Information on Karate tournaments: benefits, divisions, types of tournaments and classes available.
Have you ever thought about going to a karate tournament? Have you ever wondered if a technique would work on someone who wasn't expecting it? Are you tired of sparring the same couple of people time after time until you know when they're going to zig before they do? Do you enjoy meeting new people and watching how others fight? Do you enjoy watching some of the best martial artist in the world fight and perform and then get your own chance to compete against them? Would you like the chance to exercise your own powers of creativity and show yourself what you can do? Then tournaments are for you. Be careful though: it's a little known fact that they are addicting.
For those people who are just starting their tournament experience congratulations, you're going to have a lot of fun and what's more important, you are going to learn quite a bit. If you are just thinking of starting your tournament career, here are a few things that you might like to know to make your first couple of experiences not only more enjoyable but also take some of the stress out of an unfamiliar situation.
First think on what type and size of tournament you want to start out in. You can find both style specific types or open invitational. The open invitational tournaments are open to all styles. Tournaments put on by private schools can be fairly small, usually with only twenty to two hundred competitors. These will often only last four or five hours. The huge ones like A.O.K. tournaments will start early and last all day and sometimes into the evening hours.
You will also have a choice for full or light contact in the sparring divisions. This will depend on what you want out of the tournament.
Once you've decided to go to a tournament, you will want to find out which ones are out there. One way you can do this is to call up a local martial arts supply store and ask if it carries any tournament fliers. Almost any store will have a stack that lists local, state and nationwide tournaments.
A second but often not as successful way is to call up a few of the local martial arts schools and ask if they know of any tournaments going on that weekend. Most will be held on Saturdays. You will find very few are held on Sundays.
If it's a small tournament, the chances are that it will be broken down into belt divisions combining the first three grades of novice level belts (white, yellow, orange), then intermediate (green, purple, blue), and finally advanced (brown, red, black).
Age groups and sometimes size, will break down each belt division. None of this is written in stone. There are some variations to fliers, some will tell you more then others, but they always provide a number to call if you have any questions.
Pay attention to the information on the flier. It will tell you the time, place (if lucky it will have a map), date of the event, the divisions, and the different events offered and the price of participation as well as the safety equipment requirements. If you just want to go in and watch there's a nominal entry fee. If you are a black belt and go in to judge only, make sure to wear a gi. Judges are usually admitted for free.
Most often the flier will list as mandatory equipment hand, head and footpads, a mouthpiece and for men, a cup. Some will even specify chest protectors. If you want to wear more protective equipment than required, that is up to you but remember less will get you disqualified.
In the larger tournaments there's Kumite (fighting), and Kata (forms) but there are also specialty events such as team fighting. Then there are specialty Katas where a participant's kata is performed to music. These specialties can either be open hand, with weapons or double participants. Just watching these people is worth the price of admission. The speed and precision that these people display in their routines is phenomenal and breath taking.
The flier will tell you what time the black belt meeting will be held, and when the contestants' meeting will be held. Definitely be there for the second and if you are a judge try to make it for the first. Even if you've judged before, this allows you to meet the people you'll be working with, and also who's the mediator in case you should you need one. The black belt meeting will also cover techniques that are and aren't allowed like check kicks, blind techniques and groin kicks.
What do you get for getting up early and then stretching out just to get to fight two or three times and doing the same kata that you've performed a thousand times before? Generally, prizes are plastic or stone trophies, expanse money, and sometimes swords or knives. It will depend on the size of the tournament and size of school throwing it.
On the other hand, even if you don't win, you get much more. You get an opportunity to pit your skill and talents against your contemporaries. Tournament experience also lets you know what techniques are working for you and which ones you need to work on.
Last but not least, it teaches good sportsmanship while helping you become a better martial artist.
