My first Kata tournament...

[aefibird]

I'll let you all know how it turns out... uhh.. that's if anyone cares.

 

'course we care!!

 

Good luck in your tournament.

 

Try to relax and breath evenly. Practice some deep breathing excercises before you perform your kata. If you are too tense and nervous then you won't perform a good kata.

 

Also, if you make a mistake try not to show it on your face. A member at my karate club once entered this tourney and made a huuuuuuuuge mistake in his kata. However, he kept going and finished well. He endd up coming first, as the judges liked his determination and concentrated. Also he finished his kata with a look on his face that said "that was the best d*mn kata that you ever saw, so you'd better gimme a trophy!"

 

Make sure you drink plenty of water beforehand - it's important that you don't get dehydrated.

 

Most important of all, have fun!!

[P.A.L]

shorin ryu sensei,

 

1-some of the the karate-kas either bend too much or bring their chin down so you may see back of their head or neck. as you do know better than me, the head should be kept straight and the whole upper boddy bends.

 

2- in kyokushin karate ,controlled breathing is one of the principles of kata ( beside Tempo and Force according to master oyama)

 

3- to my best knowledge in kyokushin karate below shodan all the katas are "H" or line (sanchin ,tensho) and suppose to start and finish in one point (or less than 6"), I also think this is include all of 8 mandatory katas.

 

4- you are a very nice judge.

 

5- what katas in your style finish not at the starting point?

 

5- thanks for correcting/analyzing my post

[Shorinryu Sensei]

shorin ryu sensei,

 

1-some of the the karate-kas either bend too much or bring their chin down so you may see back of their head or neck. as you do know better than me, the head should be kept straight and the whole upper boddy bends.

 

2- in kyokushin karate ,controlled breathing is one of the principles of kata ( beside Tempo and Force according to master oyama)

 

3- to my best knowledge in kyokushin karate below shodan all the katas are "H" or line (sanchin ,tensho) and suppose to start and finish in one point (or less than 6"), I also think this is include all of 8 mandatory katas.

 

4- you are a very nice judge.

 

5- what katas in your style finish not at the starting point?

 

5- thanks for correcting/analyzing my post

 

First of all, when I wrote my comments, I didn't know that it was a kyokushin karate specific tournament, and I don't know what rules or procedures they go by. I only judge/ref open, all style, tournaments.

 

As for the bowing...you're perfectly correct in bowing from the waist, but I've never used it as criteria in judging. A bad opening presentation can lower their score just a bit if they come off as sloppy, not caring, "uppity" (as opposed to confident), or disrespectful towards the judges.

 

Controlled breathing is a style-specific technique that I don't judge either, as it can vary from competitor to competitor in an open tournament. For example, if I did expect a certain breathing style in a kata and didn't see it, I would make them down...but not all systems practice this technique...I don't.

 

With starting/ending a kata in the exact (or as you saya, within 6") of the same spot...I don't worry about that either in an open tournament. We "ballpark" this in my system, but it isn't considered a flaw or mistake if you're not right back where you started at the end of the kata. Obviously, if you do the moves correctly, you will end up close.

 

Am I a nice judge? Well, I like to think so! I feel I'm impartial, fair, consistant, picky as hell and the higher the belt level I'm judging, the tougher I am and the better technique, poser, etc that I expect from competitors. I give a lot of tolerance and leeway to whitebelts, and little for black belts, regardless of age or system.

 

I didn't mean to give you the inmpression with my earlier comments taht you were wrong P.A.L., but rather what I, as a judge, look for from a competitor. As I said, I wasn't aware that we were talking about a closed, style specifi to kyokushin karate tournament where the rules are different.

[P.A.L]

Shorinryu sensei, I wish you had a dojo in Texas, it's hard to find a shorin ryu school here.

[Dijita]

The tournament was a great success! A lot of people showed up, and the entire tournament was really fun. Everyone showed great spirit and I got to meet many amazing people from different dojos.

 

My kata went well. I was nervous, but I managed to remember my kata and perform it to the best of my ability. It was very enjoyable, and it took the edge off for the fighting in the afternoon which was a surprise.

Edited November 15, 2004 by Dijita

[delta1]

Glad it went well for you! I'd like to see a Kyokushin tournament sometime. I'm not a big tournament person, but they can be a lot of fun and a good learning experience as well.

[ShotokanKid]

Think about water flowing and think about circles. Just relax, put feeling into it and and power. Good luck!