cncn

this has been more helpful than i could have thought! thanks very much everyone, i am setting myself new targets as we speak, i will let you know how i get on at the next comp

thanks for the advice from everyone, I will take it all into consideration Yes I am WKF, and yes that sounds exactly what my coach says to me too :/ I think I will just have to be tougher on myself from now on, thanks

hi, once i achieved my grade i stopped with kata and basics, i personally did not enjoy them

Hi, this is my first time posting in this forum so forgive any errors I make thanks I have an issue regarding competitions that I would like some advice on from any people on the forum with experience competing in kumite. Firsty a tiny bit about myself I have been regularly competing in individual and team kumite for just over four years now. I absolutely love it, I am a student at University and train karate regularly. My training consists of a strength and conditioning program 3 days a week (jumping barbell squats, deadlift, low reps high weight exercises), then karate 5 days a week, in which I will train only sparring, flexibility, speed and techniques (I do not do kata or basics). The problem is, my weakness is not physical, but mental. Whenever I go to competitions I have a very stupid mentality, once I have made it through the first few rounds, or I maybe have made it to the semi finals and I have guaranteed myself a bronze medal, I just mentally give up. I think 'ok I have a medal now' and I really just stop caring, and hugely underperform in the fight and lose, and then after the competition I get so angry at myself because I could have done better. My issue is, how can I make myself mentally stronger? It is the worst thing and it keeps me awake at nights literally for months after competitions when I lie there and think how I lost to people who were far worse fighters than me, simply because of my mental weakness. If i get beaten by a better fighter thats fine by me, I take my beating and learn from the experience, its just when I mentally give up that is the problem. For example; in a competition earlier this year, I had got silver with my team in the team kumite, winning most of my fights. Then the next day when I did individual, I danced around with this idiot for 3 minutes in the FIRST ROUND easily dealing with him, then just letting him gyak me in the last 10 seconds when the score was 0-0, (it took him 3 times to actually get the point) I just gave up because I got a medal the day before. Even writing about this makes me angry, and I'm sure a lot reading this think I'm a coward but any advice would be really appreciated, I know it is a weak and pathetic thing to do but I am open to you for advice so please don't criticise too much thanks cncn edit: i also have some small clips of some of my fights and training on youtube if anyone thinks it would be useful to see