Saturday class in Portland with Sensei Jerry Fitzpatrick

I went up to the karate class at the VA Hospital today, and it was a good class covering some of the basic Shotokan karate blocks and the body dynamics involved in using them. There were also a lot of people there and quite a few black belts, so I will probably be going back, and I also got some feedback on my kata, so that should also come in handy. Sensei Fitzpatrick is a great example of why karate is good for you. He has to be around seventy years old now, but he is extremely strong and seems much younger than he is. Intensive karate training is the only thing I can think of that will allow you to be in such amazing shape even in the seventies. The old karate masters were known for living extremely long lives. That is assuredly due to the health benefits, but there are also the mental benefits of karate, which include peace of mind and a philosophy of right action. Not that every karate practitioner is a perfect example of the ideal.
I would have liked to do some sparring, but maybe next time. Our class is small, and we don't have too many people that can challenge me, and the ones that can I already know well, so it would be very interesting to spar with different black belts from the same style.