Réflexions martiales d’un Hypnofighter #18 Réflexions sur la mortalité des maîtres d’arts martiaux / Reflections on the Mortality of Martial Arts Masters
Réflexions martiales d’un Hypnofighter #18 Réflexions sur la mortalité des maîtres d’arts martiaux
#mort #styledur #stylesouple #racalutabjj #asile #jiujitsu #bjj #blackbelt #lutalivre #nopainhappiness #whitebeltitude #mma #karate
English Version
Martial Musings of a Hypnofighter #18: Reflections on the Mortality of Martial Arts Masters
Martial arts are often associated with a particular way of life. In the collective imagination, practitioners are often depicted as having exceptional physical abilities and indestructible mental strength. We expect an old master to still be in good physical shape and possess infinite wisdom.
However, the reality is that many former martial arts practitioners, in their 60s and beyond, often find themselves in a rather lamentable state. They suffer from body-wide pains, sometimes unable to perform certain movements, and as for wisdom, that’s often set aside, especially after the first drink.
For years, I’ve been interested in how people die. I seek to understand if lifestyle and mentality can influence these aspects. Of course, one might assume that an athlete won’t die in the same way as an alcoholic.
What interests me most are martial arts practitioners, whether they practice hard or soft styles. I’m interested in the pathologies they develop and the age at which they pass away. For example, it’s coherent that a Mas Oyama might die of lung cancer if he smoked, even if he trained a lot. Similarly, Taikiken practitioners tend to have strokes, despite it being an internal but… hard style. Recently, we learned that Rickson Gracie had Parkinson’s disease. The same goes for Ali, who suffered numerous trauma from the blows he received, which doesn’t seem contradictory.
However, Rickson Gracie (63 years old), despite facing pressure since childhood and fighting extensively in professional MMA, didn’t take too many hits to the face. He practiced a lot of yoga, pranayama, followed a relatively healthy diet with the Gracie Diet. There were also questions about doping, but is it related? There are no studies on the association between doping and Parkinson’s disease.
If athletes representing a relatively healthy lifestyle can develop degenerative diseases of this kind, it questions the real impact of martial arts on well-being. Even more internal styles don’t seem to offer better protection. Yet, we’re presented with many examples of former practitioners who live to an advanced age. The question then arises: under what conditions? Does the bellicose aspect of practitioners and their excesses end up depleting their bodies? What has changed between early 20th-century practice and now?
However, one element seems to have changed: elders from the 19th and early 20th centuries passed away on average around the age of 79 (in the following list). Here are some examples of masters and their ages at death:
- Gichin Funakoshi, founder of Shotokan style: 88 years old
- Kenwa Mabuni, founder of Shito Ryu style: 62 years old
- Kyuzo Mifune, Judo expert: 81 years old
- Jigoro Kano, founder of Judo: 77 years old
- Hironori Otsuka, founder of Wado Ryu style: 89 years old
- Morihei Ueshiba, founder of Aikido: 85 years old
- Choki Motobu, Karate expert: 74 years old
- Yasutsune Itosu, pioneer of modern Karate: around 85 years old
- Kanō Jigorō, founder of Judo: 77 years old
- Masutatsu Oyama, founder of Kyokushin Karate style: 70 years old
- Gogen Yamaguchi, founder of Goju-Kai Karate style: 80 years old
- Choshin Chibana, founder of Kobayashi Shorin Ryu style: 83 years old
- Toyotaro Miyazaki, founder of Goju-Ryu Kenbukan Karate style: 91 years old
- Kanken Toyama, founder of Shudokan Karate style: 78 years old
- Shoshin Nagamine, founder of Matsubayashi Ryu Karate style: 90 years old
- Seikichi Toguchi, founder of Shorei Ryu Karate style: 80 years old
- Meitatsu Yagi, founder of Meibukan Goju Ryu Karate style: 91 years old
- Yoshio Sugino, founder of Katori Shinto Ryu style: 93 years old
It’s possible that the forms, intensity, and perhaps even excessive performance in combat sports had an impact on the later lives of our predecessors. It’s also possible that our modern lifestyle has played a role due to stress, for instance. However, the practitioners I mentioned lived through one or even two wars, so in terms of stress, they were also served.
Practicing combat sports with the goal of improving our well-being is a positive thing, but we must ensure that when our students become seniors, they can live comfortably with a functional body.
Pank
#death #hardstyle #softstyle #racalutabjj #asylum #jiujitsu #bjj #blackbelt #lutalivre #nopainhappiness #whitebeltitude #mma #karate
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