Yesterday evening I had an intense swordfight with a Japanese kendoka, much my senior, who totally dominated me. Still, I did manage to pull off a couple of successful attacks, which he acknowledged. Later, in the kitchen that we use as a makeshift changing room, we chatted a bit, despite my broken Japanese.

I am used to the fact that most Japanese kendoka I meet in the dojo totally destroy me. No wonder: regardless of how keen I am, I started kendo quite late in life, at 35, whereas they usually started before age 10.

It turns out that this gentleman, who is substantially higher-ranking than me (6th dan), didn't simply start later than I did. Instead, when he started, he was older than I am now! He is 80, and he started kendo in retirement, at 60 years old. Wow. Just wow. He only looked mid-to-late 60s to me before he told me.

In many sports, such as football, you are already considered too old at 30. Kendo, where (unlike, say, golf) an actual fight is an intense anaerobic workout, and you finish your practice session drenched in sweat, you can be 80 and defeat an experienced opponent several decades your junior.

There are many other reasons why I practice and enjoy kendo, but the fact that I will be able to continue to get better at it until I die is a special one.