I would be interested in reading the book though I am not sure I am that keen that I am prepared to pay for the experience.
Like DD says, I would like to see more data before I blame Sanchin. This hypothesis has been round for many years but Sanchin is practised in so many different ways, even within the same basic style. For example the breathing and testing in Okinawan Goju Ryu is totally different to the breathing and testing in Japanese Goju Kai. Uechi Ryu is more like the Japanese Goju.
Does inflammation play a role? Quite likely as inflammation can be painful and debilitating. But, you are not going to have a great deal of inflammation from performing Sanchin.
So, despite the risks, I will continue performing Sanchin and hopefully continue to live a happy and healthy life for many years to come.
I'm sure I speak for a couple of others around here when I say I might have to get you to talk to some of my students about taking age into account. They don't seem to recognise the age difference and to be fair, I don't either. I was nearly 60 when I first started aikido and the rolling is getting harder. But in karate ... I haven't hit the wall yet.The practice of Karate itself isn't necessarily detrimental to the body. The effect of the shorter lifespans could have quite a few other causes, especially since today's medical care vastly supercedes that what was available just a few decades ago. Also, people are more aware of better nutrition these days.
I don't disagree, though, that the methods used in some schools *could* have a detrimental effect. As Makalakumu stated, it's no different any other physical activity. After all, an older fellow who tries to play 2 hours of tennis running around the court, trying to out-rally his opponent, everyday is probably going to be feeling the effects in his elbow (tennis elbow), or maybe will feel some joint inflammation in his knees, since hard courts aren't exactly that forgiving.
Does that mean he shouldn't play? Of course not. Instead of trying to play the game like a teenager, he would play further up, cutting off the ball before it has a chance to take a wide reaching bounce, or perhaps switch to a "chip and charge" approach to the game, favoring net play, instead of baseline play. For that matter, quite a few older folks can "hang in there" with the younger folks by playing smarter, not harder.
After all, it may not exactly be a wise thing for a 60 year old to be training in Karate like a 20 year old would. At the age of 60, your joints can't absorb the same kind of punishment that a younger fellow's could, nor are the muscles of the body quite as strong as they used to be. Hence, the vigorous blow to the abdomen that a younger fellow could easily shrug off, could very well be much more dangerous for the 60 year old to absorb, since there's less muscle available to absorb the shot.
As we get older, our training methods will have to adapt, just like the above mentioned tennis player. An older practitioner shouldn't be pounding his hands into a makiwara for an hour a day, nor should he be constantly taking many falls on hardwood surfaces. Does this mean that he shouldn't use the old methods? Not necessarily. Instead, he would simply do things in moderation, and be more aware of his bodily situation.
The alternative, of course, is the cessation of training, but are you willing to give up the health *benefits* that come from Karate training? I think not...
I'm sure I speak for a couple of others around here when I say I might have to get you to talk to some of my students about taking age into account. They don't seem to recognise the age difference and to be fair, I don't either. I was nearly 60 when I first started aikido and the rolling is getting harder. But in karate ... I haven't hit the wall yet.
To be more serious, in Goju, the way the Okinawans practise Sanchin, the breathing is not as forced and so any internal pressure would be less. Also I'm sure we don't preform the kata as often as they did. The testing is to determine correct posture and focus, not to have pieces of wood broken across your back. I remember in Japanese Goju always being kicked in the stomach.
The concern has obviously arisen from the fact that Okinawans have for many years had some of the longest living people on Earth. You would then expect someone with a lifetime of healthy living and physical conditioning to be among the longest living group. That this is not the case bares investigation. But, although this study could be right about the earlier practitioners in Okinawa in particular, I am not sure that it would translate to modern times in Western countries. I think I will continue with my martial arts for as long as physically possible, hopefully another 20 years at least!
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