Does anyone remember their first tournament?

[pineapple]

I watched the competitors and said, "I can beat these guys!"

 

Then I proceeded to get my butt kicked.

[aefibird]

I got my butt kicked by a blackbelt in my first ever poinst sparring match. I was an orange belt (just graded from white!) and I was soooo nervous. I didn't know what to expect - I didn't even know what I was doing.

 

I did slightly better in the kata - got 4th place with my rendition of Heian Shodan. I think they gave me a trophy 'cos they felt sorry for me - I was the only lower grade adult there, all the others were brown and black belts.

[strangepair03]

Usually place in kata....don't enter sparring.....hate playing tag!

[Kicks]

My first tournament was an in school tournament when I was a green belt. I don't remember how I placed in forms or if we even did forms, but I did place second in sparring. Nothing out of the ordinary happened to write about.

 

My first tournament on the circuit I placed second in forms and third in sparring. It was a local tournament sponsored by a local school so they weren't too strict on the rules. Good thing, because I didn't do a WTF form. The gut who beat me in my first fight won the division, but he hasn't beaten me since. Sweet revenge!

[The Saint]

My first tourny was a WFT tournament. (I train ITF) I was a yellow belt at the time and won my fisrt sparring match. During the second match I was kicked below the belt twice, I then gave him a sidekick to the face which knocked him down. (at yellow belt level you are not allowed to kick to the head). It was a tie at the end of regulation but the decision had gone his way because my kick to the head "was a bad kick". Anyways, it droped me down to the Bronze metal match and I ended up wining bronze.

[Ben Martin]

luygf.l

Edited October 5, 2013 by Ben Martin

[SenseiJMA]

1976......(yes we had tournaments back then)I was so nervous I could not tell the center judge my name.

[neoninja]

My first one was a good size tournament in Houston but my division was done by age. The first round i had to fight a huge dude that was 2 belts higher. Then I had to fight my friend who came with me, an adv. red belt, beat him to everyones suprise. Then the real fun came. They gave me 30 seconds rest inbetween my last fight and made me fight a 6'2" black belt. Sounds fair huh. Long story short I dont like getting kicked in the stomach too much anymore. So I ended up getting second. Not bad i guess.

[1kickKO]

My first tourny was when I was a white belt...15-16 year old divisions...I got 1st in kumite, 1st in kata, and 3rd in weapons..grand champion overall..it was my greatest day.

[brickman]

My first tournament was when I was a blue belt (we were not allowed to compete until that time)....I did well there 1st in weapons....2nd in kata and 3rd in fighting.....there were 20 people in the division. The second tourney I went to was the old Budweiser tournament held at the Shrine auditorium near Columbus (Ohio) International Airport....lots of guys there. The competition was awesome. Those were some of the last days of guys just beating the crap out of each other.....kind of a last man standing attitude. I got three places there also.....two firsts and a third. Never really did well at fighting til I was a little older and quit caring about kata so much......lol. Hope my sensei doesnt read this.