Karate Tournaments Like them or not?

[oldnewbie]

What I like about the tournaments is the change to "sparr" with someone completely new to me. I have no idea what this person can do, so there is a small amount of "reality", granted it is small. But it gives me a chance to "measure" myself, short of going in a bar and yelling "Who's the baddest one here??!!"

Also for people I see regularly, I can see their progress and growth, etc.

 

[donald]

I have always enjoyed a well run, and even some not so well run tourneys. I don't even have to participate to enjoy one. I truly am mesmerized by a well executed kata/form. The only thing I've ever disliked about tournament competions. Is a student/blackbelt competitior with a lousy attitude. I have to also admit I don't like the gymnastic type katas being performed today. Whether empty hand or weapons form. I don't think flashy equals good. I would rather watch a solid shotokan kata(I am EPAK) than a thousand jump kicks thrown together with some music. Just one guys opinion...

Salute in Christ,
Donaldo

 

[RCastillo]

I don't like working em anymore. After all one does to help, you'll be lucky if you get a "pat on the ***,", and Thanks for helping. I'm a bit selfish, as I want some of that money I made for someone else. I think I'm worth it.:asian:

Next issue, which is damn near impossible to do. Get rid of the politics, get rid of the people around the ring,(especially the instructors of the competitors) have a firm set of rules, and a Tourney director to run it w/o having everyone, and their Uncle gripe about the rulings.

 

[jakmak52]

I fequently partipate in the NASKA circuit here in Florida and love it. You can do a wide variety of divisions:Forms (Traditional,creative, and musical), board breaking, self - defense, team sparring (both point & continous with moderate to heavy contact) a little something for everybody.

 

[chinto01]

I have gone back and forth on this and have come to the conclusion that the bad that comes from tournaments outweighs the good. Tournaments go against everything that the martial arts is and breeds egos. There have been a couple of tournaments in the past I have enjoyed but on a whole they leave alot to be desired.

 

[Gary Crawford]

I like tournaments for the most part.When I was a Kenpo student back in the seventies,I didn't compete much,mainly because the Bay Area in California at the time had some racial problems with the large mix of Mexicans and Philopino's,so because so many tournaments got really ugly,I probably went to one or two a year,which was a shame since there were so many tournaments going on there.I did go and watch quite a bit,but always maintained a clear view on an exit!LOL. When my son started Teakwondo and wanted to compete,I just decided that tournaments will always have problems and we were going to do our best and accept whatever results we get and there was no way that I was going to be anything like a typical baseball parent and stage any protests.I didn't want to embarras my son.That worked better than expected.Yes, we did feel like we got screwed a couple times,but since we were going to so many tournaments,it wasn't a big deal when it happened.Doing the tournament thing did allot for my son's ability and how intensly HE wanted to train.It was because he had so much fun doing it.He loved winning and didn't take it too bad when he got beat,in fact it motivated him even more.We made several good freinds going to tournaments.We were given opportunities to train at some other schools which made him REALLY good.I'd say if you have the oportunities to compete,do it.It's a super learning experience.

 

[Patrick Skerry]

I enjoy watching Karate tournaments. But as a Judo practitioner, it is a common malady that if the referee is the sensei of your opponent, you're going to lose.

Bad calls and poor judgements are rife within Judo tournaments, and a lot of people have left Judo because they get annoyed at paying an entrance fee just to lose to a bad call.

But because I am not aware of the internal dynamics of a karate match, I don't perceive this while I'm watching two karateka's compete.

 

[Mark70Z]

I liked Gary's response to the post. I agree when you go into a tournament with the attitude that whatever results happen...happen. Of course this is a little tough to take at times, and most organizations have specific rules for protest. If you go to particular tournaments and they are always bad, don't go to those.

My son is 13 and really has learned to be a good sport whether it's a win or loss. He has made "several" friends, that are not in the same school, that we hang around with. Also, several of the young people that go to his school compete, so we just have a good day enjoying the tournament together.

 

[gyaku-zuki queen]

ok.. tournaments.
my life without ever have gone to a karate tournament would have been totally different. (scary to think about it)

sure you get the ocasional shotty judging, and it costs alot, but in my opinion, you get to show what you've learned, and make new friends.

personally, ive put in alot for tournaments. meaning cash. ive spent over 500 dollars on the top of the line kumite gear (WKF aproved addidas gloves, WKF addidas shin gaurds, special kumite gi (arawaza onyx) nice kata gi (arawaza topaz) double mouth gaurd, and the chest protector mandatory at some international tournaments) then the travelling costs to get halfway across the country, and to south america... .. along with all the time spent training to qualify for big NKA WKF sanctioned tournaments, you would think, is it worth it? .. id say yes. the friends ive made are unbeliveable. the memories i'll never forget.

.. that my input on karate tournaments :boing2:

 

[Vadim]

Tournaments are fun to watch and to compete in. It gives you a chance to actually use your techniques in a different environment rather then your own dojo and you get to meet new people.

-Vadim

 

[RanaHarmamelda]

Personally -- I find a well-run tournament to be a lot of fun, as long as everyone treats it like it is -- a sporting event. The refs, the judges, the competitors, the spectators -- as long as they remember that this is *MERELY* a sporting event, tournaments can be a lot of fun.

Course, if anyone forgets that, it gets nasty -- but that's no different than LIttle League Baseball, or whatnot. Any time someone takes something like that too seriously, the fun goes away.

 

[ShotoSan]

Bring on the tournament, its a good way to get all sorts of people together, and discover the flaws of the art. I enjoy seeing other members of Shotokan preform a kata, and see that is different, so Ill ask about it... Im pretty sure that there are 10 different styles to Shotokan.

 

[samuri-man]

two simple words: go tounies

 

[dmdfromhamilton]

Love em. They are so fun! Specialy Sparring! however i don't like it when ppl think they are better than you cause they placed 1st in a lower division
and you placed only 2nd in a division with more ppl and one up from them.

 

[SammyB57]

Personally -- I find a well-run tournament to be a lot of fun, as long as everyone treats it like it is -- a sporting event. The refs, the judges, the competitors, the spectators -- as long as they remember that this is *MERELY* a sporting event, tournaments can be a lot of fun.

Course, if anyone forgets that, it gets nasty -- but that's no different than LIttle League Baseball, or whatnot. Any time someone takes something like that too seriously, the fun goes away.

I was at a grappling tournament once and it was a kids match. The kids were probably around 6 or 7. Their coach was screaming like a lunatick, reminiscent of Bobby Knight. It was ridicolous. Needless to say, he was ejected.

I don't see what the big deal about winning is. Winning is fun but one of the best things about losing in tournaments is it opens your eyes to what you can do better and improve upon. It's WIN/WIN!

 

[thepanjr]

i like them beacuse they allways make you want to train more on the katas or sparring. It is a great experience. You may meet a old friend that you didnt know he goes to karate

 

[tshadowchaser]

As has been said befor old friends, and meeting new ones is always a part of tournaments. Old enemys also show up.
Learning what you can do in sparring against someone you don't know helps everyone involved to learn more.
The other side of the coin is the egos that can be seen at tournaments

 

[searcher]

I find that they are a good way to see how you stack up against others of a simlar rank from other schools. They test you mentally by taking you out of your element and puttiing you in front of a large group of strangers who will be nit-picking your techniques. They also allow you to see how other styles do things and how to distinguish between them. It is a great overall experience. I give them two thumbs up.

 

[thepanjr]

I just attended a tournament like last week and it was so fun. all those people and i got shocked how many green belts in the tournament.iT was so amazing.I did pretty good. Tournements have a lot of people to meet.Now im rerady for the next year tournament. It doesnt matter if winning or losing but just to have fun. that what my teacher says. C ya