Getting Ready for the Tournament

[Lynne]

Our tournament is this weekend. In class this week, we are going to be practicing the form we are performing in the tournament as well as sparring. I'm going to try and attend classes everyday this week.

As far as the boardbreaking goes, I'm going to see if I can break 3 boards with my elbow and two with a hammerstrike at home. I really can't practice kicks because I don't think my husband and daughter can hold the boards steady for me. So, I probably will just attempt one board with a front kick at the tournament.

The only thing I'm "nervous" about is the form. I haven't done Chil-Sung E Ro-Hyung long enough to have muscle memory. What's the worst thing that could happen? Hmmm...I could forget what I'm doing in the middle of the form! Ahhhh! I'm sure that happens. Try to keep the martial arts eyes going I guess - ignore any and all distractions.

I'm not sure how the sparring goes. I don't know how many rounds we will spar or if I might end up sparring against my own classmates. I'd prefer to spart against someone I don't know. How does that work? Anyone know?

 

[MBuzzy]

For boardbreaking - if you're practicing at home....I suggest getting the boards from a Martial arts supplier or from the school. Boards with too many knots, too much sap, or the wrong grain can be MUCH harder to break.

As for sparring, it will almost definately be broken down by rank, but every tournament is different. I'd ask your instructor how it works.

 

[cdunn]

Check your packet of info with the schedule, but you'll be in Women's 'Beginner' division, white through orange belts, not sure what age brackets will be for you.

You'll go one 2 minute round with whomever they match you with - typically, they'll try to put you with someone from another school, but sometimes it doesn't work out, if one school has a lot of representation in a particular bracket. Single elimination, you win, you fight the next person. Check the packet for your allowable techniques, typically it's any closed hand to the body, any kick to the body or side of the head. I think Master R is allowing open hands (and sweeps in the upper division).

 

[terryl965]

Just remember to have fun, the whole thing is to have fun. Everything else will just fall into place.

 

[Lynne]

Check your packet of info with the schedule, but you'll be in Women's 'Beginner' division, white through orange belts, not sure what age brackets will be for you.

You'll go one 2 minute round with whomever they match you with - typically, they'll try to put you with someone from another school, but sometimes it doesn't work out, if one school has a lot of representation in a particular bracket. Single elimination, you win, you fight the next person. Check the packet for your allowable techniques, typically it's any closed hand to the body, any kick to the body or side of the head. I think Master R is allowing open hands (and sweeps in the upper division).

Last night, I talked with someone who has been to tournaments and she said there was no way to know how many sparring matches I'd have, that it depends upon how many people show up. I might even end up in another age group. I was just curious. I didn't know if we'd have one round or 6. I see there are lots of variables.

 

[Lynne]

Just remember to have fun, the whole thing is to have fun. Everything else will just fall into place.

The only thing I was nervous about was my form. It's too early to have muscle memory and it's a long form with lots of room to make mistakes (Chil Sung). I feel more comfortable with the form now and keep visualizing it.

I want to have fun. I don't care about winning but I care about doing a good job.

 

[JWLuiza]

Last night, I talked with someone who has been to tournaments and she said there was no way to know how many sparring matches I'd have, that it depends upon how many people show up. I might even end up in another age group. I was just curious. I didn't know if we'd have one round or 6. I see there are lots of variables.

From what he said, it seems like you have one round per person you fight. The first round will be those that don't get byes. The number of fights here will bring the remaining fighters down to a power of 2 (so 2, 4, 8, 16, etc). So for example, if there are 9 people that enter, 7 will get byes and two will fight to stay in. After that fight, you'll have 8 people. After the next full round, you'll have four. That round will determine who fights for 1st/2nd and 3rd/4th place.

So you have rounds describing how much you fight one person (Seems like one round, and if point fighting below black belt, safe to assume this is true) and rounds describing how many total fights there are. And this is determined by the nearest power of 2 to the total fighter population

Extra Trivia: If the placings go down to 3rd and/or 4th place, the total NUMBER of fights will always equal the number of fighters in the tournament. If only the first and second place are crowned, total number of fights equals the number of fighters - 1.
The end.

 

[Lynne]

From what he said, it seems like you have one round per person you fight. The first round will be those that don't get byes. The number of fights here will bring the remaining fighters down to a power of 2 (so 2, 4, 8, 16, etc). So for example, if there are 9 people that enter, 7 will get byes and two will fight to stay in. After that fight, you'll have 8 people. After the next full round, you'll have four. That round will determine who fights for 1st/2nd and 3rd/4th place.

So you have rounds describing how much you fight one person (Seems like one round, and if point fighting below black belt, safe to assume this is true) and rounds describing how many total fights there are. And this is determined by the nearest power of 2 to the total fighter population

Extra Trivia: If the placings go down to 3rd and/or 4th place, the total NUMBER of fights will always equal the number of fighters in the tournament. If only the first and second place are crowned, total number of fights equals the number of fighters - 1.
The end.

Makes sense, thank you very much. Looks like awards will be 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places. I'll be in the senior division, 36 years of age and up unless they need to combine divisions. I hear that over 400 people are attending so one would think I'd have plenty of sparring partners in my age range, too.

 

[Lynne]

For boardbreaking - if you're practicing at home....I suggest getting the boards from a Martial arts supplier or from the school. Boards with too many knots, too much sap, or the wrong grain can be MUCH harder to break.

As for sparring, it will almost definately be broken down by rank, but every tournament is different. I'd ask your instructor how it works.

I bought them from my school. My daughter picked them out, looking for straight grains, few knots, and lightweight.

I've yet to practice this week. But I will lest I forget the techniques.

 

[jks9199]

The only thing I was nervous about was my form. It's too early to have muscle memory and it's a long form with lots of room to make mistakes (Chil Sung). I feel more comfortable with the form now and keep visualizing it.

I want to have fun. I don't care about winning but I care about doing a good job.

Whatever you do -- don't stop while you're doing your form. If you get stuck, just do something. You can often gloss over a missed technique or two if you don't stop and call attention to the mistakes.

 

[FieldDiscipline]

Whatever you do -- don't stop while you're doing your form. If you get stuck, just do something. You can often gloss over a missed technique or two if you don't stop and call attention to the mistakes.

Now that is a top tip. Too much muscle memory can be your undoing. I've done the wrong thing before because I wasnt thinking enough about it. A wrong block in front of a masters grading panel. Dont let it faze you and carry on like it never happened as JKS says.

 

[JWLuiza]

Now that is a top tip. Too much muscle memory can be your undoing. I've done the wrong thing before because I wasnt thinking enough about it. A wrong block in front of a masters grading panel. Dont let it faze you and carry on like it never happened as JKS says.

The worse is when you realize all the forms have moves that link them together...

I'm working on Bassai Dai and Sho, Kanku Dai and Sho... and the Pinans are involved in them... so if I don't pay attention I can end up somewhere else than the form I want to be doing!

Lynne, we'd all love to see video of the tournament!!! Good luck.

 

[jks9199]

The worse is when you realize all the forms have moves that link them together...

I'm working on Bassai Dai and Sho, Kanku Dai and Sho... and the Pinans are involved in them... so if I don't pay attention I can end up somewhere else than the form I want to be doing!

Lynne, we'd all love to see video of the tournament!!! Good luck.

Don't remind me...

I've done sets from 3 different forms at different points while trying to demonstrate one form!

And then there was the time I walked out at a tournament, announced my form... and promptly, performed a different one! Fortunately, it was an open tournament, so the judges didn't know I'd screwed up!

 

[Lynne]

I think it's very likely I will mess up this form. I will try to stay cool. I'm not sure I can remember all the bowing and coming to attention either as far as remembering things go!

I think it would be very easy to do reverse punches up the middle instead of side punches or to forget to do middle knife blocks in a back stance. I'm so programmed to do a low block and then a reverse punch.

So, don't stop. I did that tonight when practicing in class. It was two of us practicing as if it were the tournament and I just froze. I will do my best to gracefully slide into something else.

I also have a tendency to get ahead of myself when I'm nervous.

 

[JWLuiza]

Don't remind me...

I've done sets from 3 different forms at different points while trying to demonstrate one form!

And then there was the time I walked out at a tournament, announced my form... and promptly, performed a different one! Fortunately, it was an open tournament, so the judges didn't know I'd screwed up!

That's how gojyushiho dai and sho switched places in shotokan Some really high up guy did that.... everyone else followed...

 

[Lynne]

My daughter and I both have a low-grade fever. I feel ok but tired - dry coughing is keeping me up all night long. We went to the weapons competition tonight and it was so hot my daughter became very ill. When we got home, I took her temperature and it was 99.8.

We seem to have some kind of upper respiratory thing.

I hope we can make it tomorrow. Otherwise, I've been nervous for nothing!