Competition is exciting! I really enjoy getting to go and see a bunch of other martial artists hanging out and encouraging one another. It is also inspiring! There are many different styles and skill levels displayed at martial arts tournaments. Regardless of your style, going to a tournament is likely to open your eyes to new levels of skill and understanding. I recently competed in a tournament near San-Antonio TX and, as usual, I learned a LOT from my experience. In this post, I’ll share some of the things I learned and maybe they can help you at your next tournament!
1. It isn’t just what you train that matters. It is how you train it!
Honestly, this was my biggest lesson from the tournament. You see, I was scheduled to compete in a kickboxing style match. I’d been preparing for it by training specific skills and movements that I planned on using. However, I had been practicing those skills at a significantly slower pace than I was planning on using them in tournament. Part of it was that I didn’t want to push my training partners too hard, part of it was overconfidence in my ability to scale certain skills. When I jumped into the ring, the first round against my opponent went well. I learned a few things about his fighting style, and I figured out that a front kick (teep) to the body would be an effective tool. Even though I had been practicing the skill for a long time, I hadn’t practiced it at high speed for accuracy. Unfortunately, this oversight ended poorly for my opponent. I threw the kick with plenty of speed and power but lacked control. The result was that I hit my opponent directly in the nose with the ball of my foot. Fortunately, I didn’t break his nose, but I was disqualified from the round for kicking to the face. When I got back to the dojang that next week, I spent a fair amount of time working on throwing the same kick with accuracy and speed!
2. Too much stuff can be an unnecessary burden.
During the most recent tournament that I attended, I was competing in 3 different divisions: Weapons forms, Empty hand Forms, and Kickboxing. For the weapons form, I wanted to wear a traditional karate gi because I thought it would bring the best score. For the empty hand form, I was competing in Korean forms, so I wanted a traditional dobok. For the kickboxing match, I just needed a rashguard shirt and uniform pants. However, I also needed a bo (staff) and my sparring gear. All that together was a significant amount of equipment and clothing to carry around. In the end, I only used one of the uniforms. If you are going to compete, try to limit the number of “wardrobe” changes that you need. Also, consider purchasing weapons that can be broken down into smaller pieces (unless you are using a small weapon). Between my equipment and my family’s snacks, water, etc. we realized we brought way too much stuff.
3. Don’t stress, just do your best.
During the preparations for this event, I became pretty nervous. I trained hard, but for at least one of the divisions I didn’t exactly know what to expect. On the day of the event, I was really keyed up and so I wasn’t able to enjoy my surroundings as much as I should have. When we get overly nervous about something, we tend to shell up and ignore others or we become snappy and unkind. Neither of these is helpful, and being stressed for long periods of time is exhausting. Do your best to prepare, then sit back and enjoy the journey. Use your energy on the mats, not worrying about them!
4. Having a support team is FUN!
In past events, I have been concerned about having others from my school and from my family there to observe. I think mostly that stemmed from pride. I didn’t want them to see me perform poorly. This particular event fell on a date that made it possible for me to take the whole family. We made a weekend of it and had some fun together after the tournament. It was a great bonding time! Not only that, it was also a comfort for me to have my family there with me. We were able to have conversations and watch events together. Having them there helped to distract me a bit from the nerves of competing. My wife made a great sounding board after the tournament so I could discuss what I experienced vs what it looked like from the outside. I highly recommend having a coach and some friends or family with you when you go to compete. It makes the experience much more pleasant and memorable!
Whether you are a first-time competitor, or a seasoned veteran, I hope these tips have been helpful in preparing you for your next competition. If you have learned anything from competition, feel free to share it in the comments!