Any Instructors Here Still Compete?

[MonkeyKingUSA]

I was wondering if any of you school owners or student teachers still compete?
Though I am 48 I have started a training program so that I can once again compete in local tournaments.
Do any others here still compete?
Tournament fighting in our area is fairly lame. No kicks to the groin, no punches to the face, no leg sweps, no grabbing etc.. Though it does present a challenge when they have taken away most of your best techniques. :)

[Flying-Monkey]

I was wondering if any of you school owners or student teachers still compete?
Though I am 48 I have started a training program so that I can once again compete in local tournaments.
Do any others here still compete?
Tournament fighting in our area is fairly lame. No kicks to the groin, no punches to the face, no leg sweps, no grabbing etc.. Though it does present a challenge when they have taken away most of your best techniques. :)

Are you still in good shape? Is this a stepping stone for more hard hitting comps.

I might compete, but I haven't decided yet.

[SevenStar]

I'm at a muay thai, judo and bjj school, but all of the teachers compete. The oldest one is 40. And he still places in the top three in national level competitions.

[SevenStar]

I was wondering if any of you school owners or student teachers still compete?
Though I am 48 I have started a training program so that I can once again compete in local tournaments.
Do any others here still compete?
Tournament fighting in our area is fairly lame. No kicks to the groin, no punches to the face, no leg sweps, no grabbing etc.. Though it does present a challenge when they have taken away most of your best techniques. :)


try branching out - instead of the local point tourneys, find something nearby that is full contact, or continuous style fighting. there's gotta be something.

[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

At 56, i think it's time for my students to compete.. from my perspective, that's the purpose of tournaments.. to let our students test themselves in an open environment.. i had my fun, the trophies and medals collect dust, and.. now, the competition is with myself, to improve, to find uncharted territories.. to help the next generation keep the art alive..

When i began competing it was to test myself outside the comfort of my school and the support of my friends.. it was too easy to listen to their words and feel like i was doing well.. i needed to hear it from people that didn't know me, to have others confirm that my path was valid.. once that validation was gained the competition turned inward..

I have seen too many good students defeated, in spirit, by trying to compete with very advanced instructors, not very productive.. instructors should have their egos in check.. they shouldn't be instructors if they haven't gotten past the need to prove themselves.. it is the job of the instructor to cultivate competent students, to help them in the art of competing.. not to compete against the students..

Now days, i meet with people of similar beliefs.. we can test ourselves outside the constraints of tournament rules.. we test the finer points of the art that are excluded from tournament play, with just enough caution to return for more practice.. at some tournaments, judges and instructors get together after-hours and play a bit more robustly.. it is so because as instructors we have developed our capabilities enough to test the art without serious harm.. often students don't know when to simply acknowledge a well executed technique, they struggle to their own detriment.. sometimes we let our senior students watch, setting the stage for their rise to instructor status.. back at the school we discuss the after-hours play and work through what the observers think they observed.. it is often amusing to hear what they saw as opposed to what was actually happening..

So, no.. i don't compete anymore.. that itch has been scratched..

Be well...

[David Jamieson]

Legitimate competition is illegal where I live right now. And so, instead we get a watered down hodge podge stew of nonsense that isn't worth participating in.

stupid nanny state government puzzies. I'd like to groin punch them! :p

[mantiskilla]

whats the difference between student and teacher? teachers should always be looking to improve and learn...otherwise IMO they should not be teaching. I dont have 25 years of training, but I have more than enough to teach, but i dont...so is it ok for me to compete?
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[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

Hi mantiskilla : i think it okay for anyone not teaching.. it's whenever someone chooses to teach that they should be focused on the student's best interest.. and, that doesn't include competing against them.. just my opinion, though.. Because i don't compete in tournaments doesn't mean i'm not actively trying to improve.. i simply don't need that level of "approval" anymore..

Be well..

[mantiskilla]

Hi Taichibob--

"it's whenever someone chooses to teach that they should be focused on the student's best interest.. and, that doesn't include competing against them.. just my opinion..."


just to clarify for myself. do you mean their own personal students, or 'students' in general? Obviously they would be going out to fight people other than their own students in tournaments, competitions, etc. teachers are nothing more than students further along the path than some others. i know this is just personal opinion, so there is no 'right or wrong' answer really. i like when my teacher trains more, because then he beats me up more and that is when i really learn...but i am hard headed maybe. :)
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[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

Hi mantiskilla: I recall a tournament in the late 80's or early 90s where i was competing against, unbeknownst to me, an older Chinese gentleman that had been teaching for more than 20 years.. he easily placed first (and i agreed, he was quite gifted).. only to find out later that some of his students were placing as well in almost every event.. it was disheartening to struggle as a new student in CMA against competitors with 25-30 years of experience.. there should be a class of competition for judges and instructors.. let the placers in the student's class compete with the "professional" class for Grand Champion..

Aside from that, i say follow your heart.. Be well..

[Shaolinlueb]

i still compete, im only 25 though.

[SevenStar]

Greetings..

Hi mantiskilla: I recall a tournament in the late 80's or early 90s where i was competing against, unbeknownst to me, an older Chinese gentleman that had been teaching for more than 20 years.. he easily placed first (and i agreed, he was quite gifted).. only to find out later that some of his students were placing as well in almost every event.. it was disheartening to struggle as a new student in CMA against competitors with 25-30 years of experience.. there should be a class of competition for judges and instructors.. let the placers in the student's class compete with the "professional" class for Grand Champion..

Aside from that, i say follow your heart.. Be well..


many will class you according to rank, or if it's contact, according to your experience level. However, if you are in a point tourney organized by rank, then someone who trained 7 years will be in the same category as someone who's trained 15 if they are both black belt level.

[MonkeyKingUSA]

Are you still in good shape? Is this a stepping stone for more hard hitting comps.

I might compete, but I haven't decided yet.

I am in decent shape. I do 30 minutes on the stationary bike, stretches and drills every other day. On off days I practice bodybuilding and abdominals. But I am nowhere near competition shape yet.
No, I won't be doing any big time competitions. I have two bad disks in my back and a bad knee. So you won't be reading about my victories in any magazines. :)

Seven Star,
Yeah, we have a couple tourneys here that do continuous sparring and San Shou. That is what I plan on entering.