by David Sepulveda
New Haven Ophthalmologist David Silverstone wakes up earlier than he has to. He is on a pre-dawn mission that takes him to a place few 61-year-olds would dream of going.
The cool mats at Aiki Academy of Self Defense, a burgeoning Martial Arts school and training facility on the East Haven-North Branford border, will soon heat up with the sweat of bodies. Absent are any machines or mechanical devices used to raise heart rates or tone muscles. Instead, David faces a training partner mano-a-mano, where he will grapple until one of them has “tapped out” from a submission hold, choke, joint-lock, or sheer exhaustion.
David (pictured pinning an opponent) is one of a number of students who may be receiving a steady stream of mailings from AARP, but who are taking a decided detour from the more sedentary lifestyles of some people approaching their “golden years”. He holds a black belt in the martial art import from Russia called Sambo, or its American adaptation — Combat Sambo. It’s a strange-sounding acronym with discomforting connotations but (SAMozashchita Bez Oruzhiya) when translated means, “self-defense without weapons”. Sambo was developed in the former Soviet Union for use in the military and has roots in Judo and wrestling, with many techniques that are similar to today’s popular Brazillian Jiu Jitsu.
Interest in grappling or ground-fighting, experienced a surge in the early 1990’s with the birth of mixed martial arts leagues such as the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) and its competitors. The premise of different combat systems competing against one another to determine which was the best proved an irresistible attraction. Not since the days of Bruce Lee and the introduction of his mixed fighting style “Jeet Kune Do” in the 1960’s, has interest in the martial arts been stronger or more popular.
Reality TV and pay-per-view programming of martial arts “cage” (a fenced octagonal ring) fighting has largely displaced American-style boxing, or the “sweet science”, as the favored combat sport. What began as brutal no-holds-barred gladiatorial spectacles, have been shaped by regulation and reform into closely monitored, safer contests that are more palatable to mainstream audiences.
Attempts to initially bar the sport in some states, including a major legislative initiative by Arizona’s Senator John McCain, were satisfied with the adoption of stringent rules meant to protect the fighters. Since then, fighting styles have evolved into a synthesis of the best practices of leading combat systems into what today is generically referred to as Mixed Martial Art, or MMA. Training at Aiki Academy differs from the “ground-and-pound” philosophy taught at schools whose focus is the preparation of students for professional cage fighting. Students at Aiki Academy do train in MMA, but the focus is on self-defense, physical fitness, and self-improvement, generally.
Most students who prefer to compete often do so at large regional amateur grappling tournaments such as NAGA (North American Grappling Association). It was at one of these tournaments that event promoters were pleasantly surprised to find two sexagenarians (people in their sixties) prepared to compete against one another in the commonly underrepresented “Executive” competition category. Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Yale, David Silverstone, then 60 (at right in photo), would successfully compete against the bigger, slightly older veteran cable TV broadcaster and author, Al Bruhn, who’s 63 (at left). Mr. Bruhn has more than a passing interest in the subject of MMA having authored several books on its health benefits including MMA and the Healthy Heart for All Ages. According to Bruhn, training in MMA is “like tapping into the inner child of oneself and unleashing a rebirth of youth…”
Gray and balding heads are no anomalies at Aiki Academy, where a number of fifty and sixty-something year olds, men and women, take to the mats alongside students in the prime of their lives. Chief Instructor Hill says he especially enjoys working with older students because, “their maturity leads to an understanding in how to train properly with little guidance, and they understand how to have fun with each other as they push themselves and learn.”
Training is rigorous, and while the accident ratio is low, safety is always a concern. Students, especially older ones, accept a modicum of risk in return for a high degree of physical fitness and combat readiness.
A former Blue Cross — Blue Shield executive, Hill (pictured at Westville’s Artwalk) opened his school ten years ago and has had an evolving curriculum to meet the demands of one of the largest martial arts schools in Connecticut. Systems taught include: Combat Hapkido, Judo, Muay Thai, Mixed-Martial arts, American Boxing, Brazillian Jiu jitsu, Combat Sambo and Kettle Bell (a traditional Russian cast iron weight that looks like a cannonball with a handle) weight training.
In addition to his MBA degree and solid business plan, the school’s success is owed to Hill’s genial manner and extreme passion for the arts taught at the school. He has earned multiple black belt rankings in many systems, and holds numerous commendations, including the honored designation of Shihan, or Master Teacher. Superlative bona fides aside, he maintains an informal approach to teaching, with students addressing him on a first-name basis. Camaraderie at the school is fostered through a spirit of mutual respect beginning at the earliest ages, extending to the pre-geriatric set — those who simply refuse to go quietly into the golden glow of the sunset years. For students like David Silverstone, intensive training at Aiki Academy, is not just another day at the office, but an opportunity to hone skills, build friendships, and maximize wellness through martial arts training.