My usual blog posts are written with a degree of confidence as I at least know a little about the topics I cover. This is more a request for information, particularly if there are any medics or bio-scientists that happen to read this.
I am now 66 years old and have been practising kendo for nearly 50 years. I still work, through choice and practice kendo at least two or three times a week. I travel regularly between the UK and Spain and numerous other destinations for kendo and work and, fingers crossed, still seem to have some energy to spare. My chiropractor told me recently that I “have the bones of a 30 year old man”, which sounded as if they were something I keep in the cupboard.
In the past I augmented kendo with visits to the gym and regular runs in the belief that keeping my overall fitness level up would be of value to my kendo. I have long since given these up. I don’t make any lifestyle concessions and despite my wife’s advice continue to eat and drink the wrong things and surprisingly still seem to feel OK.
So I suppose my question is – does kendo make a long-term difference to fitness levels and if so why? As far as I can see jigeiko is anaerobic. We engage for short bursts of full-on activity, and then retire to a safe distance. Suburi , kirikaeshi and kakarigeiko are closer to aerobic training but generally we don’t encourage seniors to do too much of these.
I have been witness to the numerous kenshi in Japan who train into their 70s and 80s, in some cases 90s. Many of these sensei train twice a day, 6 or 7 days a week. In comparison to many other sports where it is unusual to see someone continue past the age of 40, kendo is highly unusual.
Obviously kendo does not make you immortal. Many of us have lost kendo friends who have passed away or who have had to stop because of ill health. I have no statistical evidence and I am sure that there are differences in the stats for professionals and amateurs and those based in Japan and Korea versus the rest of the world, but kendoka seem to keep going for longer.
I understand that as we age in kendo we replace physical strength with kigamai and kizeme. What I don’t know is whether kendo actually helps improve our health as we age and in which way it benefits us. Any illumination on the subject would be much appreciated.
Great article. I believe the following is relevant:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/this-is-your-brain-on-fencing-how-certain-sports-may-aid-the-aging-brain/2015/04/06/92b70970-c98c-11e4-b2a1-bed1aaea2816_story.html
Dear Geoff Sensei as far as I recall there is no scientific literature out there to compare fitness, ageing and kendo whereas there is for tai chi and yoga for instance. There are times of intense anaerobic activity such as in shiai, jigeiko and especially kakarigeiko but you could compare a typical training session to a middle distance run, not too intense but constantly moving and burning energy. The key aspect of kendo imparting longevity probably lies in the fact that we actually get out there and train on a regular basis instead of being sedentary. There is also much to be said about the mental and spiritual aspects also imparting a healthy measure of well being as well.
Most kendo injuries are musculoskeletal and involve lower limb injuries although there are case reports of more serious injuries but these are rare. If we train within our physical capabilities we will benefit from healthy bodies and healthy minds.
I have been practicing kendo for only one and a half year, but I can say i feel a big difference when it comes to my cardio. I train three times a week at the gym, but I don’t do any running whatsoever. Recently I participated into some races where I ran 10k without any problems, something that was quite a challenge for me in the past.
I still enjoy practicing kendo, generally two evenings a week, at age 77. I’m certainly not as vigorous as I was at 57, when I started, but I’ve come back from two complete shoulder replacements and am compensating for two badly arthritic knees. However, I also have been working out with a Masters Swimming group 2-3 mornings a week for about 45 years and I have been teaching an adult ed field natural history course two mornings a week since I retired 10 years ago. Therefore I can’t really give kendo all the credit for whatever physical fitness I have, nor can I blame it for my knees. But I can give kendo credit for letting me think I can continue to improve my form if I work at it.
I have wondered about this topic myself. I think one interesting aspect of kendo is that the overall session (for me, 2+ hours with a 10 minute break in the middle, done 4-5 days a week) has both the benefits of distance running (aerobic exercise) intermixed with periods of high intensity (anaerobic exercise). Essentially, if I were running like I did in school, I would mix distance running and sprinting in a similar amount during my weekly regimen, only I would do it on different days. Now, I’m doing the same thing, at almost the perfect ratio, but I’m doing it almost every day just at a slightly overall lower intensity. I hadn’t run 10k (or probably even 5k) in over a decade when I started kumdo. After I’d been practicing for about a year, I decided to just go out for a jog one day. I could have probably run 10k that first time out (I didn’t for fear of injury – but it wasn’t long before I did). Now the above certainly isn’t scientific, but I have spoken to other runners, and explained what an average session is like (I even wore a heart rate monitor once, out of curiosity), and the consensus was it’s a really good balance between aerobic and anaerobic exercise. Then there are the other benefits as well, coordination, timing, breathing, etc… as well as the mental, social and competitive elements. Don’t forget the kata, and the fortitude required for gradings either, I believe handling that stress and striving for perfection has its benefits too.
A sabumnim once told me you could learn everything you needed to know about life practicing kumdo in the dojang. My reply was to ask him – out of class (he was my junior in age, but my senior in rank by a long ways) – why he didn’t have a girlfriend/wife. He replied, well, almost everything… I dunno. Maybe he has a point. Maybe kumdo really is the “secret formula” for longevity. 😉
I don’t see how Kendo is different than other anaerobic but intense sports (e.g., tennis). It probably does damage to certain joints resulting in overuse injuries, and probably is otherwise extremely useful in keeping up the 30-60 minutes three-to-four times a week exercise recommended by most health professionals. My concern has always been the concussion/CTE issues. I wish there were some studies (in English) out of Japan about concussion risks long term from Kendo. Thanks for your blog, Salmon sensei.
From: kendoinfo.net To: jason_jarvis@yahoo.com Sent: Monday, June 20, 2016 12:42 AM Subject: [New post] Does kendo keep you fitter longer? #yiv5568006221 a:hover {color:red;}#yiv5568006221 a {text-decoration:none;color:#0088cc;}#yiv5568006221 a.yiv5568006221primaryactionlink:link, #yiv5568006221 a.yiv5568006221primaryactionlink:visited {background-color:#2585B2;color:#fff;}#yiv5568006221 a.yiv5568006221primaryactionlink:hover, #yiv5568006221 a.yiv5568006221primaryactionlink:active {background-color:#11729E;color:#fff;}#yiv5568006221 WordPress.com | Geoff posted: “My usual blog posts are written with a degree of confidence as I at least know a little about the topics I cover. This is more a request for information, particularly if there are any medics or bio-scientists that happen to read this.I am now 66 years” | |
I see a correlation between longevity and physical health when paired against a lifestyle that consists of focused, intense activity and a disciplined way of life
Specifically, if you look at the example of the ancient Greeks and Macedonians. Infantry units composed of men in their 60’s and 70’s were still effective and, because of their lifetime of experience, were often used as strike forces to turn the tide of battle. For instance, the men that Alexander the Great inherited from his father followed him throughout his life and were still in the field during the succession wars that happened after his death. Many of Alexander’s officers were active into their 80’s (though as leaders and not frontline soldiers). There are examples from the Roman period as well.
So from that, we can safely say that working hard at kendo, being disciplined in your daily life, and never quitting will serve you well.
I will recommend that you take up weight-lifting, though. That will help you with strength and mobility. No one wants to be the frail old sensei who is alive but can’t practice. Also, eat lots of proteins and avoid sugar.
Hi Sensei,
“Metal health” keeps the mind fresh.
You can’t really classify regular ji-geiko as anaerobic. While it can have anaerobic elements, most of it takes place below the anaerobic threshold. As a basic guide, any sustainable activity will be mostly aerobic.
Typical kendo-anaerobic activities would be kirikaeshi, uchikomi & kakari-geiko.