I just wondered what the sparring competions are like for Tae Kwon Do ya see i am pretty new to Tae Kwon Do my instructer reckons though that i'm good enough to go forward for the sparring comps, but i don't know if i should wait until i have past my first grading or should i go for it!!!

Everybody is different. My instructor when starting did competitions after only 3 weeks and loved it. He was a 4 time Provincial Champion and started competing around the world and competed in Japan for the World Championship.

I on the other hand tried it after 2 months and found I did not have enough skills to properly compete. I knew what I wanted to do and practiced before the fight but when applying those techniques I failed and resorted to boxing. I won my first fight because of agression more then anything else but lost my second and had no energy for my third.

If you don't feel confident yet, don't. It will still be there when you are ready. If you are confident then try it. You might find this is something you'll really enjoy. It's up to you. Good luck

[This message has been edited by Dereck (edited 12-02-2004).]