How to get your kicks legally

GET YOUR KIT ON:The health benefits of engaging in martial arts make them a good choice for everybody

JUST AS you should never crack jokes about people with funny names because they will have heard them a thousand times before, a certain diplomacy is required when researching martial arts. Rule number one: keep the Kung FuTV series references to an absolute minimum.

Still, the portrayal of their sports in popular culture is very much a reality for administrators of karate, tae kwon-do and judo. Though the on-screen representation is not entirely accurate, it has its upside, as Paschal Nugent of Onaki, the Irish karate’s governing body admits.

"Only 10 minutes ago I had a woman looking for a club for her son in Dundalk and it's probably because he's just seen The Karate Kid," he says. "We get a big influx every time a film like that comes out but most drift away again when they realise they're not going to be doing flying kicks within a few weeks."

Adults, he says, are rather more patient in their approach and most see martial arts as a highly affordable way of getting fit in what is a pretty structured environment, though one 68-year-old in Cork is now a black belt, having taken the sport up about seven years ago.

The emphasis on fitness, confidence and respect that runs through most of these sports has an appeal both for parents, who see these as things they want their kids to value, and adults interested in the multiple benefits on offer.

Classes are cheap and widely available, the work-out is intensive and the results excellent for those who stick with it. A person’s flexibility, core strength and general fitness should all improve. The mental aspect is important too, with many participants finding it an excellent way of relieving stress.

The sports tend to have a somewhat macho image and participants are predominantly male, particularly at the competitive levels. Women make up between 25 and 40 per cent of those in classes, however.

Nugent says that Onaki is planning a major drive in the new year. It will offer free classes in participating clubs as a way of getting more women to give the sport a go.

In tae kwon-do, which is bigger in terms of numbers, the imbalance is not quite as great as in karate.

Donal Donoghue, a former European silver medallist who runs a number of clubs and is involved with the Irish TaeKwon-Do Association, says that women take to the classes very quickly once they have tried them out.

“Sometimes they can be a little self-conscious to start with,” he says, “although that’s sometimes true of some of the men too, and we do tend to run separate beginners’ classes but we find that pretty soon they are more than happy to join in with the main group.”

For kids, the classes help to instil a level of discipline that is rarely seen in more mainstream team sports. Still the hint of violence is undoubtedly part of the attraction for them. Hitting things, of course, can be quite a good stress reliever but adults intending to give it a try should at least pretend that that’s some way down their list of priorities.

WHAT THEY SAY:

A dangerous area this, because some of the language can be off-putting. "Teachers open the door, but you must enter yourself" or "the obstacle is the path" is not what some people want to hear. It is better to focus on a New York Timesreport on t'ai chi. The author, having found evidence suggesting that participation helped people of all ages to achieve a range of benefits from better balance, reduced blood pressure and sounder sleep to improved immunity, concluded that "the proper question to ask yourself may not be why you should practise t'ai chi, but why not".

WHAT IT DOES:

Dr Giles Warrington, a sport and exercise physiologist and lecturer at Dublin City University, is a fan. “Some studies have certainly shown that elderly participants in t’ai chi produce better cardiovascular capacity, enhanced flexibility, decreased body mass and improved balance,” he says. “Others have suggested a wide range of benefits from the different martial arts with endurance, strength, balance, flexibility and general aerobic fitness all mentioned prominently. A British Journal of Sports Medicine report from 2004 also links lower body fat, greater levels of strength and improved overall fitness directly to participation.”

WHAT IT TAKES:

Nothing really to get started with most instructors happy to let newcomers join in loose, comfortable clothes such as tracksuit bottoms and t-shirt. As you get into it, a uniform should cost about €50. Depending on the discipline, there may be gloves and perhaps pads to buy, though the cost involved is very modest at €15 or so for the gloves for instance. These can purchased if and when required. The cost of classes varies slightly but they are not expensive.

Donal O’Donoghue’s club, which runs tae kwon-do classes in such places as Mulhuddart, Clonsilla and Santry, offers the option of participating in up to four sessions a week for a monthly fee of €45.

A karate class, Nugent says, costs about €3-5 for between 90 minutes and two hours.

WHERE IT’S AT:

There is a bewildering array of websites for the various sports and it can be something of a maze with four varieties of karate alone. The Irish Martial Arts Commission (martialarts.ie) isn’t a bad starting point with links – some good, some not – to most of the major individual sports.

The tae kwon-do association and Onaki websites are among the better ones and, in turn, provide lists of and contacts for clubs. Overall, the geographical spread is very good around the country and, with most individual disciplines offering fairly similar benefits, your choice may simply come down to which class is closest or at the most convenient time. Splinter organisations or clubs seem to be common, so look out for the Irish Sports Council logo where possible on governing body sites when looking for clubs near you.