kickboxing, or any of our family or adult self-defence classes, you will enjoy a motivational and fun environment. The environment here is designed for all age groups and experience levels.

The Physical Benefits of Starting Martial Arts Training Later in Life

According to an article published in the November 2017 edition of Journal of Sports Sciences which compiled multiple studies on older practitioners of hard martial arts, participating in martial arts classes has a range of health benefits for adults that are not limited to simple exercise and getting the heart pumping. Those benefits include: 

Improvements in Balance

Adults and older adults in particular will benefit from martial arts like Karate and Taekwondo with heightened levels of balance. This goes beyond simply being able to stay on your feet. Because having good balance involves having good coordination of muscle groups throughout the entire body. This can drastically improve posture and general strength which avoids those painful back injuries later in life. Training balance is also an effective form of injury prevention, helping to avoid falls, ankle sprains, and injuries. Better muscle coordination helps to avoid awkward positions whatever you are doing.

Improvements in Cardiovascular and Metabolic Systems

Martial arts are naturally good for your cardiovascular system and improving fitness in general. But did you know that there are farther reaching effects on the metabolism as well? The metabolic system is the body’s chemical process for creating energy, and by training in hard martial arts, we improve our metabolic system. This gives us more energy each and every day. This also has a great impact on digestion as well as the quality of sleep that we get each night. So you can look forward to waking up fresh and sleeping well by doing hard martial arts.

Improvements to Joint, Bone, and Skeletal Health

Adult martial art practitioners enjoy a number of bone health benefits such as improved flexibility and reduced hip impaction. Due to the nature of hard martial arts, higher bone densities have been seen in multiple studies. In addition, higher bone mineral densities show that practicing martial arts can actually be more effective for maintaining mineral content than taking things like calcium supplements. 

This means that practicing martial arts can avoid broken bones in the future. This also reduces the chances of osteoporosis thanks to a healthy skeleton.

Mental Health Benefits of Adult Martial Arts Training Later in Life

Mental health is just as important as physical health. Luckily adult practitioners of hard martial arts enjoy just as many benefits to their mental wellbeing as their physical health. 

Our instruction style at Focus Martial Arts Brisbane not only aims to support our adult students in achieving their fitness and martial arts goals. It also provides support and encouragement to succeed in everyday life through mentorship, coaching, and community. Some of the top mental health benefits that you can expect to get from our martial arts classes include:

Improvements in Cognitive Function

Adults who start martial arts training can expect to see improvements in their executive cognitive function. This relates to the mental processes of problem solving, memory, information retrieval, making plans, and general high-function thought processes. This is essential for making plans for achieving goals and being able to see exactly what to do to be successful. 

Better Reaction Times and Motor Skills

For older practitioners, maintaining fine motor skills is absolutely necessary for living an independent and emotionally healthy life. Martial arts can help with both muscle control for motor skills and grip strength. This directly impacts the quality of life in older adults. For all other adults, an improved reaction time at face value allows us to process information much faster such as when talking or driving. But on a deeper level, faster reaction times have been shown to have a relationship with lower levels of anxiety and depression.

Emotional Regulation and Improved Self-Esteem

Martial arts training provides regular rushes of endorphins thanks to the physical activity, along with a sense of satisfaction and self-empowerment every time we achieve our goals and work towards improving ourselves. Both of these aspects of martial arts training help our bodies to become better at emotional regulation for an improved mood while avoiding depression. The experience also builds up our character and sense of self-achievement the more that we invest into our training.

Being Part of a Community and Finding Challenges to Overcome

Martial arts are not just about learning moves and exercising. They are about connecting with one another in a way that is beneficial for all. This is where we can work towards and overcome our own challenges and grow into better versions of ourselves. Becoming part of a community and learning how to achieve the goals is a natural aspect of martial arts training, especially when you join our team at Focus Martial Arts in Brisbane.

Iconic Martial Artists Who Have Aged Gracefully and Still Practice

Jackie Chan

One of the most well-known martial artists today, Jackie Chan turns 67 years old in 2021. Even after a life of martial arts, stunts, and acting, he is still hard at work training with a black belt in Hapkido. And this is in addition to in-depth knowledge of 5 other martial arts.

John Williams

Although his name may not be familiar to many, John Williams is a Canadian MMA fighter born in 1940. What sets him above the rest is that he made his MMA fight debut in 2010 at the age of 70! His opponent was 49 years old at the time, and Williams won the fight in just the second round. Williams made the statement that his age does not make him weaker. Thanks to his training, he passed every pre-fight physical test showing the positive effect that martial arts training had on his health.

Ed O’Neill

Born in 1946, the actor is known for his role on the TV shows Married… With Children and Modern Family. He earned his black belt in Brazilian Jiu jitsu in 2007 at the age of 61 after starting his martial arts journey at the age of 42. This has encouraged him to maintain his trainings at least once a week. He also added some basic exercise in his every day life. The main message that O’Neill gives in interviews is that for beginners, it can take a bit of courage to get things started. But curiosity and a willingness to learn is what will take you far. 

You are never too old to start martial arts training, whether you are in your 40s or your 70s. And it doesn’t matter if you are just searching for adult self-defence classes in Brisbane or if you have a genuine interest in learning Karate. Our team at Focus Martial Arts is equipped to give you what you are looking for at any experience level or age group. 

We would love to hear from you regarding our Adult Karate Classes in Brisbane, so contact us now and get ready to become part of our team so we can grow and improve ourselves together.