cleung

Sunday tournaments are not my favorite either. Some events are split into both Saturday and Sunday. Fortunately, there's not too many of them. This is especially important for those of us who have to travel.

I was scared too during my first few tournaments. After 20 years of competing including being on stage for finals quite a few times, you get use to it. The tournament environment is still new to you because of the limited number of times you've been there. The more often you do it, the more comfortable you will become.

Competition is a different environment than in the dojo. This is especially the case with some certain circuits like NASKA where many competitors including myself, go crazy with the kiais. If it's the norm for particular circuits, then that's the way it is. Watch the people who win and see what they are doing.

I've competed extensively in both NASKA and NBL. I was a follower in NBL for many years and then switched to NASKA recently in the last 2 years. NBL has nice divisions but NASKA events are better organized. NASKA events are generally larger events too.

Scott, I think you should try and go see one of the bigger tournaments, especially in either NASKA or NBL circuits. There are traditional forms divisions there at the bigger events.

Yup, videos and mirrors help as well as feedback from black belts since they will be the ones judging you. After 20 years of forms competition, I'm still using video all the time and learning something new about my techniques during each video analysis session.

There is a lot of flash in Naska but at the same time, they have been around for a long time and have probably the most well organized events compared to other circuits.

The idea of motivational speaking with martial arts is very interesting. Do you have examples of who is currently doing this type of thing?

Nice uniforms at Superior but pricey. I got mine for about $30 in Hong Kong.

Also depends on the specific community. Classes held at community centers, churches, rec centers, etc., will cost less than private state of the art studios. Depends on what you want too.

Sounds like you went with the wrong style for your interest. Martial arts have a wide range of styles. Some will appeal to others more while some will appeal to only certain crowds. Do some research and check out a few different schools with different styles. You have to pick the right one for you. My website has an article on choosing the right school for you.

Granted that people with natural abilities can progress faster in martial arts but everyone can benefit with training. It's a new skill so don't be so hard on yourself. Don't feel pressured. If you do, then you might be in the wrong school. A good instructor lets you progress at your own speed. Don't compare to other students, especially the more advanced ones. Do it for yourself and take little steps. Have fun.

Are there any martial arts classes at your college? If not, you could train on your own for the time being until you finish your degree and then once you are settled on where you will be, you could find an appropriate school.

It depends on the club. If you can find a club that will let you progress at your rate and do the activities that won't hurt you, you will be fine and can still benefit greatly from martial arts. The range of martial arts is wide enough to accommodate any age.

Welcome to martial arts. Hope it's for life.

You might also want to get more into weapons training since most weapons require less use of your legs (unless you do extreme weapons but probably won't).

I submitted an article on this very subject. Don't know when it will be posted here yet. If it's not there, it's in the article section of my website.

The info by Kurtz is actually quite good and is based on rehab techniques. Another good piece of equipment is called ... floor.

I've been using my heavyweight uniforms by Century in competition for years. They last a long time. But then again, I only wear them in competition. No brands for Chinese wushu style uniforms yet. I bought mine from a street vendor in Hong Kong.

Anybody know where videos of either Ho Yung Pak or Ho Sung Pak in competition can be seen in the internet? They were two of my favorite competitors to watch years ago

You have every right to feel a bit frustrated in the lack of combat and self defense training in wushu. It's okay to keep training in wushu if you like it. But to get a more complete martial arts training, you would be wise to try out other martial arts as well.

There are lots of awesome girls in Chinese and other martial arts in the tournament circuit. Some forms are actually performed better than some female competitors because of their flexibility. Do any of you recall Ming Lui on the NASKA circuit?

I think there's still value of a black belt. But the emphasis is what one does after obtaining that level. If one proves him/herself in black belt level competition, that would mean something. If one teaches students successfully, that would also mean something. If one chooses to do some useful things in the community as a result of being inspired by being a black belt, that would also mean something. On the other hand, if one simply retires from martial arts after getting a black belt, then it won't mean much anymore.

Beginners often like self defense. So I would concentrate on those aspects first and then gradually get into sparring with lots of safety in mind.

Would love it but the politics would be brutal!