At first I just wanted to do sports - finally again. But then it became way more: Exercise for the entire body, a continuous challenge for coordination and concentration, steady learning on a high level, a face-off with myself because of the confrontation with the especially battlesome parts, conquering excitement and stage-fright... Karate is an enrichment of my every day life and a daily recreation.
"Karate - fascinating, but not for me. I'm too old." I was 38 years of age, and that's what I thought when a colleague of mine invited me for a probationary lesson. "But attending this lesson won't do any harm. And so it struck me - and there is one additional fan of karate in the world. It takes a lot of condentration to learn movements and techniques and thus helps you to clear your brain. No space left for any mental ballast. This is good for both your body and mind. And I am very glad that I found a form of sports where injuries are much less likely than in my former sports football. 38 is not at all too old!
After many years of Marathon und Bike-Marathon I had had to realize that I had arrived at my physical and mental limits - I had reached all of my personal aims and had to but my body could not go further. So I looked for a form of sport that was independend from age - and found karate. 
Nine years ago I was in Shanghai and saw chinese people practis various kinds of martial arts in the parks. I was impressed by their physical strength, their control of their bodies and their composure. I thought it would be great to learn something like this. Actually, my entire life I have had the desire to learn a martial art, however, I never did so. And all of a sudden you have the feeling that you are too old to do so. I was in my 40s by then and I had problems with my knees as well. But when I came back to the netherlands, I saw an ad for karate in the newspaper. I went to have a look - and since them I've been regularly practicing.
Until now I wasn't able to find a form of sports that could help me to leave every day's ballast behind. Focussing on karate techniques and the attempt to realize them as perfect as possible has made this possible for me. It fills me with joy to discover abilities I never knew I had before and to practise an art that has been developed and steadily revised for hundrets of years.
For me there is no sport that is as sophisticated and diverse as karate. I have tried many things and I was immediately enthusiastic about Karate Martial Arts. The training brings my body and my mind together. The knowledge about their own abilities gives me confidence and peace, even if the world is once again totally hectic.