jctkd Posted July 14, 2005 Share Posted July 14, 2005 going to my first tourment on july 24th, in atlantic city, thinking about just doing everything, breaking, forms, and sparring. been training hard so think im ready, im only at high yellow and have been training with red and black belt double classes, any advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammer Posted July 14, 2005 Share Posted July 14, 2005 This has been asked before, but I don't mind responding...Just have fun, try to learn something, and remember that because you've made the commitment to participate, you've already won. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brawler1245 Posted July 14, 2005 Share Posted July 14, 2005 Dont go there with the attitude "if i show up i win" go there with the attitude i will win. have confidence not with "good sportsmanship" im not sayin dont have good sportsmanship im sayin try ur best to win dont have that attitude "if i show up i win" cuz if it aignt first place u didnt win Don't block with your face.--Soo Bahk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aefibird Posted July 14, 2005 Share Posted July 14, 2005 Good luck jctkd!! Try to stay calm and just do your best. Any medals/trophies will be a bonus. An impeccable attitude and dedication will be worth more to your school and instructor (and to yourself) than a shed-load of trophies that have been won with a bad attitude. Now, I'm NOT saying you have a bad attitude - I'm sure you don't - but having respectful and dedicated students is priceless to any decent instructor. Go and do you club proud! I've got my first TKD tourney on Sunday. I've done loads of Karate and open MA tournies, but I'm still nervous about this one. I'm only competing in patterns but I'm still looking forward to representing my school. I only hope that I don't forget Sa Jang half way though.... "Was it really worth it? Only time and death may ever tell..." The Beautiful South - The Rose of My CologneSheffield Steelers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeygirl Posted July 15, 2005 Share Posted July 15, 2005 Good luck!The first tournament is always a "testing the waters" experience. Of course, you want to win, but no amount of training in the dojang can quite prepare you for the exact feeling of being in a tournament. I was a very successful tournament competitor, but I got nervous every single time. I think the best attitude you can have is to not assume anything. Be confident, but (personally) I find that to go in thinking "I got this no problem" can make you overconfident, and you might not do your best. I always tried to keep a warrior spirit and do my best. The "warrior spirit" for me was basically me becoming a completely different person for awhile: nervous yet confident, unsure of what to expect yet feeling strong. I liked to be alone for a little while and stretch out, trying to meditate a bit and get calm. Then as the event got closer I "pumped up" and did a little shadow boxing. All the while I was nervous, kind of a buzzing feeling. I could never eat breakfast before tournaments (or morning tests for that matter). Anyway I'm kind of rambling. Maybe you can find something useful in that mess.Anyway, good luck and remember this is as much a learning experience as a competition! Every tournament is a chance to learn in some way or another. You test the quality of your own skills (after all, if you never leave your dojang, for all you know you're just a big fish in a little pond...if that's important to you). You can pick up new techniques from other competitors. You improve on the tournament experience for next time. You also learn a lot about yourself. Tournaments are about so much more than trophies. If you win, great, but if not...don't let it crush you. The greatest victory is over yourself, when you decide to never give up. Argh, rambling again.Good luck again and let us know how it goes! 1st dan & Asst. Instructor TKD 2000-2003No matter the tune...if you can rock it, rock it hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammer Posted July 15, 2005 Share Posted July 15, 2005 Dont go there with the attitude "if i show up i win" go there with the attitude i will win. have confidence not with "good sportsmanship" im not sayin dont have good sportsmanship im sayin try ur best to win dont have that attitude "if i show up i win" cuz if it aignt first place u didnt winIf this is another way of saying "have confidence" and possess a "warrior spirit" then I'd buy it...but if you go in with a "take all or nothing" attitude you're bound to be disappointed and you won't learn from your mistakes...I've seen this competitive attitude in tournaments before, and those who have had it (and I'm guilty of this as well) don't end up enjoying themselves...and, in all honesty, if you can't have a good time at a tournament don't bother going...jctkd, what do you have planned for the breaking competition? Just curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loosecannon626 Posted July 15, 2005 Share Posted July 15, 2005 Hey, I've been to this tournament for the past few years. People love to kick high here, but at your rank I wouldn't worry about that so much. One little things to note, make sure that when you punch to the body for a point(no head punching, since there are no gloves, and yes you can wrap or tape), make sure your punch lands with a straight arm, as they will NOT call the point if you land with a bent arm. Loud ki-yaps never hurt either to get noticed for the point!People there tend to be pretty aggressive, so don't get caught going backwards! Remember your combos and you'll do fine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aefibird Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 I've got my first TKD tourney on Sunday... I'm only competing in patterns An update - I came first in the pattern competition! I had to perform in 6 rounds in total, I was very tired (especially mentally) by that final round, as the breaks between the rounds were v v short. My instructor and his assistant were very supportive, which helped a lot. "Was it really worth it? Only time and death may ever tell..." The Beautiful South - The Rose of My CologneSheffield Steelers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonMike Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 Congratulations, first tournament experiences can be very stressfull. Next time you will have even more experience to draw on. 5th Dan Tang Soo Do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aefibird Posted July 26, 2005 Share Posted July 26, 2005 Thanks. "Was it really worth it? Only time and death may ever tell..." The Beautiful South - The Rose of My CologneSheffield Steelers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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