Tournaments

[Gambatte Karate]

Yep. I saw it. Danka! 

[Alcatraz]

I compete in quite a few tournaments actually. This is the league I usually compete in: http://www.flma.com

We score 2 points for kicking techniques, and 1 point for hand techniques. Obviously the techniques must hit a qualified target. I compete in point sparring, continuous sparring (WAKO rules), empty hand kata, weapons kata, and (if I can get my kids to do it) synchronized kata.   I was the points leader in all my divisions for the last 3 years.  Not that I didn't get 2nd place or even a 3rd place from time to time, but I DID win more often than not.  What can I say, my instructor was REALLY good and I have a pretty competitive spirit.

As for my favorite technique, the three I like the most in sparring are a couple combo's.
1st one: jab, then left hook kick to the back of the head.
2nd one: Right front kick to the belt, then using the same leg, rechamber and round kick to the head.
3rd one: raise the front leg and fake a kick, then left jab at the face

Those are just a few...but I change it up from time to time, and you never know which side I'll use.

Gambatte,

I don't know if you saw, but I left a message for you on Youtube under the video of your Light-Contact (Continuous) bout.

[Gambatte Karate]

Who's into tournaments? Who's not? what are your favorite tournament techniques? How does your federation score different kicks, jump kicks etc? We have 4 corner judges and and a one in the ring. Contact has been reduced a lot in recent years. We score 1 point for kicks to the front of the body above waist height, 2 points for a jump kick (both feet off the ground), 1 point perfectly executed reverse punch pull back and Ki-hup, 2 points for perfect block and counter. All moves need to be accompanied with a Ki-hup or no points.

I compete in quite a few tournaments actually. This is the league I usually compete in: http://www.flma.com

We score 2 points for kicking techniques, and 1 point for hand techniques. Obviously the techniques must hit a qualified target. I compete in point sparring, continuous sparring (WAKO rules), empty hand kata, weapons kata, and (if I can get my kids to do it) synchronized kata.   I was the points leader in all my divisions for the last 3 years.  Not that I didn't get 2nd place or even a 3rd place from time to time, but I DID win more often than not.  What can I say, my instructor was REALLY good and I have a pretty competitive spirit.

As for my favorite technique, the three I like the most in sparring are a couple combo's.
1st one: jab, then left hook kick to the back of the head.
2nd one: Right front kick to the belt, then using the same leg, rechamber and round kick to the head.
3rd one: raise the front leg and fake a kick, then left jab at the face

Those are just a few...but I change it up from time to time, and you never know which side I'll use.

[Alcatraz]

I tend to compete at tournaments where the rules are those sanctioned by WKA or WAKO/IAKSA, which is really most 'Freestyle' Tournaments in the UK and Europe.

I compete in the Light-Contact (Continuous) and Japanese/Okinawan (Hard style) Kata, although I have had a fair bit of success in Semi-Contact (Points) as well.

I'm not a huge fan of Traditional WKF/WUKO style Karate tournaments.

[bladesaint]

Somehow I'm not thinking that would be a very interesting fight to watch.  One competitor would fall asleep while the other would be running off to wash everytime he touched the first one.   

 Well I told ya, all the good disorders were taken already.

[bogirl]

 I think that was a brilliant idea, I wish I could make a martial arts movie with mental/neurological disorders but all the good ones are taken. Myabe I could still use Narcolepsy vs OCD ?

Somehow I'm not thinking that would be a very interesting fight to watch.  One competitor would fall asleep while the other would be running off to wash everytime he touched the first one.   

[bladesaint]

This makes me Laugh Out Loud! 

 I think that was a brilliant idea, I wish I could make a martial arts movie with mental/neurological disorders but all the good ones are taken. Myabe I could still use Narcolepsy vs OCD ?

[Gambatte Karate]

  THeres this cool fight movie called Chocolate about a girl with Autism who munches on MnMs all day and watches kungfu movies and becomes a prodigy. She gets into a battle with the Yakuza. In the finale she battles this amazing breakdancing/capoeira style fighter with Tourettes syndrome who has the craziest rythm or non rythm in the world which throws off the Autism girl and nearly loses, but she focusses on him and beats him by copying his seizures.

This makes me Laugh Out Loud! 

[bladesaint]

That is what I teach.  My instructor always told me that I had no rythm, and that is what made me hard to fight. 

I would have liked to see you score with a cartwheel kick Blade, that would be exciting.  How did you set that up?

 It was harder in pointfighting to do, I sometimes faked a leadhand backfist, I tend to think it was the "Deer in the headlights" THeory. The cartwheel was so strange to see that you stood there in disbelief and got hit with it. It works well at the end of a combination. If you missed you continued back to your feet fluidly. I didnt like the cartwheels that ended lying on the ground. It was well worth the risk because of the high reward. You got 3 points for it in the NBL. If you were ahead on points your opponant came to you anyway. It was easiar to do in continuios because your oppanant tended to stay in range longer since hitting first wasnt as important as hitting often.

 THeres this cool fight movie called Chocolate about a girl with Autism who munches on MnMs all day and watches kungfu movies and becomes a prodigy. She gets into a battle with the Yakuza. In the finale she battles this amazing breakdancing/capoeira style fighter with Tourettes syndrome who has the craziest rythm or non rythm in the world which throws off the Autism girl and nearly loses, but she focusses on him and beats him by copying his seizures.

[phoenix]

I think what madee me dangerous was I tried to be unpredictable.  I used timing, broken rythm and deception to set up my techs.

That is what I teach.  My instructor always told me that I had no rythm, and that is what made me hard to fight. 

I would have liked to see you score with a cartwheel kick Blade, that would be exciting.  How did you set that up?

[bladesaint]

I have just started to do tournaments and the two I have gone to score differently.  One tournament gave one point for all punches and kicks to the body.  Two points for kicks to the head.  It depended on level for the amount of contact needed to get the point.  The tournament I went to last week gave two points for all kicks and one point for all punches.  When I started with a school about 14 years ago in TSD we got 1 point for all punches and regular kicks.  Two points for kicks if they were jumping or turning and three points if kicks were jumping and turning.  Lately I have been getting used to making contact though.  Originally we made little to no contact in TSD, but nowadays we have to do open tournaments where contact is required.

 To be successful in open tournaments, its your job as a competitor to know the rules before you register at the event. You must be flexible and adapt to any rule variations and not let it fluster you and upset your performance. I knew competitors that were so versed in the written rules, they used as a weapon, using loopholes etc and doing whatever they can to eliminate the competition such as the rule of too many patches on a uniform, wrong uniform, wearing of jewelry, kicks too high or often in a traditional event. Insteead of giving a rival friendly advice and warn them ahead of time, they called the arbitrator to get them DQ'd.

[bladesaint]

 I used to be a nationally rated tournament competitor 10 years ago in the US  I followed the NBL circuit. I loved the excitment of flying on a plane and staying in fancy hotels and the commoraderie involved. I was rated in the top 3 in Soft style hand forms and weapons, top 5 in light contact and top 3 in continuos contact sparring. I'd have to say the continuios contact fighting division was probably my strongest and favorite event. You didnt live or die by scoring first but by scoring the most and you had enough time to be daring and figure out a particular problematic opponant. My fav and most reliable sparring techs were my lead hand backfist, rev hand ridgehand, reverse punch but I was liable to score with anything including a cartwheel kick which was a showstopper! I usually reserved it for my last opponant of the day. I think what madee me dangerous was I tried to be unpredictable. I used timing, broken rythm and deception to set up my techs. Nowadays all I see is speed and athleticism with a few exceptions.

[Sian]

There are lots of tournements around now you just have to know where to look

Traditional Tang soo Do Federation in Wales hosts one of the biggest tournements in the UK and Europe in May.

It is held in Cardiff in the National indoor Athletic Arena and last year there were approximatly 700 competitors from all over the world.

If you are interested then go to WWW.TTFUK.CO.UK and have a look

Tang Soo

Sian Humphries

[Gi]

Galahad - thats a shame, but it seems as if you're doing well anyway. I'm not too sure how much I want to get into them myself. I was teaching before so I didn't do them my self, although I trained up some of my students to become national champions, my son is very much into them, he's lucky because our federation promotes many tournaments - there's regionals and then a national championship once a year and then world championships every few years. Check us out the set up sould be the same in the states.

Brandon - Yeah not too sure myself it's been a long time since I competed, I did enjoy it at the time, but it has never for me really been where the art is. We also do Hyungs at competitions. My Master wants me to go but I'll have to see, I'm also nursing an injury at the moment.

[Brandon]

We have a similar judge set up, 1 in the center and as many as are available for corners. Everything tends to be 1 point, and head attacks are legal for blackbelts, but not below, I think. hings may have changed since I last competed.

As for my thoughts, I really hate competing in tournaments. I just have no interest in training for sport. That being said, I do enjoy watching them if my friends are competing.