My first karate competition.

[Jiyn]

Hi im a red belt in shotokan karate and ive got my first Karate competition up in wales on sunday.Its a Kyu grade competition and im gonna go in for kata and kumite.Aragaa i will be destroyed by the brown belts.PLEASEE somebody give me some encouragment!!!

[arny]

hello!be very calm and try to think.enter with 2-3 combinations which you know best.try to control the center of tatami.this at kumite.good luck

[Karateka]

In kumite competitions, all you need is five combos that you know really well to go through the entire tournament. Relax! That is the key

[aefibird]

Good luck with the competition!

 

Will you be up against all kyu grades, or is it split into belt divisions?

 

Just try your best and remember what your instructor has taught you. Basic techniques can win sparring competitions, so don't try and complicate it with lots of fancy kicks etc - just stick to what you know well.

 

Remember, everyone has been a beginner and a lower grade - we all have to start somewhere, so even if you do get defeated by a higher grade there's no shame in it as long as you try hard and do your best. Higher grades often have more competition experience, but they can also become nervous, even the greatest competitior can suffer with nerves. So remember that they'll probably be feeling the same way as you, so you could try and exploit that weakness to your advantage when sparring.

 

As for the kata, stick to one you know really really well and just go for it!

 

Don't forget to let us know how you get on!

[Dijita]

You're going to have a blast!! So don't fret about it too much. Just keep practicing your combos, and the most important thing is try to stay calm during your fight so that your mind is thinking clearly.

 

You'll love it though. I can understand the intimidation though. My sempai wants me to enter a competition at the end of the year that only has an open division. I'll only be 9th kyu by then and will possibly be fighting brown and black belts. But the important thing is, just look at it as an experience.

 

Good luck!

[Jiyn]

K thanx for the advice and encouragement it really has helped,oh and by the way i will be going up against all kyu grades not in belt divisions so i could end up ,fighting a brown and double white belt,like red triangle student. uh oh.

[Red Triangle student]

Ha Ha thank you Jiyn i am flattered. Just stay calm about Sunday, it will be OK. As people say though you never perform well if your not nervous. best not get too nervous though. I am nervous myself but you need to chill it is the key.

[Guest]

Don't sweat it. In my experience the belt doesn't make much of a difference. After about one year of sparring practice you can match up with just about any other average brown or black belt. I used to think this was true across the board, but the last tournament I went to had some competitors in the black belt devision that you wouldn't believe. However, I think this is the exception and not the rule. By and large, the black belt competition is normally mediocre at best. Brown belts, on the other hand, may or may not be less skilled, but they are out there trying to prove that they're worthy of a shodan.

[aefibird]

Brown belts, on the other hand, may or may not be less skilled, but they are out there trying to prove that they're worthy of a shodan.

 

I read a quote once by a famous karate instructor (can't remember who said it, sorry) who said that "there is no hungrier karateka than a brown belt in search of Shodan". I think it's true, too.

[trekmann]

It is my first club tournament on Sunday as well. Hope we both come home with some medals and not too many brusies.