Hi guys, I'm new here so please bare with me. I am 54yrs young, and a 7th kyu (green belt) in Shotokan Karate. I train with my karate club 3 times a week @ 2hrs each class, I also train at home between 30 -45 mins every day and know that this is definitely doing me a great deal of good. In fact I am now training harder than my 21yr old son. There are a few other members at are club in their 50's who train just as hard as me, the difference between myself and them is that I was diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease on the 14th November 2010. At that time I was told I could not keep up my Karate training by my consultant and that my future was going to decline very fast. I did stop training for about a year and true to his words I went downhill really fast, I then met my Sensei a year later who encouraged me to return to the club,and said they would come up with a training plan which would suit my Parkinsons. This was the best thing I have ever done, I am now able to keep up with even the more senior ranks in the club and I am due to grade again in March. So what I'm trying to say is age is only a number , you are as young as you feel just listen to your body , if it needs a rest take one, if you feel tired but feel you can push through that bit harder go for it, If I can push hard with the young guys then so can you all. I would be interested to know if there are any other people with Parkinsons disease practicing a martial art and how it benefits them. Many thanks , Shakey
