My first tournament

Hey guys i just got back from my first tournament in primm nevada. I thought i would share this with u guys since there is so much knowledge on this forum. First, i have been out of circulation for over 20 years and i am 35yrs old ,6ft, 211 lbs and i am presently an orange belt in Chun kuk do. Belts go white,yellow, orange ect...

Ok the first thing i have been practicing alot of combinations that start at the head reason for that was that it set up for openings of the body. Anyway i won my first fight against a purple belt do to my blitz but the center judge started holding me back even though i wasnt crossing the line is that normal?

I lost my second fight against a guy that was 6.5 300lbs who didnt have a fight yet. i got him with alot of side kicks and the judges were not calling them i even gave him a wicked ridge hand to the mid section which cleanly hit and one judge still didnt call it.This guy would just yell loud and charge me and knock me over without even hitting me and they would give him a point is that normal? Since this was my first tournament is this a norm for judging?

My last fight was for 3rd and 4th place and by now i am totally exhausted but i guess i got my second wind or third LOL. I cleanly won this easily with just alot of fake reverse punch front kick to abdomin.I won this fight 7 - 1.

what suggestions for fighting endurance can u guys give me. And keeping kool while and inbetween fights.

thanks guys
Scott

Hey Scott,

Just a little of what I know of tournaments. I have helped out with the judging in sparring including corner judging. And I can tell you from personal experience, it's very very hard to distinguish points especially when things are happening to fast for my brain to digest. Competitors who kiyap loudly gets more points because to be simple, it gives the judges a heads-up.

Also I'm not sure about ur tournament. But in the ones I go to, side kicks do not score. They are used to set up your opponents or to defend yourselves. Plus, unless you give your opponent a really powerful kick, side kicks just doesnt make the popping sounds like the other kicks do.

As for fighting endurance, I would suggest that other than just MA, pick up another aerobic exercise activity, like running and swimming. These would greatly help. In between matches, some people listen to music to focus, but I find that I relax, just sitting somewhere alone and meditating. Try different methods.

Lastly, congrats on your wins!
[IMG]http://www.fightingarts.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif[/IMG]

get a big bag, kick it 1000 times without stoping, switch legs do the same, bounce .....when fighting your stamina isnt like it is exactly if your running, because kicks take out alot more energy...

Thanks for the replys guys. I think my frustration of them not calling some of the points cost me that fight but my original goal for my first tournament was to just win my first fight so i guess i should be happy. Even my sensei said how proud of me he was. I guess im just very competitive and know i made some mistakes but i know which ones i made. Thanks again

scott

Just curious, but were you ki-yapping with gusto and conviction?

One of the things I noticed during the TKD tournament I attended in May of '04, was that if you did not ki-yap nice and loud, the judges were not as likely to call a point in your favor. So my suggestion is this:

Make your opponent think you're crazy.

If you watched the final match of the Olympics, which was Lopez (USA) vs. Habid (Iraq), you'll notice that Lopez's ki-yaps were very very loud. Yes, I agree that Habid was totally outclassed by Lopez, but those ki-yaps help tremedously in focusing power; something that is very important in Olympic-style sparring, and serves as a tool to intimidate your opponent. After it was all over, I believe the score was 13-1, in favor of Steven Lopez.

For a more local example, I watched the sparring matches at the tournament I was at, and the judges were simply not calling points that did not have a nice, loud ki-yap behind them. In a way, it shows the initiative and dedication to land the blow. Even if you do make solid contact, if you don't want it, why would the judges score you for it?

Again, I'm not sure what your habits are as a Martial Artist, and I know that you have much more experience than I, but that's just my two cents on it.

Hope this helps,

Brandon

[This message has been edited by Fiege Zen TKD (edited 12-07-2004).]

Having been both judge and judged, I can tell you that missed points are a fact of tournament life. I have lost matches because of missed points, won them because the other guy was the one who didn't get them and missed some while judging. Don't let it get you down. It goes both ways, so maybe next time you'll be the one who benefits.

I was under the impression that, at least in WTF style sparring, if you don't ki hap, the point doesn't count. so ki hap. loud.