Got any tips for me?

[cnada]

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and I think I'm going to start competing. So I (being a COMPLETE newbie at this) need to know what a first-timer should expect? Or tips/ things I SHOULD know before I compete.

I just don't want to make an idiot of myself.

[Konoko]

Are you going to be competing in ITF or WTF TKD?

[bushido_man96]

First rule: practice, practice, and practice some more. Drill you form until you have it down. When you think you have it, do it some more. The last thing you want to do is freeze up and forget it. When preparing for a tournament, I like to break the form up into sections, and work on it that way, so I can give special focus and extra reps to the tough spots.

If you plan to spar, find out from your instructor what the rules system will be. Then, work on some sparring strategies that will work for you. Also, spar against as many different partners as you can, in order to get a feel for different fighting types.

Second rule: Don't get too wound up if you don't place. Experience is a valuable teacher in competitions. The more you do it, the easier it is to know what to expect. You will most likely be nervous, so breath, and try to relax, and go out and have fun! No matter what happens, you will learn something new, and that is the best thing you will take away from it.

Best of luck, and let us know how it goes!!

[ninjanurse]

Good advice bushido_man! Most of all enjoy yourself and know that with each competition you will learn and improve.

[lordtariel]

Second rule: Don't get too wound up if you don't place. Experience is a valuable teacher in competitions. The more you do it, the easier it is to know what to expect. You will most likely be nervous, so breath, and try to relax, and go out and have fun! No matter what happens, you will learn something new, and that is the best thing you will take away from it.

I have to second this(sorry about the pun)... I remember my first tournament. I was so focused on watching how people messed up or performed and how it was going to impact my placing that I couldn't focus when time came for me to spar or do my forms and I wound up doing lousy. It's a tournament, just participating puts you up over all those people that good or bad, didn't have the courage to compete... Don't worry about placing.

Also, try for a smaller tournament a first so you get the hang of how they work. It's a little less stressful. Our sensei puts on a mock tournament every year to get the student's feet wet when it comes to competing. We get a couple of dojos to come to ours and it's a very relaxed, laid back affair. That way we don't feel overwhelmed by a district or regional tournament.

[Rick_72]

As far as kata goes, empty hand as well as Kobudo, you need to practice in a busy area. During tournaments there's a lot going on all around you. Several rings going at once, crowd noise, applause for other rings, and many people staring at you. The trick is to be completely focused on what your doing. Paying no attention to any of the other distractions, and/or the judges. You really need to be in an almost perfect state of meditation ("in the zone") to really demonstrate your knowledge of a kata to the judges. Try practicing with 3 or 4 other people sitting in front of you as "judges", then have them critique you like crazy after you do your demo. It will help you in the long run, working the nerves out.

As far as tournament fighting goes, just understand that you need to practice for purely tournament type fighting, because its a lot different from training for a real fight. Tournament kumite is very challenging, don't allow the fact that its controlled strikes for a single point on every break lull you into thinking its easy. Your technique's have to be controlled to the point that your not rendering your opponent unconscious or hurting them, but they have to be fast enough to make it thru their blocks. There are a lot of technique's that work in point sparring, that I would never even consider trying in a real fight, and visa versa.

Practice throwing a scoring technique as soon as the judge say's "fight". This can be done on a heavy bag, you just need someone to stand there and say "fight". This will help you determine your faster technique's.

[bushido_man96]

Good advise, Rick_72.

[Rateh]

Practice kata facing all different directions in all different rooms. When you get to the tournament, don't practice your kata there facing only one direction, you never know what way the particular ring will be facing. Also, get to your ring on time. If you arrive later, then in many tournaments (I dont know about all) they make you go first. You do NOT want to go first for your first tournament. Also, some tournaments let you go in reverse order, if you pay early. Everyone that pays by a cirtain date goes in reverse order of when they payed, after the people who did not pay by that date. So if this is an option, then pay early so that you can be guarenteed to go one of the last.

[lordtariel]

As far as kata goes, empty hand as well as Kobudo, you need to practice in a busy area. During tournaments there's a lot going on all around you.

Be careful if you're practicing Kobudo in public though. There's the safety issue and you don't want some person freaking out cause they see some crazy guy in white pajamas swinging a weapon around.

[cnada]

Are you going to be competing in ITF or WTF TKD?

WTF TKD