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The physical and mental benefits of martial arts can last a lifetime, as countless students out there can attest. And as a growing number of Americans begin reaching retirement age, many are looking for new and interesting ways to stay healthy and active.

One instructor who has been working on building a niche among older students is Louis Dibiccari, a Lynnfield resident who has been teaching martial arts for about 50 years. He is currently the owner of Beyond Self Defense in downtown Wakefield.

Dibiccari, or “Sensei Louie” as he is known by many, also teaches students who are as young as 6. He considers himself a somewhat old-fashioned instructor who has students in two-person drills and who only awards one belt a year – and no black belts until a student reaches age 16.

“I really want to teach the kids martial arts – I don’t want to just give them awards,” said Dibiccari, who started his own journey as a martial artist as a 19 year old in Revere. As a 12 year old, Dibiccari said that he suffered from polio and was barely able to move for a couple of months – something that likely motivated him later in life to stay active and athletic and to avoid his local street corners. A little while later, he joined the Army even though he recalls weighing only about 90 pounds at the time. “If the Russians ever saw me, they would have come over the next day,” he joked. Dibiccari also notes that as a boy, he was raised in a home with a sister and a single mother – and his mother didn’t even see him doing martial arts until she was in her 90s.

Since then, the 69-year-old Dibiccari has spent time practicing martial arts in Boston and in San Francisco’s Chinatown under his sensei Patrick McCarthy, who made Dibiccari an eighth-degree black belt. Dibiccari keeps in touch with his sensei, who lives in Australia, via Skype.

Those who do study martial arts with Sensei Louie will typically learn Japanese (Okinawan) arts such as Shotokan and Shorinji that in turn are descended from the original Chinese martial arts developed at the Shaolin Temple. The style taught by Dibiccari’s sensei, McCarthy, is Koryu Uchinadi. The word koryu means “old style karate,” said Dibiccari. The sensei has also been practicing chi gong (also known as Chinese medicine, comparable in some ways to reiki) for 36 years, and he is also well-versed in Tai Chi. He actually got his start as a judo student.

In his latest fitness program geared toward seniors, Dibiccari reports that he has been running about 12 classes a week, and they can come in to the ones they choose. Keeping active remains extremely important as people age, explains DiBiccari, noting that a sizeable percentage of nursing home residents suffer from muscle atrophy.

Classes include breathing and stretching exercises, some balancing, weight lifting, and Tai Chi, and even some line dancing. “They walk out of here feeling really good,” said DiBiccari.

I am the Commercial Manager for the National railway Museum where I am responsible for new revenue streams, business development and project management. We are part of a family of museums including the Science Museum London, the National Film and Media Museum Bradford and the Museum of Science and Industry Manchester. My work is diverse, fast paced and high pressured.

I am always looking for news ways to combat stress relief and recently took up Yoga which I try to practice daily. I find that taking part in a physical activity between work and home allows me to leave the stresses of the day behind and go home more relaxed with a clear head.

I find the moment I walk through the door into a class environment I switch my focus completely, especially with exercise such as Kick boxing, Yoga or any physical activity that takes 100% concentration.

About 7 years ago I founded Just for Kicks Martial Arts, I felt there was a gap in the market place for a women’s only martial arts class. I have been training myself for 10 years and last year I became a 2nd dan black belt – one of my biggest achievements to date. My passion for the discipline & love for teaching inspired me to start my own school, one of my long standing classes is a women’s only kickboxing class up in Newcastle.

The majority of my students are professional women who find the sport a brilliant way of keeping fit and an opportunity to mix with like minded people. It is also a great stress relief and perfect for those who love a challenge.

Kickboxing can burn up to 800 calories and hour, gives a full body workout, increases flexibility and balance and releases an enormous amount of endorphins (happy hormones) into the body making you feel uplifted, happier and energised.

My approach to life has definitely changed as I’ve got older, turning 30 this year really made me look at my life style and what makes me feel good. I hold a qualification in diet and nutrition and am constantly researching new trends and techniques in healthy eating and exercise.

There is a massive miss-conception that Kickboxing is for men and an aggressive sport to be involved in, this is not the case. Over the years I have ladies of all shapes, sizes and ages attend my classes and they take something from it.

My friend and student Sarah Armstrong is a director of a software development company, she started training with me about 4 years ago.

Sarah said, “It’s never to late to start a new sport, I have done many different things over the years but fell in love with Kickboxing from the word go – it is the best all over work out you can have and I love the challenge of being able to work through my grades. I am currently training for my black belt and hope to go through my grading at the end of this year”.

In my world exercise is key to a healthy, productive and focused and a big part of the work life balance.

SOUTH SALEM — A local resident who has devoted almost a half-century to the art of karate was honored earlier this month with induction into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame during a ceremony in Indianapolis.

Al Conaway, a ninth-degree Soke Grand Master and longtime competitor and instructor through his Bushi-Do Karate School, received the national honor during a three-day event with more than 100 black belts, masters and grand masters in attendance.

Conaway’s induction came in the Ultimate Life Achievement Award category.

“This tops it all off for my 47 years of dedication to the art of karate and efforts I put into trying to make the art a very honored sport and self-defense discipline anyone can be involved in,” Conaway said.

Among Conaway’s students was Tokey Hill, a world champion and national coach who recently was named the 2011 Coach of the Year in karate by the U.S. Olympic Committee.

The USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame, which originally was created in the mid-1970s, is unlike some halls of fame in it also pays tribute to the sacrifices and dedication of those that serve as instructors in the sport.

The induction is a highlight of Conaway’s career that has seen several awards and honors come before it.

When Christina Allen, MD, was a small child growing up in Connecticut, the wordtaekwondo was as foreign to her as the country of its origin. The Korean martial art, which loosely translates to “the way of the hand and foot,” was not a popular sport in her community during the 1960s.

“I didn’t know anything about taekwondo,” said Allen, an orthopaedic surgeon at the UCSF Orthopaedic Institute at Mission Bay. “I grew up playing soccer and football with my brothers.”

Some 40 years later, Allen is the team physician for the U.S. Olympics Taekwondo Team and will accompany them to the 2012 London Olympics this summer.

“It’s just a great opportunity,” she said. “I think for people who enjoy sports, going to watch the Olympics is on their bucket list. And to go and actually participate and interact with the athletes, and interact with other physicians from other countries, is a huge opportunity.”

Allen has distinct memories of being captivated by gymnasts Nadia Comaneci in the 1976 Montreal Games and Mary Lou Retton in the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

A Natural Athlete

Like many children, Allen also harbored her own Olympic dreams when she was about 11 years old. She would race around the track, while a friend — her “coach” — would time her with a stopwatch. Her times didn’t inspire Allen to continue with track and field, but she later discovered she excelled at basketball and soccer in high school. She continued in college, becoming a soccer standout at Duke University. A bad knee injury ended her soccer career, but put her on a path to orthopaedic surgery.

That’s part of the reason why she bonds with her sports injury patients at UCSF. Allen specializes in the treatment of knee and shoulder injuries at the Orthopaedic Institute at Mission Bay. She has been at UCSF for almost 10 years. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering at Duke University before attending medical school at the UCLA School of Medicine.

Allen has been involved with the U.S. soccer team for almost a decade. She was handpicked as the soccer team physician for the 2007 Pan Am Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As part of the approval process, she spent two weeks at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado to make sure the trainers felt comfortable with her knowledge base and that she got along with members of the team.

Learning About Taekwondo

“While I was there, they had an Olympic qualifier event at the training center for taekwondo,” Allen said. “I thought, ‘Wow. There’s a sport that needs a doctor.’ There’s a very high probability of concussions; head shots get you the highest scores. They also break a lot of bones and they blow out their knees.”

Soon after, Allen volunteered at a collegiate taekwondo tournament at UC Berkeley.

“The next thing I know, I get sucked into their world,” she said. “I’m going to regional qualifiers; I’m going to their nationals, just one event after another. They kept flying me all over the place.”

Allen’s training as an orthopaedic surgeon comes in handy. At every national competition, she treats a laundry list of injuries: fractures, concussions, dislocations.

“People say, ‘Wow that’s really cool. You get to go these cool places, and I’m like, ‘No, I’m working until about 10 p.m. every event,’” Allen said.

Soon after, Allen began accompanying the U.S. Taekwondo Team to international competitions, including trips to China, Mexico and Azerbaijan.

Her next international trip will be to London for the 2012 Summer Games.

“It’s pretty exciting. Hopefully nobody gets hurt badly,” she said. “My job basically is if someone has something wrong, try to figure out how to get them better as quickly as possible and manage it so they can perform their best.

“It’s a tremendous honor to take care of these Olympic athletes. In a small way, I finally get to live out my Olympic dream.”