Not a karate kid: How 82-year-old man stays in shape thanks to Karate International

BARRINGTON — Don Staton was kicking high and throwing forceful punches in a choreographed pattern of defense-and-attack motions.

A blue belt was tightly wrapped around his waist, signaling the halfway point in his journey to mastering the martial art of karate.

His movements were swift, and his techniques were precise. Nobody would have guessed Staton was 82 and had only been learning karate for less than six months.

Karate International at 137 Epping Road in Exeter celebrated its 25th anniversary this year by opening a second campus in Barrington.

Staton was its first student at the new martial arts center at 333 Calef Highway.

Staton described himself as a “type A” person. He learned taekwondo in his 20s and traveled the world during his time in the U.S. Navy. When he finally retired, things slowed down, and he started to realize that he “didn’t do much of anything.”

“I was a couch potato, and I had been that way for several years," he said. "I just needed to try and do something to at least extend what little life I have left to exist. This has helped me in balance, it has helped me in stamina – I can do a three-quarter spin now. When I first started, I couldn’t do it.”

Karate International owner John English said he chose Barrington to open a second location because of the growing diverse population.

He said he vividly recalled when he first met Staton.

“He was the first person who walked in the door," he recalled. "(I told him) I’d offer to give him a free class, and he said, ‘I’ll think about it, I’m gonna go talk to my wife.’ About an hour later, Don (Staton) walks back in the door and was like, ‘I’m doing it.’”

Staton practices three times a week – Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. He said he always looks forward to the next lesson and practices at home every morning to improve his skills.

“I really enjoy the regiment of it,” said Staton. “I have always liked patterns… my passion is (doing) forms… the more I do, the better I feel.”

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Karate International teaches more than just self-defense

English said he first got into karate to learn self-defense. As a kid, he got bullied a lot, he said.

“I was the kid that got stuffed in lockers,” he said. “From birth to fifth grade I was in five different schools, I was always the new kid. It was brutal.”

With nearly three decades of experience, English opened Karate International in 1998, offering self-defense classes to all walks of life. Now, he has over 160 students of all age groups from both campuses.

Karate International offers classes from the Tots Program (fast-paced and focuses on building coordination, balance and flexibility) to the Peak Performance (high-intensity multi-style self-defense classes).

For English, karate isn’t just about fighting, it’s also about the principle of life: body, spirit, soul.

“So you get the physical movement, but then you have the mental aspect – having self-confidence, believing in yourself if you fall down… and then it’s the spiritual and controlling your emotions – it’s okay to get angry it’s what you do when you get angry,” he explained.

Karate International, he said, teaches a mix of different martial arts, taking various traditional forms and turning them into realistic movements for real-life situations.

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It’s never too late to learn

English said Staton is the first person over 60 that he has taught. He said martial arts is all about adaptability and harnessing your strengths.

“You learn to adapt the tools you have,” said English. “He’s (Staton) not going to be a hammer, but we can make him a really good screwdriver. He’s never going to kick to your head… but he’s going to blast your leg. He’s going to know how to take what you have, and you work with that.”

Staton showed off his new skills during a shadow spar.

English set the timer to two minutes – that was the time Staton had to continuously jab the punching bag. To mimic real-life situations, English would attack Staton with friendly punches, in which Staton would have to block.

“That really got my heart rate going,” said Staton as he caught his breath.

He then bowed to English and then exited the floor.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Barrington man, 82, stays in shape thanks to Karate International