Karate Dad

This is the best point made. With more than one attacker you do not want to be on the ground, or you'll need help getting up after they are done. Cross train in other stand-up styles. I am not a grappler, but I train in it enough to know some in the case I do get on the ground, but I prefer not to stay there. To get back to the topic: It is also a very good idea to say, "Please Stop, I don't want to fight" or other relevant things that allow "witnesses" to hear that you do not want to fight or have to hurt the other attacker.

Thanks again for everyones contributions. I just wanted to give a quick update on My son's first Tournament. http://www.IEMAT.com We went to the tournament with a few other students in our dojo to Spokane, WA mainly for experience for the kids as this was the first tournament for all the kids and the school. I have to say we are very excited that Jordan won 1st place in 8 yo Intermediate, Intermediate meaning those who have taken martial arts for 9 months to 1 year. I was surprised that they did break it down to that specific of an age/experience category for competition, but it is good that more kids get a chance to place and recieve a trophy. I don't know if this is that common at other tournaments? Also, the other kids in our school(5 total that competed) all took home a trophy in their age breakdowns and 1 took Grand Champion for his division.

That is very true, even a well meaning parent needs to try to remember that.

Oracle Thanks for the additional information and your knowledge with younger competitors. It is very helpful.

Bushido58266 Much appreiciated on your comments. From his Dec. Form to his Kama Form more recently, his kicks have improved much, but yes there is still a way to go and yes we need to work on his stances and show better balance. I do see that he needs lots of work on demonstrating power in his forms. What I feel he does have is a good "presence" and "confidence" and enjoys performing, but need to learn the form much better to make his movements more confident. I have printed out your key points and will work with him on those. Thanks. Oracle Thanks for pointing out some of the younger names. I had been their before but did not search to find the younger athletes. I did notice these are also blackbelts, are there different groups within age for different belt levels? My son is currently an Orange belt, would he be competing against blackbelts in forms?

marie curie, those are some good links for traditional katas. thanks.

I was hoping to get some advice on my 8yo who is wanting to do some competing in the area of forms. I think he is pretty good, but have nothing to compare it to except some of the other kids at our dojo. He has improved a lot the last few months and has joined our dojo's demo team. The team has really help him have a greater desire to improve. Here are some videos of him for any comments on what key aspects you think he should improve on to be more competitive. What are some of the key areas judges look at for that age group? Also I am looking for more information/resources/rules for tournaments in the Northwest. Thanks in advance.

From a "Fighting" aspect, XMA is nearly useless. I see the benifit of the XMA type demo teams as an advertising tool for Dojo's to attract new MA students and for the young ones and teens it is a great motivation to improve thier techniques so the team looks better. You can't perform many of the XMA moves without having the basics of the kicks down nearly perfect. In our local dojo my son (8 years old) has recently joined the demonstration team. I personally don't want him to be too comfortable with kicking or hitting someone yet. This team is motivating him to become better technically than many of the students that are 2 or 3 belts above him. No he could not win a fight against them, but that's mainly because of his age and desire "not to fight" which is actually a good thing. The Demo Team will perform at parades, city events in the parks, and raise money for Hurricane Victims. THe performances attract attention with the music and the kids talents, this is usually more appropriate than a ritrualistic beheading of a sword form. Also mixed into the performances are some of the more traditional Katas to help attract a more traditional student. Hey, just my 2 cents and I am looking forward to more good discussions on this forum.