first tournament--any advice?

[seidogirl]

I'll be competing in my first tournament on Friday. It's just kata that I'll be doing, but I'm a bit terrified of going up in front of hundreds of people and doing my thing. Any advice??? :eek:

[tcomea2]

breath and relax.

[Azato]

Polly,

Not to many seido karateka around budoseek, its good to see some :) . What kata are you doing? Make sure you get in alot of practice before the tournament. Practice is always key in karate. Most importantly, just relax. If you tense up, it will look bad. The last tournament I went to, I got up to do kata and was a little nervous. Though I immediately calmed myself down and let the tension go. Let the kata be apart of you. Oh, and most importantly, give a loud OSU.

Osu :bow: ,
Alex

[Moses Colon]

Hmm make sure your gi is spotless clean,remember to tell the judges your name, sensei , name of your kata,and ask may i begin.

And dont get nervous don't worry about the people around you just do your kata.
Don't look at any one and dont forget to bow at the start and at the end of your kata.
Good luck
Ps: try doing your kata alone in the dark it helps a lot with your eyes closed just make sure you have room.

[Dale Lackey]

If it's like alot of tournaments that i have been to, there should be alot of other people competing at the same time as you, spaced around the area,unless you are doing some of the black belt competitions. Both a good and bad thing, you aren't the only center of attention so to speak, but you will have to zone out the other competitions. Win or lose, you will discover something about yourself and grow as a person. Good luck.

[Prince Loeffler]

Hello Polly !

The best advice I can give as a first timer is simply have the attitude. The attidude to go there and give everything within yourself. The crowds, the competitors and judges no longer exist once you are in the middle of the mat.

Act like you are about to go against the greatest opponent in the world and you will not be defeated. Tell yourself " This is My time ! This is MY Kata !

Act like this is your last day on Earth ! Treat every techniques as if it were your last. Power ! Speed ! Forms ! All with precisions.

Look the part, exert the confidence. Tell yourself that your are about the create destruction and havoc against your imaginary opponent.

don't let your eyes wander so much, don't look like down the floor while punching high.

Don't overdo the kias !

If you miss a step or technique, move on because no one will care or notice. Do not stop and shake your head in mid performance because you made a slight error. If you forget, ad lib until you get back on track.

in end, it does not matter what if other says you win or lose. What matter is that you were there and you are a force to be reckon with !

Good Luck ! and let us know how it turns out !

[Eliz]

Hi Polly.

You have received some very sound advice and there is little I can add except to say Good Luck! :)

It is VERY normal for first time competitors to speed up while doing forms as a result of nerves. Control your pace, hit your stances and techniques. Think about each move - don't think about, "Just getting it over with."

Let us know how it goes.

[Tang-Soo-Architect]

As it's your first time enjoy the experience and don't worry if you don't do as well as you expected, judges can be funny creatures. ;)
Good luck.

[Aefibird]

Try to make sure that you eat and drink sensibly the night before. Keep up your energy and make sure you drink plenty of water. Also, have a good breakfast the morning of the competition.

If you are feeling nervous then breathing exercises or a little meditation can help. Make sure you really know the form that you will be doing - don't choose a kata that you kind-of know just to try and impress the judges - they will be more impressed with a low grade kata done well than a higher grade kata performed sloppily.

Finally, try to relax and enjoy it! Tell yourself that you will enjoy the tournament and that you will have fun and you're more likely to.Be confident in yourself and your abilities.

Oh, and GOOD LUCK!! :)

[asdf]

I'll be competing in my first tournament on Friday. It's just kata that I'll be doing, but I'm a bit terrified of going up in front of hundreds of people and doing my thing. Any advice??? :eek:

Hi,

Sound advice coming from members. I'm assuming you're competing in the Saiten 2006 at Columbia University - I'm actually going to drop by and check it out, after running into the South African team on the street. Good luck tomorrow!

Patrick

[seidogirl]

Hi,

Sound advice coming from members. I'm assuming you're competing in the Saiten 2006 at Columbia University - I'm actually going to drop by and check it out, after running into the South African team on the street. Good luck tomorrow!

Patrick

Yes, it was Saiten. I competed today so I'm all done. It was an amazing experience meeting people from all over the world. My performance could have been better, but I was really nervous so I guess that had a lot to do with it. I'm so glad I went though and will know what to expect next time around.

Tomorrow is the black belt competition and team demonstrations. I can't go, but I think you'll enjoy it. Osu!

[Eliz]

Yes, it was Saiten. I competed today so I'm all done. It was an amazing experience meeting people from all over the world. My performance could have been better, but I was really nervous so I guess that had a lot to do with it. I'm so glad I went though and will know what to expect next time around.

Tomorrow is the black belt competition and team demonstrations. I can't go, but I think you'll enjoy it. Osu!

Another newbie.....hooked!!!! :laugh:

Congrats and I am glad you enjoyed your experience. I really enjoy the whole competitive environment too. :)

[jjaje]

Polly,

Glad you enjoyed it.

[jakmak52]

Hi Polly.

You have received some very sound advice and there is little I can add except to say Good Luck! :)

It is VERY normal for first time competitors to speed up while doing forms as a result of nerves. Control your pace, hit your stances and techniques. Think about each move - don't think about, "Just getting it over with."

Let us know how it goes.

Ditto on that Eliz....great advice :bow: Don't slow it down, just do it like the last time you practiced it in the dojo!!!! When competing, go into the zone as if there is NO ONE around except YOU....focus on intensity, flow, fighting rythm, eye contact, stances (low), kia's in the proper places, and a mindset or visualization that you're taking home 1st place, good luck to you :D

[jjaje]

FYI - I split some of the responses that were not relevant into a seperate thread.

Again, Polly, I'd like to congratulate you for having the courage to try something new. I'm happy you enjoyed your experience, and I wish you luck in any future competitions.