Competitions

[Patrick]

Well... post reopened, lets stick to competition talk.

 

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Patrick O'Keefe

 

KarateForums.com - Administrator/Grandmaster

 

This Message was edited by: Patrick on Jul 26, 2001 1:11pm

[Karateka]

Thank you Patrick. So guys, now that this is reopened, I was wondering. When you guys go into competitions what kind of attitude do you guys have when you fight? I am the waiting kind of person with some and the agressor with others. However, most of the time I wait for the attacker to drain out their technique and then attack. I think this is called gon-o-sen. Sen-o-sen is attacking a fraction of a second before your opponent and tang-o-sen is attacking the same time. Just added that in for other karateka. So, what are your attitudes on the mats?

 

 

[Tim Greer]

I can't exactly be able to do the same type of competing and sparring, fighting as people do in events without getting thrown out, but I'd personally think it would be a good idea to look at it like any fight. Not for points or whatever, of course, but to do things you don't want to. Allow me to explain...

 

In a real fight, you likely don't want to be there or in the situation. Also, when faced with it, sometimes (and a lot of the time), people seem to not want to be there so bad, that they either wait for the other person to do something, or they act too quickly by wanting to get it over with. I think competitions or any medium that you can test and act on and improve your timing, frame of mind and help prepare yourself for any real conflict, is a good thing.

 

I realize this isn't exactly always the point to competitions, but I don't see any other point myself. Just like anything else, look at it as you want to end it, not get hurt, yet stop them -- often by causing harm, unless you can subdue them. Obviously you're restrained by rules (and possibly time), but that's okay. I would get used to that happy medium, when faced with a real conflict for example, and try not to wait it out or act too quickly.

 

Try and find techniques that are the most effective by using them in such a situation. Someone you hopefully don't know, that you aren't used to sparring against -- that you have no real idea what they will do or how they will fight, etc. In other words, instead of just testing each other's skills on one another to see who's got more knowledge or skills or whatever, use it to learn -- not just by doing, but by reacting and thinking about it.

 

You don't have that opportunity in a real fight, to think much before you act or consider things or think about what you just did. If you can do that, while still being unfamiliar with the other person's fighting style or strategy, it can be helpful and there's not a lot of other chances to develop your own skill while fighting against someone you aren't used to, instead of just testing what you already know.

 

I'm trying to be clear that I'm not simply talking about the difference like actually using your art, or how it'll give you experience, but I mean to learn and do -- experience is just the benefit, but competitions and fighting out of an actual threatening situation, can be useful for many, many things. I would test out different ideas/theories and strategies you might have -- not just to win, but to see if they are truly effective -- and not against someone you are used to sparring against that might know what you'll do, or you'll know what they usually do to try it on -- but for the fact it's unfamiliar.

 

Well, there's a lot of reasons why it's cool, but I also don't participate in competitions that have mats and judges and whatnot either, so your options and opportunity to learn might not be very inspiring when you're there to simply win and not really learn anything but competing against someone else and doing it only. Maybe that didn't make a lot of sense, sorry, it's late here and I'm not being clear because of that.

 

 

[Angus]

My attitude is kinda weird... I'm usually quite mellow but when i'm about to fight i blink my eyes and just change my temper at will. I think to myself how much i want to hurt the guy trying to attack me, or if it's sparring i think how much i want to show this guy what i can do, and i wanna learn from him..

 

Angus

 

 

[thaiboxerken]

Hmm.. I just go in there and kick them, punch them, grab them and use my knees. My mentality is to go in there and break the guy. He stepped into the ring, so he knows he put his life in danger. I'm going to try to kill and injure him.

 

Ok.. i'm not that hard-core. But I try to get my fighters to go in there without holding back what I've taught them. I teach my students that safety is the ref's job, not theirs. Obey the ref at all times and go bash the other guy.

 

 

[KUGB_Chris1985]

I'm not really a scary kinda guy, and I'm fairly relaxed most of the time, But when i'm on the area (mats) all my mate think i turn scary!!!

 

I don't feel that i want to kill my opponent, I just show him how good i am. My attitude is totally different when I'm competing, It feels great!

 

Oss!!!

 

 

[Angus]

That's the way to be Ken, ruthless... Damn i love to test my mettle against other people. You really know that you're alive.

 

Angus

 

 

[Karateka]

Even though I do point sparring in the style I am in, it makes it easier to focus on other stuff. I have begun to just picture just me and the fighter and drain out other distractions like the crowd and stuff. I am in my own mind where all I can see is the opponent. My friend does Muay Thai and we spar most of the time. He has gotten a lot better than when we last faught. He got me good with an uppercut but he does it too much and I got used to it and just wacked him one good one.

 

 

[Warlock]

Hi all,

 

When I went into a comp I just had to get .1 and I would have walked strait into the second round so that tells you that you need to put more effort in than you normally do.

 

C U L8R. :bawling:

 

 

[moobrack]

what is point sparring?

 

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This Message was edited by: Patrick on Aug 11, 2001 9:13am