Archie Champion, Central Coast Aikikai
Trying to train at 72 as if I were 35 or even 55, is not only unwise, it is a quiet rejection of the very teaching I claim to follow. In Zen, we speak of impermanence, in Aikido, we speak of timing. Both point to the same truth; all things change, and to resist that change is to create unnecessary suffering. But impermanence is not an excuse to stop, it is an invitation to evolve. The truth is that things change for a reason. Historically speaking, all martial arts have been forced to reinvent themselves in every generation in order to survive. Every true Sensei instructs his or her students not to be a clone, but to rise to ever greater heights. And occasionally this actually happens.
Barbara McClintock, a Nobel Prize winner in genetics, showed how genes are not fixed in the DNA. Her work suggests a scientific basis for the age-old practice of consciously altering and re-educating the body, mind, and spirit. Longevity and health go hand in hand. This has been talked about much more in recent years, especially because it’s proven that balance is essential for reaching old age in good health. Now, a study from Harvard Medical School has revealed that martial arts are best for older people because of the re-education of the body, mind, and spirit.
Aikido teaches how to move with energy rather than resist it. Instead of brute force, it emphasizes fluid motion and awareness of balance. This approach keeps the body flexible and the mind centered, ideal qualities for anyone hoping to age gracefully and avoid injury. Studies show this can improve memory and reaction time, both of which tend to decline with age. This philosophy encourages mobility and limits strain.
Most people assume that aging means gradual loss, less strength, less speed, less range, less ambition. Aikido quietly disagrees. It does not promise to keep the body young. It promises something more durable: integrity without excess. Aging reveals, it does not automatically weaken. In the beginning youth is an advantage. Speed forgives errors. Strength covers imbalance. Endurance masks inefficiency. But aging removes these buffers. What remains is structure, timing, and honesty. Aikido is not a practice that compensates for aging. It is a practice that ages well because it removes what aging cannot support. In reality, it is economical. As the body ages excess muscular tension hurts, overcorrection leads to injury, poor alignment fatigues quickly, emotional forcing destabilizes balance. What it demands instead is accuracy. And accuracy improves with age, if ego steps aside. The body learns what the mind cannot command. This is not decline, this is distillation. Working with Aikido should be about connection and care, its main therapeutic benefits.
At 72 I no longer practice to prove what I can do, but to express what I have become. Breath becomes my ally, economy of movement my strategy, and patience my greatest strength. When practicing with weapons, we do not touch each other, but go to the limit of breaking the perimeter of security, which becomes smaller as one advances in skill. Thus you can fully invest yourself in the space (ma ai) that separates, without contacting the body in defense, giving a greater opportunity to cultivate kokyu and still practice Aikido as you age.
I no longer measure the benefits of Aikido only in fighting ability.They are measured in longevity, discipline, clarity, routine, resilience, and the ability to keep going through life without losing myself to bitterness, ego, or stagnation. But long term training affects more than muscles and cardiovascular fitness. It affects focus, emotional control, patience, resilience, and how to handle adversity.
Self observation is one of the most powerful practices for exploring the deeper layers of who we are. We are not simply isolated individuals; we are complex beings shaped by those who came before us, carrying ancestral memories, inherited patterns, and many forces of nature that express themselves through our personalities, gifts, and challenges.
Through the practice of self reflection, we begin to recognize what inspires us, what motivates us, what wounds us, what repeatedly triggers us. Without this level of awareness, we move through life unconsciously, reacting rather than understanding. The ability to observe ourselves is the gateway not only to greater self knowledge but also a deeper understanding of the wider cosmos, for there is no true separation between ourselves and the universe around us.
