STYLE Page D2 • Tuesday, April 22, 2014
PLANIT NORTHWEST /PlanitNorthwest.com
Martial arts participants find ‘inner warrior’ By HOWARD SCHNEIDER The Washington Post Ana Petricel is 17, a high school senior who plans to become a doctor, and more than once she has knocked me on my you-know-what — despite my 70-pound advantage and enough extra years to know better. As she should. Whether we were practicing how to defend against a punch, a grab or other attacks, her responses were all of a kind: designed to blend with the attack, avoid harm, control my balance and put me on the ground. “I am not a violent person,” said Petricel, who trains in the Japanese martial art of aikido at the D.C. Aikido dojo in Washington. “I don’t see this as just pure exercise. It is an art as well as martial. It’s spiritual. Physical. Intellectual. It’s a workout. But that’s not just why I’m here.” Whether they’re fed by the movies or the rise of mixed martial arts fighting, there are a lot of stereotypes about martial arts. Petricel doesn’t fit that mold. Neither do I, nor do the thousands of students, think tank analysts, lawyers, nonprofit advocates, engineers and others who practice the diverse martial arts styles. Here is the reality: A wellrun dojo will be incredibly welcoming to beginners and typically filled with trainees of different sexes, ages, sizes and fitness levels. You also will find plenty of fun, whether your aim is to learn to spar in tae kwon do, parry with your hands and feet in capoiera, master the turning techniques of aikido or learn the fine points of grappling in Brazilian jujitsu. The spectrum is a broad one. Over time, the martial arts push you out of any comfort zone – a mental benefit. But they also have an encompassing impact on your health: Better cardio is a given, but these are activities that also improve strength, posture, flexibility and balance, all important pillars of fitness (the latter two in particular for those of us who have pushed into our 50s and beyond). You learn to move in more diverse ways. Had you asked me five years ago whether I would ever do a standing barrel roll or survive a hip throw, I’d have shaken my head. But these are things you train to do – gradually and safely. None of that is surprising,
Washington Post photo by Marvin Joseph
Roberto Tapia, owner of Roda Movements, demonstrates a capoeira move; in capoeira, “opponents” sweep and avoid each other’s legs in a dance-like partnership.
Washington Post photo by Marvin Joseph
Ana Petricel, 17, practices at D.C. Aikido, where students of all ages and levels of experience and physical fitness take part. perhaps. These activities have thrived for a reason, whether it is the graceful tai chi (yes, it’s a martial art) seen so commonly in Chinese parks, or the vigorous sparring of Western boxing or Japanese karate. “In my experience I can teach anyone to do anything with aikido as long as they want to learn,” said Michael Veltri, the owner of D.C. Aikido and sensei to Petricel, me and the others. To test that world beyond aikido, I went to beginner sessions at Yong Studios in Washington for a tae kwon do class and Roda Movements Studio in Takoma Park, Md., to try capoiera. As someone with no prior
training in those disciplines, would I get anything out of a first class? Would I be welcomed, or feel like the klutzy new kid on the block? These are the anxieties that can keep us from doing things we want to try. My advice is to put those notions on a shelf and forget it.
Distinct disciplines The first thing that became obvious is how distinct disciplines are. That is important to keep in mind. If you want to pursue a martial art, don’t just rush to the nearest karate studio and sign up. Investigate the origins, ethic, style and culture of different disciplines, try a few different introductory ses-
sions, and see what clicks. Do you want to strike and kick? Grab and throw? Spin? Tumble? Spar? Are you an 11 on the intensity scale, or want something that works more on the mind and spirit? Just as an example: In aikido we thrive on circular motion – using turning movements and the energy of an opponent’s attack to put them off balance, principles also applied in learning how to fall safely. As we grow older, that particular skill adds a new element to the concept of selfdefense. In tae kwon do, by contrast, “everything is a straight line,” said Peter Hounsell, the instructor of a recent beginner’s
class. We worked for most of the hour on kicks, and the aim was to align everything from the angle of the foot through the placement of the hips and shoulders to generate maximum force. I was lousy at it. That wasn’t the point. “This really should be like a home,” said Do Yong Kim, owner and master instructor of the studio. “You can make mistakes. When you are here, it’s safe. People don’t judge. You’re just another person training.” Capoiera adds a fully different dimension. Among advanced practitioners the workout becomes an almost gymnastic routine where seeming falls turn into kicks and “opponents” sweep and avoid each other’s legs in a dance-like partnership. It’s even accompanied by drums and singing, true to its Brazilian origins. But you don’t need to be able to cartwheel to participate, so don’t be intimidated. When there are new students, instructor and owner Roberto Tapia splits the class and spends time with the beginner group to teach basic moves that can be picked up in one session. And at first it does feel like you are dancing – until you realize how the hand is positioned for a strike and the feet for a kick. “If you want to be effective,” he said, “it has to be pretty.”
Joining a community Once you select a discipline that seems right for you, visit a studio or dojo and pay attention to the people: how they train and interact, whether the beginners get adequate attention. In this sort of training, you are joining a community, and the more you like that community, the more you are apt to stick with it. Look also at things such as the level of ritual involved; some places are sticklers on certain points of etiquette, others more relaxed, and you should be comfortable and ready to adapt to whatever customs are in play. The bowing, clapping or class mottos might seem affected. But it’s part of absorbing the culture, and you’ll find that much of it either involves safety or provides a moment of focus that makes the practice more effective. And pay attention to the entire class. Are the warm-ups adequate? Over the course of an hour, do you seem to get the exercise you would want? Finally, ask questions about the place and the people in charge. How long have they been in business? What’s their training? What are their goals? Most important, commit to at least a few steady months of training, even if progress seems slow and there’s a temptation to quit. The benefits are real. But only if you get knocked down a few times.
Don’t meddle in office affair Weigh side effects of drugs to unless it interferes with work reduce risk of breast cancer Dear Abby: I manage a group of 15 employees. A few months ago, I hired the wife of an old friend. Until now she has been a great employee, but recently she and a male co-worker have been taking lunches and breaks together in a way that leads me to believe they are flirting or have already crossed the line. Because we have a small group, I worry about how this will affect my team members, who know she’s married. I also feel bad for the husband, who is a very caring and kind man. As a manager, I don’t think I can say anything unless their liaison interferes with their work performance. But I hate to watch this progress and see people end up hurt. What can I do? – Management Decision Dear Management: Unless the flirtation becomes a distraction for “the team,” you should stay out of it. Much as you might like to intervene, your friend’s wife and this co-worker are adults and responsible for their own behavior. Dear Abby: My girlfriend watches the 24-hour news channels and seems to be obsessed with them. It is hurting our relationship and affecting her happiness. She
constantly is worried about national and international politics, global warming, the economy, health care, crime, etc. She neglects herself and her family. She seems agitated, anxious and depressed by all the news. Is this a disease? How can I help her get off this habit? What should I do? – Miser-
a friend, I accidentally bumped another friend’s wine glass, staining his $180 shirt. The stain is a small one, on the lower portion and not very noticeable. Now the man insists I pay for the shirt. Is there an etiquette rule on this issue? I feel bad, but not bad enough that I think I should pay for such an expensive shirt. If you have the means to pay for a shirt that expensive, I don’t believe you should expect others to replace it. – Chris
able In Minnesota Dear Miserable: Your
In Denver Dear Chris: Good manners
girlfriend appears to have become a news junkie. She’s overstimulated and hooked on the adrenaline rush she gets from channel surfing from one tragedy, outrage and horror to the next. While this technically might not be a disease, it is exhausting and depressing. When the same thing started happening to me, I fixed it by turning off the news and going “cold turkey.” After a four-day news blackout, I felt like my buoyant self again. Now I ration my exposure. Please share this with your girlfriend because it’s what I’m recommending for her. Dear Abby: At a wedding, while shaking hands with
dictate you offer to pay for having the shirt cleaned. A good dry cleaner might be able to remove the stain, but it should be done as soon as possible. Any time a person has a stained garment, it should be taken to a professional and what caused the stain identified, so it can be removed. Trying to treat it yourself can make removal more difficult. If the stain is permanent, then you should pay to replace the shirt. Ask yourself what’s more important – 180 bucks or your friendship?
DEAR ABBY Jeanne Phillips
• Write Dear Abby at
www.dearabby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
Dear Dr. K: My mother had breast cancer, so I believe I’m at higher risk than are most women. Should I take medication to prevent breast cancer? Dear Reader: Without more details, I can’t give you a personal recommendation. But I can tell you about drugs available to prevent breast cancer and who, in general, should consider taking them. There are different types of breast cancer. The most common type is “estrogen receptor-positive” (ERpositive). This type of breast cancer needs the hormone estrogen to grow. Well-designed studies have shown two drugs – tamoxifen and raloxifene – reduce the risk of ER-positive breast cancer. (Tamoxifen appears to be more effective than raloxifene.) These drugs are known as selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs). (I’ve put more information about tamoxifen and raloxifene on my website, www.askdoctork.com.) So far, so good. The problem is SERMs can cause side effects, some serious. These include increased risk of blood clots and hot flashes. Tamoxifen also increases the risk of uterine cancer and cataracts. The question
ASK DR. K Dr. Anthony Komaroff is: For which women do the benefits of these drugs outweigh the possible side effects? Late last year, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issued guidelines on the subject. They recommended physicians should offer to prescribe tamoxifen or raloxifene to women who are at high risk for ER-positive breast cancer and low risk for side effects. Your doctor can estimate your breast cancer risk by taking several factors into account. These include your age, history of breast or ovarian cancer in a firstdegree relative, and the age at which you first gave birth. Factors that decrease your risk for side effects include being younger than 50 years, having no risk factors for blood clots or stroke (such as being a smoker), and not having a uterus. You can estimate your breast cancer risk with an online tool from the National Cancer Institute’s website: www.cancer.gov/bcrisktool. After you enter information about yourself, the tool gives
you an estimate of your risk over the next five years, and over a lifetime. I am not aware of any similar tools to estimate your risks from taking either tamoxifen or raloxifene. As a general rule, doctors generally advise against taking these drugs if you: • Have had past serious blood clots requiring treatment; • Are taking bloodthinning medicines such as warfarin (Coumadin) or heparin; • Have high blood pressure, obesity or diabetes; • Are a smoker; • Are younger than 35 years old; • Are between 35 and 60 years old, and not at increased risk for breast cancer; • Are taking hormone replacement therapy or an aromatase inhibitor; • Have had any type of uterine cancer. In addition, women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, or who are currently breastfeeding, should generally avoid tamoxifen. • Write to Dr. Komaroff at www.askdoctork.com or Ask Doctor K, 10 Shattuck St., Second Floor, Boston, MA 02115.