First Tourament, I want to win.. advice?

[Knifehand]

I am going to a Tang Soo Do tournament in march. Point based system. I'll be an orange belt when i go. Is there anything i need to know before i enter?

 

[TigerWoman]

I don't do TSD but if I were you I would find out all the rules for sure if you are doing sparring. If you are doing forms, know how to address the judges and warm up well. If you are doing breaking, know what breaks you are doing and practice a couple of weeks before. Good luck and enjoy your tournament!~ TW

 

[Knifehand]

I don't do TSD but if I were you I would find out all the rules for sure if you are doing sparring. If you are doing forms, know how to address the judges and warm up well. If you are doing breaking, know what breaks you are doing and practice a couple of weeks before. Good luck and enjoy your tournament!~ TW

I forgot to mention, i am sparring. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Blindside]

Everything will depend on your rules but work on:
Non-telegraphic lead hand jab/backfist/vertical punch
backhand reverse punch/cross
lead leg wheel kick to the body/groin
fade-away/defensive sidekick

Oh, and a good sense of timing is important....

Lamont

 

[Knifehand]

Everything will depend on your rules but work on:
Non-telegraphic lead hand jab/backfist/vertical punch
backhand reverse punch/cross
lead leg wheel kick to the body/groin
fade-away/defensive sidekick

Oh, and a good sense of timing is important....

Lamont

How do you work on non telegraphic movements?

 

[terryl965]

I am going to a Tang Soo Do tournament in march. Point based system. I'll be an orange belt when i go. Is there anything i need to know before i enter?

First off 1st tournament or not Have FUN, the tournament scene is about fun until to reach advance belt level your instrinct will kick in as soon as they say go. Take plenty of pictures for tou can never go back to the first ball over again.

 

[Danjo]

It's called "Sparking" among other things. It's the ability to shoot off a move without pulling back first or doing some other kind of signal that you are about to throw a particular move. Relaxation is the key to doing this. Also, another tip: stick to the moves that will give you easy points, i.e., backfists, jumping hammer fists to the top of the head, high roundhouse kicks to the head. Make sure that you throw the moves where the judge can see them. Nothing is more frustrating than to get a move in and have the judge miss it because he was on the other side from where you threw the technique. Chuck Norris, one of your fellow TSD practitioners and one of the best tournement fighters ever, wrote a whole book on this called "Winning Tournement Karate" He gives a boatload of tips and training strategies. One more thing: Make a show of blocking everything that is thrown at you, at least in a snappy quick way. It really sucks when a technique missed you by a mile but the judge gave the other guy a point anyways. If you throw up a block, he usually will not call it for your opponent. At orange belt, in many tourneys, they seem to want to see control of technique, so they may be giving points for things that missed, but seemed "well controlled" that's why you want to make a show of blocking. Kiyi loudly when you throw something in. That way the judges will notice it. Well, that's all the tips I can think of right now. Get Norris' book. Good luck.

 

[Blindside]

How do you work on non telegraphic movements?

A simple drill is to have a training partner stand just beyond your lead hand reach. He holds his hand (or a focus mitt) up by his head. Your job is to hit his hand, his job is to watch you and retract his hand as soon as he reads you move. Start either still or moving slightly. Assuming that you are not hitting regularly, your partner should be watching you and telling you what is cueing his retraction. "You are pulling back your hand, you are stepping before your hand moves, your body is leaning, your elbow is dropping." As you get better at this move the target further and further away.

Oh, and with the lead hand the weapon (hand) moves before your body does. The standard tournament backfist is hand, body, feet, in order of movement.

You can do this with any of the lead weapons, backfist, front kick, wheel kick, etc.

Danjo is completly correct, go, have fun, talk with the other competitors out there, meet your peers.

Lamont

 

[Vadim]

Hi Knifehand! Best of luck to you at your tournament. As others have said be relaxed and have fun. Get plenty of rest before the day of the event and drink alot of fluids to keep you hydrated.

-Vadim

 

[Touch Of Death]

I would forget about winning. Just go, have fun, Keep your mind open, and above all watch and learn. Rather than hanging your self esteem on winning and losing, relish the oportunity to see how the other schools differ, try new moves against new opponents, and just plain make new friends.
Sean

 

[Sin]

Remmeber, its all in good fun and don't let your emotions get hte best of you, and be sure to warm up.

 

[Knifehand]

Thanks guys, i appreciate all the advice. I'll let you know how i do.

 

[MJS]

Good luck at the tourny!! Please let us know how you do!!

You have already received some excellent advice. One thing to keep in mind though, like TOD said...go and have a good time!! Even if you don't place, at least you will have the exp. of a tourny under your belt. The more sparring you do, the more you enter, etc. the better you'll become!!

Have fun!!!

Mike