Who competes, and in what?

[Sensei Tom O'Brien]

I'm 59 yrs. old now so I limit my competition to kata (indiv. & team), self-defense, kobudo and breaking. When I was younger I only did kumite. I won a bronze medal in the Nationl AAU Karate tournament (long time ago-1981), but I realized I missed a lot by not doing kata. Now I let the younger guys beat each other up and I judge. No matter what type of competition you do, I think it makes you work harder and makes you sharper.
Thanks,
Sensei Tom

 

[kuntawguro]

I compete in everything I can. What better way to test reaction times, action under pressure, one point kill, and to test yourself- endurance?
I am 57 years old and I compete in point fighting, stick fighting, forms, weapons, self defense, any rules they set- I follow.

Tournaments are a great way to meet new people, new styles, and different ideas. If you are a gun collector and all you do is polish your guns, what good are they in a time of defense? How do you know they will fire? If you collect guns and just cleaned them on a regular basis- how do you know they would actually fire. And if all you did was shoot at a static target how would you know if you could hit a moving target? You take them to a shooting range, you sight them in. You may even set up targets to test your ability. Moving targets test your timing. Hogan’s Alley ranges put you under a little bit of pressure to shoot only when needed and at the right targets. If you take the guns hunting, you have a chance to put all aspects of your skills into effect.


Tournaments give you a chance to hone your skills of timing, focus, controlling anger, controlling power in a controlled (somewhat) environment. How do you know a technique will work unless you use it in an environment other than your classroom training? In a tournament you are going against another style anew opponent and you are under pressure to not fail. Many Martial arts instructors keep their students from competing citing the inaccurate realism of actual combat. True, it isn’t real fighting but, it is against most arts philosophies to actually fight. Other than going into a bar and picking a fight, how do you do this? This can be a trial run so to speak of your abilities. By attending a tournament, you learn to go up against an unknown in a controlled environment. Without the fear of getting hurt. The only other way to test your skill s would be to start a fight and that is not allowed. Trophies earned in competition also help you to develop self worth as well.

1. You get the chance to test your timing, accuracy, control, and defensive tactics in a controlled setting.​

2. You get to exchange ideas and techniques with people with similar interests.​

3. There is a chance to get recognition of your ability by winning.​

My last tournament- first in forms, first in weapons, and first in fighting- Grand master trophy for total points. Keeps me young and able
​

 

[kuntawguro]

I read somewhere a translation of karate Instructors language-

"We don't compete in tournaments" = we don't do well in tournaments
" I don't do point sparring" = I don't do well in point sparring
" I don't do forms"= I don't do forms well

If there was a good reason for not doing well at a karate type tournament such as " they don't know our forms" I would do terrible because I am a filipino stylist competing against TKD, Karate, Kempo, and Isshin ryu- yet I do quite well. So, I take that as this- either I have shown form, focus , speed, power in my forms to the point that the judges cannot deny it- or they are so intimidated by me that they just give me the points- I think not. So- I don't even listen to people who say- I didn't win because I was not TKD-Karate or...... you didn't win because someone else was better. Plain and simple. There are those tournaments out there where they play favorites- but they are the exception, not the rule.
Just my 2 pesos

 

[kuntawguro]

There is a 2 way sword- how to effectively train to fight without getting hurt. How to realistically train for real life?
The only real way to train against a knife is to train with real knives- everything else is close- but no cigar.


Tournaments allow you that margin of safety. the unknown, the sense of immediecy that class room sparring matches dull.

There are arts that train to kill, maim, or do major damage but if you don't temper the training to allow for a step back from all or nothing- you remove the honor aspect inherant in "MOST" MA systems. There are that 10 percent that are all or nothing with no code of ethics or concern for the law of the land, but the majority of arts have a code oe moral guide that they follow.

I prefer the reality fight, but I do not care for the balls to the wall mentality that some have. Just as i would not get into a dragster and go down a 1/4 mile track without a roll cage and a firesuit. I prefer the feeling that there is some level of saftey there. ( I have to show up with a pretty face at work monday morning- or I won't have a job and I have a very strong concern of my own mortality- I'm not 22 anymore- I know I am not as invincable as I was when I was younger)

In some TKD tournaments you are allowed to kick the head but not punch to the head, some tourneys the groin is a valid target, some it is not. I do not see where a kick is more easily controlled to the face/head and if you are going to kick to the head on the street- you had better be able to protect your groin. Whatever the rules- tourneys force you to adapt your fighting style. Too bad there isn't an airsoft version of MA.

just my 2 pesos

 

[Shogun]

I compete in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu competitions, Gi and Nogi, but I'd like to do Judo comps.

 

[Dave Leverich]

TMA TKD forms, Weapon kata, point sparring, more recently going into MMA training with BJJ and greco-roman+boxing (aka, mma/cage fighting).

I miss breaking comps though, we don't seem to have many of those on the west coast north.

 

[Rob Broad]

I like primarily competing in forms, weapons forms, sparring, and self defense,,

 

[Brandon Fisher]

I used to compete and when I did I competed in Self-Defense divisions, kata and weapons, however the self-defense divisions were the big one for me. Now the flash is taking center stage and I am getting a bit soured on it.

However we still go to tournaments and my students do well. They compete in self-defense, kata, weapons, kumite, and breaking (when available).

 

[fireman00]

I used to compete in Olympic sparring with my old school (6 clubs in NJ/NY). After moving and joining my new home and now I do AAU local and national tournaments... forms and point sparring. I'd love to get back into Olympic sparring but first need to drop another 10 pounds to get into middleweight... fighting in the heavyweight class with guys that are 6 inches taller (read longer arm and leg reach) tends to get old REAL quick.

 

[Zero]

Primary school and beginning high school it was judo locally. Throughout highschool it was TKD. I then competed nationally and in Europe under full contact karate, and have had several MT and kickboxing fights for the added experience and to be able to execute punches to the head which is not permitted under kyokoshin and many full contact karate and kumite rules. I have fought twice in Japan but only as a guest and not in a national tournament.

I also competed regionally in mma but have not fought competitively for 2 years, after a long healing injury (arm bar I could not get out of and stupidly did not tap out of in time followed by a weights session the next day, not realising I was injured = pop!) and relocating to a time consuming job. Now I am healed and my hours are, for the moment, more manageable so I am hitting the weights hard every lunch, running 4 mornings a week, working the heavy bag in the garage and training with an ex national boxing champion. I really want to compete in a couple more, at least, mma tournaments and some more stand up as I, like some others here : ) feel the clock is ticking on my time fighting in the ring.

 

[JadeDragon3]

I used to compete on the North American Sport Karate Association (NASKA) circuit (back in the day, late 80's early 90's) and the Regional Sport Karate Association (RSKA). I haven't competed in a long time. I'm going to try to get back into it this year if things aren't so polital like they were back then. And if I'm not to old (34 yrs old). I competed both regionally and natioanally. I was ranked #6 in my region for fighting. I competed in sparring and forms, never really liked weapons. I competed at tournaments like Capital City in Washington D.C., Bluegrass Nationals in Louisville, AKA Grand Nationals in Chicago, Battle of Atlanta, and many regional tournaments in KY, TN, OH, IN, Missouri, Illinois. Ilike point sparring although it has become more of a game of tag now days. If you barely touch somebody they call it a point where back when I competed in the late 80's you had to make contact with the person (and I mean make contact). It wasn't any of this flip flop tag your it B.S.. It was rough and tough. IMO most of todays point sparring competitors would get killed in a real street fight. But I still like point fighting. It teaches a lot of thing. It teaches sportsmanship, gives self confidence to the competitor, and gives them a look at where thier skill level is compared to others that are near the same rank and age. It's just an overall positive (most of the time) atmosphere.

 

[Dagney Taggert]

Jiu Jitsu! My husband told me I am getting obsessed.

 

[Stac3y]

My style is American Karate. I compete in empty hand forms, weapons forms (tessen), and point sparring.

I compete in one NASKA tournament a year (the one sponsored by my org.) in 40 & up point sparring and 30 & up traditional/creative forms (women's). I will probably do weapons at the one this year.

I also compete in about 10 tournaments each year that are sanctioned by a statewide organization. Last year I was highest point earner in my region in Intermediate Executive Women's forms and sparring and tied for highest points earned in my region for team kata. I placed 3rd in the state in Intermediate Exec Women's forms and sparring at the state championships.

My school (which is huge--about 500 kids and maybe 150 adults) holds 4 tournaments a year. I just ranked up to brown belt, and placed first at my first tournament in the advanced division in empty hand forms, weapons forms, and point sparring.

Wow, I compete a lot. I didn't realize just how much until I wrote it down. I enjoy competition, and I think learning to manage that adrenaline rush when competing is a good way to help teach yourself to stay levelheaded in an emergency.

 

[JadeDragon3]

I compete in one NASKA tournament a year (the one sponsored by my org.) in 40 & up point sparring and 30 & up traditional/creative forms (women's). I will probably do weapons at the one this year.

What NASKA tournament do you compete at? I used to do the NASKA circuit when I competed. My favorites were The Bluegrass Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky and the Capital City Classic in Washington, D.C.

I also competed at the AKA Grand Nationals in Chicago, Ill, Battle of Atlanta, and U.S. Open in Florida. These are the tournaments that I competed at each year. I never did go to the NASKA tournaments up north or out in California. That was to far to travel.

I did some regional tournaments as well. Some of them were the Rising Star Championships and The Battle of the Mason Dixon.

 

[Stac3y]

What NASKA tournament do you compete at?

The LoneStar Open in Texas. It's new; this is only the 2nd year. Last year it was a state level NASKA tournament; this year it's one of the NASKA World Tour events.

The "regional" organization whose tourneys I attend is the Amateur Organization of Karate; it's really a Texas organization, but Texas is so big I consider it to be its own region.

 

[futabachan]

I compete in naginata (both shiai and engi) and kendo (tournament on Saturday!). I'll even compete in iaido when tournaments crop up; there seems to be about one of those a year around here.

When I studied empty-handed arts (TKD), I competed in point fighting (which I did less well in since we did heavy contact drills within our school, which teach very different habits), forms, weapons, breaking, and sometimes choreographed self-defense and synchronized team forms.

 

[Fiendlover]

I usually compete in the weapons divison. I almost always compete with the sais because their my favorite weapon.

 

[tallgeese]

Way back when, I competed in shootfighting and amateur MMA. Now, I recently got back into the competitive side of things again after years away. However, now it's just grappling tournys for me at this point.

 

[Ironcrane]

I use to compete in point sparing, and forms, a long, long time ago, doing Goju-Ryu. I have four 1st place trophies, one 2ed place, and 1 3rd place. I got all four first place trophies, because I was the only one who was there to compete in my divisions. I got my second place trophy in forms compatation, against actual opponents. And thrid place for point sparing.

That last trohpy really gratted on my nerves, because I would have done better, but the judges stopped calling my points part way through the match. Also noted out of spite that I was sparing against one of their own students.

I was also in another point sparing match, where I was bumped up into the next division, because I once again had no one to compete against. I was a yellow belt at the time, and my opponent had a purple sash. She completely destoryed me in that match, and went on to take 2ed place. First place winner was also a girl.

She beat me mostly because I was afraid of sparing against someone who was such a higher rank then me. It also came to my attention later that day, that I was being made fun of, for that match. Sometimes it still gets under my skin, since I could have done so much better then I did that day.

And, I also was going to compete at a Tae Kwon Do Tournament, but had to sit that one out, as I was recovering from lung surgery at that time. That was an experience that caused me to turn my nose down at Tae Kwon Do for awhile.

 

[Steve]

I compete in BJJ. Strictly gi. I don't like no-gi.