Our "Fun" Tournament

It's almost here. Martial Madness 2011. The last couple of months have been spent pouring over the results of last year's tournament in an attempt to once again make this year even better. Setting up new divisions to make sure there isn't 20 kids competing against each other and organizing times more efficiently so competitors aren't called to two rings at once. We hope each year brings a better, more organized, more fun tournament. Ah - a fun tournament. I've said over and over again lately that this is a fun tournament. But what exactly do I mean by that? I thought I should probably clarify. What I DON'T mean is that everyone competes with an I-don't-care-if-I-win-or-lose attitude. That is never the case when it comes to karate competitions. We are all after that 1st place trophy. And we should be - it's training for that top spot that spurs us on, making us better. What I DO mean is that we invite the most supportive, friendly clubs who genuinely love the martial arts. We hope each year that competitors meet new people and make new friends. You love the martial arts - so isn't it awesome to hang out with others who share that love? You will never hear anyone (coach or parent) screaming at a competitor for not performing as well as they should have. The only screaming you will hear on April 30th will be shouts of encouragement. We are all there because we want to win, but when we don't, we know to congratulate those who did win, show good sportsmanship and we look to find ways to be better for next time. So don't show up on April 30th just to be there. Come to compete! Come to try your best! And most of all, come to have fun!

Tournament Time!

It's been a really long time since I've felt I had anything to say that couldn't have been summed up in my last blog. I feel that the most important part of the martial arts is trying your best. No matter what, if you've tried your hardest, there is nothing more you can do. There is nothing more that anyone else can ask of you. It's that simple.
The longer you are in the martial arts, the fewer and far between your gradings will be. (Some people will undoubtedly be very thankful for this!) So keeping yourself motivated in between gradings can sometimes be a challenge. One way to keep your training fresh is to train for tournaments.
Tournaments prove to be a challenge in many ways. Sometimes the challenge lies in the opponents you face, but more often, the challenge you face is inside yourself. I can already feel myself getting nervous about my next tournament even as I write this!
I thought about blogging today about ways to beat those nerves but I don't think I am quite qualified yet to give advice in that area. However, if anyone out there has advice on that topic, please email me right away! :)
No, my mission today is to congratulate the students who compete at the tournaments. Those who step onto the mats or into the ring with their hearts pounding and their legs shaking. Those grapplers who know exactly how long a minute and a half is (it's really long! just ask them!), those kata competitors who can barely remember their names and those who spar, even though their next competitor might be ten feet tall.
But they do it anyway.
They don't just talk about who they could beat or how many medals they could win if they felt like competing. They are the ones who are out there trying their best, no matter what the outcome will be. And they deserve so much respect for doing that.
If you leave a tournament this year without the trophy or medal you had hoped to win, just remember something: you are winning - you beat the nerves, the fear and all of those people who were too nervous to compete. And that in itself, is a huge accomplishment.
Good luck to everyone who will compete in upcoming tournaments!
Just take a deep breath, you can do it!