Some far fetched Tournament Thoughts

7-4-2002

Watching the tournament yesterday stirred up old competitive juices and brought back old thoughts.

Perhaps you might find them interesting, some possible ‘different’ competition venues.

First there are several layers of competitors. Those who are in the competition zone, and those who are doing it for the challenge of doing it. While, theoretically, everyone has an equal chance to win a division before it begins, its my observation, more times than not, it really isn’t an equal playing field.

If I can bore you with my own history, of ancient karate, I had the pleasure of competing in the long lost region 10, Penna, Md, NJ, DE or so. In open tournaments there were any number of national champions in kata, kobudo and kumite.  Players like Cynthia Rothrock, Gary Michak (one year in the top 20 in all 3 divisions – kata, kobudo and kumite) and a whole rash of other Shorin, Goju and other stylists.

I was in divisions that the top kobudo prize was awarded to those who had to break ties 4 times (and each time with a different weapon or they were out of it).

Now I reveled in pushing myself against the best, but most of the time I really wasn’t even close to their league, and on the day I finally had my success against with all of their instructors judging me, they had all retired or moved on to national levels. The old guard keeps moving out and a new guard moves in.

Which puts my mind to thinking, here are some special competition thoughts.

Why not have two entirely different divisions in competition. A players division where they can juke and jive and wail away at each other in the highest levels, but also a development division for those who are competing to push themselves.  And in the development division, they don’t get scores, but instead a detailed analysis of what they did right and wrong. So they get the thrill of competition and mayhaps victory, but also skilled eyes (outside of their instructors) looking at all the small details that may help push them further.

Or how ‘bout an instructors kata (or kobudo) division for the real brave ones. They just present themselves before the judges, who randomly select their competition kata, on the spot.  I always wanted in our IKA shiai (the size of medium tournaments in those days) to go before sensei and say ‘Please choose my kata for me’, but I was always afraid it sounded too brazen. But it always struck me that, that would make for a real fire-breathing instructors division.

Or how about developing sparring divisions which only permit kata technique. I know the Ueichi people have been working on that and perhaps it would be interesting to research and see how they’re doing it. That strikes me it would re-enforce our system, versus the standard amateur tournament kumite. I’ve been seeing since day one. I’m not against what is out there, but it does seem that those of us who love Isshinryu might really want to see only Isshinryu kumite.

Or how about a mail in kata/kobudo tournament, where the competitors mail in video tape of their best kata/kumite form. Then a central panel judges them, awards the prizes and creates a master tape for all competitors, with all the forms and comments of why their scores were given.  That would seem to cost an organization very, very little, and still add zest to prepare their best to become better.

Again, I’m just free-thinking, not criticizing. The current venues work. I just wonder if some other things might make it more fun and work even better.

Pleasantly,