who competes in tournaments?

[eaizumo]

How come a lot of people who train in karate don't compete in tournaments? Don't you want to see how you stack up against competitors from other dojos? Is it because they are worried about losing? The time commitment? Cost of tournaments?

Edited June 29, 2010 by eaizumo

[ps1]

How come a lot of people who train in karate don't compete in tournaments? Don't you want to see how you stack up against competitors from other dojos? Is it because they are worried about losing? The time commitment? Cost of tournaments?

You may want to add an "I do compete" option.

[Harlan]

Don't you want to see how you stack up against competitors from other dojos? Nope.

Is it because they are worried about losing? Nope.

The time commitment? Yep.

Cost of tournaments? Yep. Better things to spend money on (gi, gear, seminars, etc.)

[Spodo Komodo]

I did compete, years ago but I got completely fed up with the ethos of some competitors. I used to think that competitions were about a test of skill between fellow artists, where winning or losing were a personal matter and matches were played out with some dignity.

After a while the showmen started to creep in until it was more about bad-mouthing and showboating than etiquette. The last time I competed was over twenty years ago and my opponent refused to bow before the bout, I walked out and never entered a competition again. I was much happier not degenerating to that level.

[Dobie1979]

I've put some thought into it. I always thought that weapons or kata competition would be neat. I usually end up having family plans the same weekend. Maybe some day.

[isshinryu5toforever]

Open competitions sponsored by huge organizations have evolved (degraded?) to the point that it is very difficult for the traditional Karate practitioner to compete. The forms divisions have ballooned to include XMA, non-traditional, traditional (looking), musical, and other types of competition. It can be fun to watch, but they're a far cry from competitions years ago.

Sparring, especially at the black belt level, is about speed, which it should be, but it isn't about actually hitting people. It's about touching people. It's like two kids slapping at each other sometimes. It sounds harsh, but that's why there's been a backlash from some organizations where they've closed themselves to outside competition. It's not worth the hassle in their eyes, because it's nothing but a bad influence on solid basics. I'm making myself sound much older than I am haha.

[Rateh]

I don't compete because at this point in my life I have no interest in martial arts competition. I have other things I am focusing on right now, both in my life in general, and in my martial arts. I did not vote because none of the answers quite fits.

It is to expensive but that's not why I don't do it. I like to travel. I have gone to a few tournaments in the past and I liked it. I know about tournaments. I take classes at other dojangs besides my own. My instructor pushing or not pushing competition does not determine whether or not I compete.

[GeoGiant]

Over the years my instructor has established relationships with 2 kind of local dojos. Once a year each dojo has a small tournament. I attend each of the 3 tournaments and that is it.

These tournaments are not what I found as typical. There are usually 30 people total and there are no politics involved with the judging. I've experienced one of the other dojo instructors letting a match go to 5 points because the match up was good and the experience benefited everyone. Overall, I have a great time at these tournaments and i don't walk away with a bad taste in my mouth.

[DWx]

I love competing not for trophies or medals but for the fact I get to meet people and get to go to places I never would have done otherwise. Its awesome when we go away in a group as a team as well, these people become like family. And it is nice in a way to see how your school stacks up to others, it kinda confirms that you've trained hard if you do well and if you've not done so well it inspires you to train harder. But it is expensive so I have to sacrifice other things in order to go.

[ps1]

How come a lot of people who train in karate don't compete in tournaments? Don't you want to see how you stack up against competitors from other dojos? Is it because they are worried about losing? The time commitment? Cost of tournaments?

You may want to add an "I do compete" option.

Thanks for adding that option. Now I can see poll results

I've been left with good impressions of 90% of the tournaments I entered. Some were too small, which left traditional systems competing with xma-ish and acrobatic systems. The judging in that is always difficult. But, overall, I've always felt that competing is a very good experience.