When choosing tournaments.......

[TigerWoman]

Hi, I know this was for kenpo stylists but it was interesting! I am a TKD judge and we don't hiss! But we do yell from our diaphragm upon certain punches or strikes. But I have found karate stylists yell hiyah AND hiss much more! So our master made us start to do it at every strike now - hard to get used to!
(TKD viewpoint) I like open matches too. We had kung fu stylists last time - hard to judge - but the form was beautiful to watch. We judge on power, balance difficulty etc. more than on knowing the specific moves. The kung fu guy won.

 

[Rob Broad]

I had volunteered to referree at an up coming open tournament put on by a TKD club where my mother lives 8 hours away, the host was very pleased to hear I was going to travel to help out at teh event. About a week after I talked to him on teh phone I recieved my referees package that stated that I had to wear a white uniform, or a business suit to be a judge atthe event. I gave him a call, and he said that is the Korean way, and if I wanted to be there I had follow his rules or I could by a ticket and watch from the stands and where whatever I wanted.

Needless to say I am a little irked. Years ago when he first started hosting tournaments I attend everyone of them and brought as many students as I could each year. Now that I live 8 hours away and no longer have a school in that city he is being a real jerk. Even though he is hosting an open tournament the rukes are TKD rules (that I can handle) every competitor must wear a white uniform ( big smelly pile of crap) and he want all competitors to be able to present in Korean. I thnk the guy has losthis mind, and he has lost me as a ref, and lost a lot fo good competitors because of his rules this year.

 

[OC Kid]

I used to be a tournament fighting fool. In the 80's we would drive and fight in 3-4 tournaments a weekend. Seriously , The oldies here will remember that Im sure.
Ive trained at Mr. Bob Whites school, Mr. Dick Willets school under Mr. Todd McEhenney,People such as Terry Crook, John "Big T" Turnage, The bird "Chicken Gabriel", Ray Leal , Steve Rice , Chris Romero, Jim McClure, Ken Firestone, Jim Muse, Bruce Leamer and others (go back and check some old mags from that period and you'll know what Im talking about.

But now I look back on it differently. I used to fight in just about every type of tourneys from JKA to EP Internationals. I would travel and have fought in every major tournament from Mexico into Vancouver B.C. What have I learned????

Competitors
The open tournaments players are not so much fighting based on style ie Kempo, TKD ect. They are based more on training specifically for tournaments. It doesnt matter what school or style your from as you would go to the best fighting school around and train with the other tournament players. Then at the schools the competition there is fearcely competitive. Fights breaking out during practice point matches, egos flaring unbelieveable.
Now its all about sponsor ship and sponsored teams, its hard for a individual competitor to compete.

Open tourneys the players from sponsored teams have a great advantage. they will get most of the opints called because they are very well known by the judges and the sponsors kick alot of money to promoters ect.

TKD tourney I found the Korean judges to be biased in their point calling. If your not TKD you cant buya point. I actually walked out of ring from being a side judge once because the center judge (korean and the only one who can call points in a TKD tourney) refused to acknowledge my point calling.

JKA pretty much the same way except substitue kick for reverse punch

The rules have changed to where they call 3 point head shots (kicks to head) 2 poiints kicks above the waist they say groin kicks are allowed but they dont called them. Punches and strikes 1 point. but they all different and the rules are applied based on the judges experiance.

My boy wants to go to one this week end. Mr. Dave Brock (well known EPAK Kempo instructor and tourney player( B/B HOF and 5 time International champ) has told me my son should clean up his division.

Mr.Brocks school is where Jack Felton #1 under 18 B/B tourney fighter in the country trains ( Hes sponsored also) and Mr.Brock has another youngin who is #3 in Green belt on the circuit 8 y.o.
So Mr.Brock should know my boys ability. But do I want to get him caught up in that mess.????
He wants to go but I dont know Im still thinking about it.
(Im my boys instructor and we train alone in my back yard but occasionally go to Daves (Mr. Brock) school for him to get some sparring practice). So Im must be doing ok. But he is a great athlete and Im proud of him. Ive taught him the warrior spirit from day one. At first he didnt really trust the old man but after 2 jr. cholos(spanish slang for gang bangers) were messing with him and he took one out and the other one ran away, not only do they notmess with him but He trust the old man..:>)

 

[parkerkarate]

I had prefered open tournaments until ths last one I went to a few months ago. I went to do Long form 5 and I was stuck in the Creative devision. So there were people flying all over the place, of course I got last place with a 9.7 because I do not do any jumps. All the upper balck belts know what I am talking about because there is no jumping in any of our forms unless you are talking about Staff Set.

 

[Blindside]

It sounds like you were in the wrong division, is that the fault of it being an open tournament, the promoter, the person at the desk who sorted the cards, or you?

Lamont

 

[Nightingale]

sounds like you should've entered regular forms/kata. Creative/showmanship is almost always fancy stuff to music.

 

[8253]

If i were to attend a tournament, i believe that i would prefer a Kenpo only tournament. I have been to several open tournaments but i find it hard to spar for points against a different style. If it were full contact an open would be ok, but i dont do to good when it comes to point sparing.

 

[Kenpobuff]

I like to attend Open tournaments since you have the opportunity to put Kenpo up against other styles in the Karate community. Obviously there is bias among the judges but that comes with the nature of the game. However, if your forms or fighting is solid it shows to anyone watching and will be judged accordingly.