Qualifying for Olympics

[LosR3]

I am new to martial arts and was hoping someone could tell me the direction I need to go if I were interested in building my competative level to qualify for olympic event. what tournament should I start with ,what are the steps to take from the beginning. What events from beginner to advanced competition.

[ncole_91]

First and foremost, what style of Martial Arts do you do? How old are you? Do you have any experience?

[Aodhan]

I am new to martial arts and was hoping someone could tell me the direction I need to go if I were interested in building my competative level to qualify for olympic event. what tournament should I start with ,what are the steps to take from the beginning. What events from beginner to advanced competition.

The main art for the Olympics is WTF tae kwon do, currently administered by the USTU in America. You do need to be a kukkiwon certified black belt. If you go to the USTF site, then you can find schools, tournament rules, etc.

Qualifying is actually pretty simple. They have either state or regional (Been a while since I looked, not sure which is correct) qualifying tournaments, I think the top 3 or 5 advance to the Olympic Trials. Top two in each weight division qualify for the team with #3 being the alternate. I believe you can also qualify for the Trials by medaling at events such as Worlds, Pan American games, etc.

Go to the USTU, if I remember right, they have a FAQ section that has questions about Oly qualifying.

Aodhan

P.S. Went there, and here are some qualifying tournaments:

http://www.ustu.org/318_960.htm

[Aodhan]

http://www.wtf.org/site/rules/competition.htm#5

Competition rules

Aodhan

[Sam]

And in teh UK its the BTCB

[Aodhan]

I am new to martial arts and was hoping someone could tell me the direction I need to go if I were interested in building my competative level to qualify for olympic event. what tournament should I start with ,what are the steps to take from the beginning. What events from beginner to advanced competition.

Ok, I've got a little more time than I did yesterday.

1) Practice. Practice. Practice. Get as good as is phsyically and mentally possible for you. Live and breathe TKD. If you want to compete on the world stage, count on putting in at LEAST 25-30 hours per week on TKD, weights, cardio, technique, etc. For most world class athletes, it's the only thing on their mind for years, and the training they do reflects that.

2) Read and watch everything you can. Get ahold of videos of the Olympics, Pan Am games, trials, national competitions, etc. Go watch as many live as possible. If it is economically feasible, go to the OTC (Olympic Training Center), in Colorado Springs, Colorado (About 70 miles SE of Denver). Talk to the coaches. Watch the workouts. Copy down drills. Talk to the athletes if possible.

3) Attend seminars and workshops. Stephen Lopez (Oly Gold and...silver? medalist in TKD) puts on a lot of them. Anytime you get to one, ask questions, ask for tips, get your name noticed/known (Without being obnoxious about it ) Any information you can get that your opponent might not have will give you an edge.

4) Compete. Compete as MUCH as is economically possible. The more experience you have, the better off you will be. Tape your competitions, and watch them yourself looking for flaws, have your instructor look for flaws, if you are at a seminar, take a tape, or some Oly instructors will offer analysis of video for a price.

5) When you start getting up to the higher levels of competition, you will need pretty much one on one coaching and instruction, so be prepared for the extra expense of that. You'll also have to get tapes of your opponents and study those. But, by the time you reach that point, you should pretty much know your path, and what you still need to do.

It's a great goal. I absolutely love the Olympics, and if I hadn't started TKD so late, I'd be trying for it. (I may still try some of the open competitions, or possibly wait until I can do the Senior stuff, but that's quite a few years off.) Don't be discouraged, it will take a lot of time, money and effort, but if you make it, it will be very sweet indeed.

Aodhan