Charles Gregory, Author

It is an honor to introduce to my readers…Dave “Woody” Whittington – my teammate at Cincy MMA who is a valuable training partner, dear friend and adopted older brother to me. Although Woody is 75 years old as of this article, don’t let his age fool you. Woody is a force to be reckoned with. Besides training Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), both Woody and I also love practicing Judo. For those who may not be familiar with Judo, it is a martial art and Olympic sport that originated in Japan in 1882 by founder Jigoro Kano. Judo translates as “the gentle way” and its practitioners, known as Judokas, train to subdue their opponents through throws, pins, joint locks, and strangles. Woody and I often practice “Randori” aka Judo standup sparring every opportunity we get. I can unashamedly say that Woody throws me a heck of a lot more than I throw him [not that I’m keeping score HA-HA].

 

Dave “Woody” Whittington

Our Coach at Cincy MMA, Sean Sutton shared his thoughts about Woody: “Woody notoriously got his nickname from a hard shot he took to the head that didn’t seem to phase him. This is so apropos when you consider his indominable spirit. In a sport and in arts usually populated by young athletes, Woody is one of the most dedicated and consistent students I have. Woody serves as an example to where I’d like to be when I reach his age.” 

It is also noteworthy to mention that Woody has been training martial arts for nearly 60 years. He has studied several martial art disciplines and holds multiple ranks. Needless to say, Woody inspires many of our teammates including myself on a day-to-day basis. A saying often quoted on our mats at Cincy MMA is “I want to be like Woody when I grow up!”. As of this writing I am close to 50 years old and sometimes, when I’m feeling old, lazy, tired or unmotivated to go train, I just think of Woody and all my excuses quickly fade away. I feel that Woody has a great story to share, and my hope is that upon reading it, you will not allow “old age” or your perception of “old age” to disempower you from pursuing the things in life you love doing.

 

THE INERVIEW:

ME: Can you share a bit about your background and what initially drew you to martial arts?

WOODY: Well, my background Is that of a high school and college wrestler. I practiced Judo both in high school and college; I studied Chito-Ryu Karate; I have studied Shotokan karate; I have studied Fencing; I have studied Kempo; I have studied Shoot-Fighting; and I am presently practicing Jiu-jitsu and MMA for the street.

I grew up in Xenia, Ohio (20 miles east of Dayton) in the 50’s and 60’s. At this time, there was no Judo or Karate Dojos within a reasonable distance for a teenager to attend. In the early mid-60’s, a friend of mine, and his brother had a book from the library on Judo. Looking through the book immediately piqued my interest in judo. In late 1967, the local YMCA started a Judo club, and you did not have to twist my arm to join. High school wrestling and Judo got me hooked on the martial arts.

 

Woody’s Morehead State University Wrestling Days

 

ME: What has kept you motivated to continue practicing Martial Arts throughout your life, especially into your 70s?

WOODY: My thirst for the Martial Arts has kept me motivated to continue practicing. People telling me that I am too old to practice Martial Arts also motivates me to continue. Probably the number one reason for my continued practicing of the Martial Arts is my love for the Martial Arts, the kinship of the people I work out with and the friendships that are developed.

 

ME: What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your Martial Arts journey, and how did you overcome them?

WOODY: Probably the biggest hurdle I have had to overcome outside the physical injuries and heart surgery is mental. It is difficult to realize you cannot compete like you did in your 20s, 30s and even 40s. The other mental thing to overcome is when you hit a plateau in your training, and you feel like you are not advancing, and you start to say to yourself what am I doing? I have the attitude that regardless, I will never give up, so you fight through it, and pretty soon, you overcome that plateau and start feeling like you are making progress again.

 

ME: Can you describe your current training regimen? How has it evolved over the years to accommodate your changing needs?

WOODY: Currently, I work out on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with weight training, and on Tuesday and Thursday, I do cardio work. I practice Jiu-jitsu on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. I practice MMA For The Streets on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

 

 

ME: What benefits have you experienced from practicing martial arts that go beyond the physical aspects, such as mental or emotional benefits?

WOODY: One benefit of practicing martial arts is that it increases your self-confidence. Not only the benefit of being able to protect yourself if you need to but also self-confidence and the other aspects of your life such as your job or family life. Another benefit is that you have peace of mind. You will notice that you do not get upset as quickly or anger as quickly as you might before starting the martial arts practice. It gives you a release if you are having a bad day. When you go in, you leave your troubles behind you; when you leave, you find everything set right in the world. The martial arts allow you to release negative emotions that may have built up during the day.

 

ME: What advice would you give to someone who is older and considering starting martial arts for the first time?

WOODY: When I grew up in the late 1960s, I had the choice of only one martial art: Judo. The older individual now has a choice of numerous martial arts to choose from. Visit the different dojos around your city and find the one that fits you the best. By this, I mean mentally and physically. What are you physically able to do? What are your limitations? Believe it or not, there is a martial art that is right for you. However, be aware of and know your limitations. When you enter martial arts training, do not let your egos come in like when you were younger. Be aware that you will not be able to perform like you did when you were younger. The most important thing is that you are having fun during your training.

 

Woody’s Early Karate Days. He holds a Blackbelt in Shotokan Karate

 

ME: How has teaching and mentoring others in Martial Arts influenced your own practice and personal growth?

WOODY: I was a high school science teacher. In the teaching profession, we have a saying: “The best way to learn a subject is to teach the subject.” Mentoring and teaching others in Martial Arts forced me to focus on the fundamentals of different techniques. This enables me to pass the knowledge on to my students in the martial arts or someone I may be mentoring. There is no better satisfaction in seeing others you teach or mentoring progress because you have helped them. So, to sum it up, you improve your technique, and it also gives you mental satisfaction.

 

ME: How do you balance training with other aspects of your life, such as family, work, and personal time?

WOODY: You have to have a timetable where you allocate time for each aspect of your life. Family always comes first; you may have time set aside for training, but certain family matters may pop up where they take priority over your training. The same is true for your job. I know that teaching high school, at the end of the quarter or year end, I had to take time to develop tests and grade tests to meet my school’s deadline for having grades in. This meant I may have to miss a day of training.

 

ME: Can you share a memorable moment or story from your Martial Arts journey that stands out to you?

WOODY: Regardless of the Martial Art I was practicing at the time, a memorable moment was being able to perform techniques to almost perfection. Memorable moments, depending on the Martial Art I was practicing, I could say was winning tournaments. There are also other numerous examples. One especially memorable moment was when I was competing in the nationals in Orlando, FL. My first opponent was from Portland, OR, and came into the tournament with 33 straight wins. We were doing point Karate, and three points were a match. I was losing 2 1/2 to nothing and ended up beating him 3 to 2 1/2. At the end of the match, a world champion from England approached me and said it was one of the greatest comebacks he had ever seen. That was a huge highlight at that particular moment. However, I think my most memorable moments are the teaching and mentoring of students. One memorable moment was when one of my students won the national championship in Kata (A Series of Coreographed Martial Art Techniques). When one of the judges approached her and asked her who her instructor was because her performance was almost flawless; she told the judge that her Sensei constantly worked on perfection of the stances and techniques being applied. That was more valuable to me more than any tournament I had ever won.

 

ME: What are your future goals in Martial Arts, and what legacy do you hope to leave for the next generation of Martial Artists?

WOODY: My future goals are to continue my training as long as I can. I would also like to compete in at least one or two more tournaments, even at my age (Ha-Ha-Ha). I want to be the best that I can. I’m not interested in advancing in rank; I’m more interested in mastering the techniques we are being taught.

 

 

ME: What advice would you give to young Martial Artists? What about older individuals interested in Martial Arts?

WOODY: The advice I would give the young and older Martial Artists are almost the same. First, find a Martial Art’s Dojo that fits you. You know your physical and mental limitations, so you want to pick a Martial Art that fits your needs. Visit the different Dojos around to find the best one for you. Ask if this particular Martial Arts Studio requires you to sign a contract. This is why I say be sure the style you picked to practice fits you. Because if you sign a long-term contract you are stuck with it regardless of whether you practice.

An example of this is when I was talking to a lady one day, and she said her son decided to take Martial Arts. This particular school required her to sign a three-year contract. Her son attended the school for a month and decided he did not like the instructor, so he quit. She was still stuck paying for three years – So you can see it is important to find a school or Dojo that fits you. Most schools or dojos have an introductory “Go in and observe” the classes you would be involved in not once, but numerous times, so take advantage of the introductory time.

I would also add, “check your ego at the door” for the young martial artist. Do not go into it thinking you will beat everybody in the school or Dojo. Go in with the attitude of wanting to learn the art. Again, as I would tell the older Martial Artist, have fun. Also, if you are not having fun, you are not learning, and if you are not learning, you will drop out. Do not get in the habit of skipping classes just because you do not feel like going to class. This is a bad habit to get into because you will end up dropping out.

Furthermore, you will not have fun or learn if you find excuses to skip class. Keep in mind that you are going to have periods of reaching a plateau. When you reach the plateau, you have to fight through it, and suddenly, the learning will start returning, and you will progress.

For the older Martial Artist just starting, the advice I gave the younger Martial Artist also holds true for you. However, you will have other limitations that the younger Martial Artists do not have. Such as, you may not have the strength that you had at one time, your reflexes are not as quick as they used to be, and just starting out, your stamina and may not be what it once was, and you have to build into it. Realize that injuries and accidents will happen when practicing, and your recovery time won’t be like when you were younger. Nevertheless, be aware that there is a martial art out there for you regardless of your physical condition. However, as I told the younger Martial Artist, make sure you are having fun. That way, you will continue your martial art training for the rest of your life.

 

Photo by Laura Kapfer on Unsplash

 

ME: What are some of your favorite Martial Arts Books?

A FEW OF WOODY’s FAVORITE BOOKS [Amazon affiliate Links included for books]:

• ‘Tao of Jeet Kune Do‘ by Bruce Lee
• ‘Kodokan Judo Throwing Techniques‘ by Toshiro Daigo
•  ‘The Secrets of Judo‘ by Jiichi Watanabe & Lindy Avakian
• ‘Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu For The Street‘ by Burton Richardson
• ‘Jiu-Jitsu University‘ by Saulo Ribeiro,
• ‘Nonstop Jiu-Jitsu‘ by Brandon Mullins & Stephan Kesting,
• ‘Karate-Do: The Way of Shito-Ryu‘ by Del Saito,
• ‘Best Karate‘ by M. Nakayama,
• ‘Flow in Sports: The Keys to Optimal Experiences & Performances‘ by Susan A. Jackson & Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
• ‘Fighting Science: The Laws of Physics for Martial Artists‘ by Martina Sprague

 

ME: What is your favorite “Life Quote”?

WOODY: My favorite life quote comes from a character in the Muppet Show. It was a character who led a band called Doctor Teeth. He would say, “There ain’t nothing to it but to do it.”

Being an art, I want to perform techniques where the observer can say that was beautiful which is the goal of the artist. Whether you are training or in competition, when you are participating, you are the artist painting a picture for the spectators.

 

 

Calls to Action:

Woody’s story is rich with wisdom. Here are my key takeaways. I’d love to hear yours as well.

1. Keep Learning and Growing: The journey of self-improvement never ends. Embrace every opportunity to learn, evolve, and enhance your skills.
2. Stay Inspired: Surround yourself with a supportive community that keeps you motivated. Find what inspires you and let it fuel your passion.
3. Teach and Mentor: Sharing your knowledge not only helps others but also deepens your own understanding. Teaching is a powerful tool for mastering your craft.
4. Enjoy the Journey: Make sure to find joy in what you do. Passion and enjoyment are the keys to sustained growth and fulfillment.

5. If you enjoyed this Blog Post, and are looking for Martial Arts inspiration, be sure to check out, ‘From Mats to Life: Empowering Lessons from a Female Brazilian Jiu-jitsu/MMA Athlete‘ by clicking on the pic below:

 

 

1. Woody also mentioned that injuries do happen when training. If you have an injury, I recommend reading this article by clicking on the title: ‘Safely Training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu While Injured: Tips and Strategies‘

 

1. If you are an older individual living within or near the Greater Cincinnati are and interested in Martial Arts training, I highly recommend checking out Cincy MMA at this link [CINCY MMA]. As mentioned before, I am turning 50 and Woody is 75 as of the writing of this article. Safety and feeling welcomed are incredibly important to me, especially since I am an enthusiast and not a competitor. Cincy MMA has many great Martial Arts programs and Instructors. I truly believe this school offers something for everyone regardless of age, gender, experience, or goals.

 

Conclusion

Woody’s journey—his decades-long dedication to martial arts, his unwavering passion and continual growth mindset serves as a powerful lesson in personal empowerment, persistence and adaptability. His story illuminates the importance of choosing a path that resonates with you personally. His insights on resilience, true mastery, mentorship and balancing other life responsibilities with training is a testament to his wisdom. Woody’s on-going legacy should inspire us to keep learning, keep growing, and keep doing. As Woody beautifully put it, “There ain’t nothing to it but to do it!”