'After training, I feel better': The 84-year-old black belt still packing a punch

SINGAPORE: Every Sunday at 10am, the National Training Centre for taekwondo comes to life. Around 30 people – mostly men, many with grey hair and receding hairlines – gather for their weekly ritual.

Some sport noticeable bellies beneath their doboks. All are over 50, and some are in their 70s and 80s. But the energy in the room crackles with the enthusiasm of a school sports club. 

During warm-ups, they jog circuits around the training hall. The faster ones weave between teammates in zigzag patterns. The group practises kicks and punches, then holds 100-count planks, with modifications for those who need them.

This is TeamgOLD, and despite their ages, they take their training seriously.

The Singapore Taekwondo Federation set up the team in 1994 with about 10 members. Most hold black belts, and some are former national fighters. 

But the right corner in the front row – traditionally reserved for the highest-ranking member – belongs to Mr Harry Han.

At 84, he is the oldest in the group. High kicks and jump kicks are difficult for him now.

“Leg cannot kick high anymore,” he said matter-of-factly. “When I was young, I could jump and kick. Now I cannot jump.” But his punches are still good, he added.

A DECADES-LONG JOURNEY

Mr Han’s taekwondo story spans six decades. He took up the sport in the 1960s at the now-defunct Gay World Stadium, training three times a week and competing in local tournaments. He earned his black belt about 55 years ago.

Then came marriage, and his wife asked him to stop practising taekwondo in case he injured himself.

He ended up spending a few decades away from the sport, during which he played badminton. That helped him to keep active, but returning to taekwondo around 20 years ago was still a struggle.

“I lost touch (with) my footwork and my stretching … you need a lot of kicking and punching, so I missed out a lot,” Mr Han said. “The first training was very tough for me. I nearly gave up.”

But his best friend, the late Mr Milan Kwee, who was previously president of the Singapore Taekwondo Federation, encouraged him to keep going. 

“Now I’m happy because … after training, I feel better. My health is improving,” Mr Han said.

He also treasures the social connections, such as meeting his old friends – some of whom he has known since his early taekwondo days – and the group outings to Malaysia for durian and massages.

BRINGING VETERANS BACK TO THE MAT

TeamgOLD was formed to get seniors like Mr Han who drifted away from taekwondo back into the sport.

“They’re holding a black belt, (but for) 10 over years, no training. We want them to come back,” said Mr Steven Soh, 78, an instructor for the team who holds a ninth-dan black belt.

It is also important to keep the younger members of TeamgOLD – those in their 50s and 60s – engaged now, before age makes it harder. 

“I’m an old man. I look at them … they are slowly (coming) to my age,” he said. “If they stop, (when they) come to my age, it will be difficult for them.”

Mr Soh speaks from experience. When he takes breaks for even a few weeks, he feels stiffer and more sluggish.

“I look at my friends, they are like sick men,” he said bluntly. “I want to maintain (my level).”

TeamgOLD recently performed and competed in a championship at Our Tampines Hub, the first Singapore event focused specifically on older taekwondo practitioners.

Another group, Club Diamond from Ildo Taekwondo Academy, also performed. The club caters to those 60 and older and made a deliberate choice to include women without black belts in their performance.

This was in the hope that more women would take up the sport, said Ms Linda Sim, a taekwondo world champion who helped establish Club Diamond. She is also the oldest female member of TeamgOLD, but finds the training sessions there intimidating.

“TeamgOLD has a lot of men and they’re all black belts" who do a lot of "kicking and punching", she said.

“Club Diamond allows people like myself … to keep enjoying, competing and staying healthy. It’s very much in line with active ageing,” she said.

Ms Sim said seniors are often told to choose tai chi rather than taekwondo.

“I want them to (do) taekwondo because they can do it. And taekwondo is more energetic, it’s more physical,” she said.

“AS LONG AS I’M STILL HEALTHY”

For senior beginners, the approach must be different, said Mr Daniel Kim, principal of Ildo Taekwondo Academy.

"They must build up their bodies first," he said. "They cannot sit down on the floor and … (don’t know) how to stand up."

Instructors may focus initially on walking and correcting posture to address knee or shoulder pain. Only then do they progress to martial arts techniques. 

The number of seniors learning taekwondo at his school has grown from around 50 to 80, Mr Kim said.

For veterans like Mr Han and Mr Soh, the goal is simply to continue for as long as possible.

"My age now is 84. One day is like one month," Mr Han reflected. "Your body has degenerated, so you're not like before, not young anymore. Hopefully I can continue my taekwondo for another few years."

Mr Soh, despite tearing an ankle ligament about six months ago, remains undeterred. He watches his diet, gets enough rest and stretches every morning.

Asked how long he plans to keep practising taekwondo, his answer was simple: "As long as I'm still healthy and alive."