karate tournament

[Simon]

ok - in an attempt to get some experience sparring against people with some different ideas I entered a low contact karate tournament (not much in the way of comps where I live).

I read the rules differently to the way they were presented on the day and found out very quickly that any contact to the head etc was illegal and had to adapt in the short round to essentially punching and kicking air. in short - they didn't mark me well.

In your opinions - is this worth me attempting again, i.e. training for?

Does the ability to punch the air next to someone's head mean that you have control and would be able to follow though?

I found through training for this that there is a big difference in positioning, mind set etc when training for contact and I don't really want to regress. I won't stop training contact at all, but could do a little zero contact training for the next round.

[Lindley57]

Simon,

Karate tournaments, to a Kung Fu school, are valuable for demonstration purposes. There may be those in the audience looking for something "different". Too many rules and restrictions and lack of understanding Kung Fu techniques at these events will often limit a Wing Chun player. The entrants often train specifically for tournaments, which is geared for "point scoring" and not real world combat.

Unfortunately, you may find that practitioners at these events feel you should respect a deemed obvious successful technique applied by them, while viewing what you do as being "overly aggressive". In the real world, an opponent from a different school or style will not solely respect a position you occupy as your Kung Fu brother/sister would. This idea you should leave in your Kwoon. Outside the Kwoon, you must execute a technique with authority that will make an impact, of course without purposely injuring the opponent (i.e. dim jerm instead of a punch) if done in a sparring session.

We have been sparring against different schools and different styles. It has so far been quite successful because we view and present the goal of our sparring as an honest approach to experiencing different combat systems and people, much in the manner in which you speak. We review and analyze these sessions to see where in the Kung Fu we can work on certain aspects.

You may find that more traditional schools will view any outside interaction as a threat or unethical. Most non-traditional schools may welcome you depending on how you articulate your reasons for the encounter. We present it clearly as not about our style, school, or instructor being better than theirs. We also show respect by giving the head instructor lucky money for having us at their school. A good attitude may go a long way should you approach a local school to provide you with "live bodies" to test your skills.

There are some Kung Fu tournaments, a couple coming up this spring in Washington DC/Maryland area, where Kung Fu stylists do continuous sparring against other Kung Fu people.

Martial Arts is not all about combat. But we must be honest that there are some students who wish to participate in these type of events. Even Chi Sao is an exercise with another Wing Chun person. Although Sparring is not fighting, it is a valuable "experience" for one to test and execute skill in a protected environment. It should be approached as a positive learning process, as there are no winners and losers.

Good luck

[Gangsterfist]

Lindley57-

Good post.

I think as long as you go in with the mindset of a learning experience and not a competition you will have lots to gain just from the experience.

[Simon]

Lindley57,

Thanks for such a entensive post.

I have had the pleasure of training and sparring with a few people from different styles but would like to do a lot more. Good tips for approaching that situation - cheers!

I will enter the form section next round and see what they think of my Chum Kil. My class will also do a demonstration if we get it together quick enough!

just a question or two:

1.what is a "dim jerm"? - I have not heard this terminology before.
2. What do you mean by lucky money? Do you contribute to the host school a casual training fee or similar?

[SevenStar]

That was a good post by lindley57. I wouldn't worry with point tournies any longer, but if there is any full contact fighting in your area, go for it. That will be a good experience.

[Simon]

will look into it severstar. don't mind my fellow students bopping me in the head on a regular basis, but find myself aprehensive about going full contact with strangers. I suppose that is just a fear hurdle to get over! just keep thinking about those brain cells and how many I'm going to retain! :D

[Lindley57]

Simon,

Dim Jerm - front palm strike

Lucky Money, we often refer to as Hung Bo, is given in the RED Envelopes. Students participating will put together a few dollars a piece which we present as a token of respect to the head of the hosting school.

Good luck

[yuanfen]

Simon- FWIW- I entered a couple of tournaments-to check on my equipment- knowing full well that winning a karate tournamnet with rules does not mean much with my kung fu goals.

Got disqualified twice ( and I was laughing and enjoying without showing it)... I had controlled power- did not intend to hurt anyone and didnt. The referee had zilch knowledge of wing chun'

In any case, the first karate black belt just literally ran into my fist with his forehead. The second got a wc front kick that rose past his karate guard and into his kwa. Excessive force call by the referee both times.

Not gettinga trophy didnt matter- I was not seeking trinkets-
just to test wing chun timing and targetting-aok.

Knowing your objectives helps in deciding what you want to enter or when- because short of the real thing- its all simulation.
A "real" thing has its own unique surprises-different from matches.

[Gangsterfist]

Remember to practice your KIAIs too.

Just curious, is it open karate or a certain type of karate tournament? I took 3 years of Okinawan RyuKyu Kempo, and overall its a very good system and not to be looked down upon.

[Simon]

yuanfen -

sounds very similar to this type of thing. if I had used my controlled power (the same way I train in my Kwoon) I would have been disqualified on the spot. all the best to them though, very nice guys and very respectful, just did not understand what I was doing.

definitely take your point about simulation vs reality

gangsterfist -

I think kiais would have helped :D . It was an open tournament, but completely run by Karate schools. I titled the thread that, cos I'm sure a lot of people are familiar with this type of event.

definintely no disrespect to those guys, they're doing their thing and good on them. as I said above, they were all cool and very welcoming, glad to have some variety of people to spar with.