Karate instructor is 79 and still going
At 79, Malcolm Dorfman goes to the gym, trains, and teaches karate five days a week, proving that age is simply a number.
While the golden years are often seen as a time to slow down, Malcolm Dorfman has switched it around.
Going to the gym, training, and teaching karate five days a week, he is proving that being active should not have age limitations.
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For Dorfman, this is the time to continue doing what has defined him for almost 60 years. “I found that karate was my niche in life. I trained really, really hard. I really gave my total soul and heart to karate.”
He started his karate journey at the age of 19, after first practicing judo. He soon realised that karate was for him and quickly rose through the ranks.
Today, it is not the titles and awards that matter most to him; it’s the sheer fact that, at almost 80, he can still train with youngsters.
After 42 years at his dojo in Parktown North, he has sold the property and bought a heritage home in Parkwood. He has carefully designed his new location into a mixture of modern taste and heritage.
“Whether I have two more years to live, or 20 more years to live, I want to live in the ambience that is my character. That is me. It doesn’t matter how much time I have left, so long as the rest of my days are me doing what is me.”
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Outside of karate, Dorfman enjoys watching Korean TV series, including his current favourite My Royal Nemesis, and classic Western films. For his future endeavours, he hopes to introduce karate classes for older adults.
“I understand, at my age, the limitations that older people have. A younger instructor may make mistakes because they don’t understand what it is to be older.”
Dorfman urges younger people to take care of their bodies, noting that they will not remain the same forever.
Age has never determined what he is capable of; it has strengthened the importance of living and continued to inspire him to be himself.
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