Hey Warriors Fam!
How exciting to announce that over the weekend we had two students enter and compete in a karate tournament - the Chikara One Match Challenge held in Yarraville on Saturday, 26 March 2022.
While tournaments may not be for everyone, they are a great way for students to put their skills they've learnt in class to the test, meet some new friends from other clubs, and have fun. At Warriors Martial Arts, we pride ourselves on ensuring that students who would like to compete are ready, able, and at their highest capabilities for competition in all forms required: Technique, Fitness, Stamina, and Conditioning.
MEET DOMINIC AND ISTI!
Both of these amazing boys have been training at Warriors for a few years, since 2016 and 2017, respectively, and have been consistent and passionate about their training, so much so that they are now two of the highest ranks for their respective ages at our club.
Dominic and Isti have always expressed interest in competing in tournaments, with Dominic competing in his first tournament in 2017, and Isti competing in his first tournament in 2018, each just one year after first starting their training.
WHAT ARE TOURNAMENTS LIKE?
For those of you wondering, Kyokushin Karate tournaments are full-contact. Each participant is matched prior to the tournament to another competitor as close as possible to their own height, weight and level of experience. Then competitors are required to hit/strike each other to their fullest capabilities in order to progress in the match. The idea being that if your strikes/hits render your opponent incapable of continuing for 3 seconds or more, the match is automatically won. If there is a strike that hinders your opponent for less than 3 seconds, but is noticeably visible, a half point is awarded, and so long as the other side doesn't also gain a half point, the match will automatically be awarded to you at the end of the match.
While this sounds intense, competing in full-contact competition in any sport involves risks, and keep in mind, all events keep safety as the first priority. All participants under 14 years of age wear full-body protection (as seen in the photos above). And then as students gain experience and confidence with age, competitors wear less protection.
There are a few main things judges look for in competition - technique, stamina, and footwork. Judges like to see students constantly moving forward, regardless of what their opponent is doing. This is where each competitors' stamina and conditioning play a huge part in their performance, but also their mental attitude as well. In fact, attitude can make the difference between whether a younger competitor chooses to continue in a match when they may feel intimidated, maybe even before it begins, or once they experience good strikes/hits and feel discomfort.
THE WEEKEND'S EVENTS
Both Dominic and Isti competed absolutely brilliantly! They each demonstrated that the hard work and dedication they have been putting in at training pays off, and we, as instructors, couldn't be more proud!
Below you'll find a highlight video of their fights :)
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