Karate tournaments can build the skill and confidence of children.
The scene: A kids karate tournament in any city or town. Two karate kids clash in the center of the ring in sparring competition. It is overtime. The score is tied 4-4. The next point will determine who will get a trophy and who will go home empty-handed. One child lunges across the ring with a mighty kiai and scores with a punch to the other’s chest. He pumps his hands in the air as the judges declare him the victor. He looks to his parents, who are hoarse from yelling and screaming, for approval. They are all smiles. The other child bows his head in despair as the tears flow. This is his third tournament and he has not yet won a trophy—so close this time. He cannot bear to look at his parents. I feel his pain.
Are Karate Tournaments for Kids Good or Bad?
Are karate tournaments healthy for kids? This is an interesting question as it can apply to any sport. Our competition team, Kenpo Freestyle Sydney, has broken records for the most championships in the International Sport Karate Association in Australia. The team has been the number one ranked team for five years in a row. You might expect me to be a bit biased on this subject. I am. I believe the positives outweigh the negatives, when it comes to karate competition for kids. I will discuss why here. I would also really appreciate your comments for or against kids in karate competitions, or perhaps any sports competition.
For Karate Tournaments
While getting ready for tournaments, kids practice a lot. Tournament competitors practice about three times as much as your average karate student. This pays off as they progress much faster in their ability.
The tournament competitors get the attention of the top instructors, who take time to work with them. This training is often one-on-one.
Kids learn to handle pressure and perform. Doing this consistently helps them to overcome stress with grace—a key life skill.
A good coach will know how to motivate competitors to perform well, further building their self-confidence.
Karate competitors also learn how to overcome disappointments and perservere. They learn from their mistakes and don’t give up.
In my experience, martial artists with a competition background make the best instructors—they have forged their skills the heat of competition and now have the confidence to help others.
Kids and parents alike will build a strong camaraderie with each other at tournaments. Competitors stand around the ring and cheer and clap loudly for their team-mates.
Tournaments foster the importance of sportsmanship. Shaking hands with other competitors after their events is strongly encouraged. Words of support to other competitors who had a bad day are routinely offered. In some instances, stronger competitors let weaker ones score a point or two just so the weaker ones leave with a feeling of pride.
Children learn in competition that sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. This is an important lesson to learn about life.
Against Karate Tournaments
Not everyone will be a winner. Some will quit martial arts because they are so disappointed.
Karate tournaments can be very expensive. If a student is competing regularly, it can run into the thousands of dollars per year. For families, it is even more expensive.
Kids that don’t compete might feel left out.
The pressure can be too much for some children; especially if coaches and parents put too much emphasis on winning.
How to Mitigate the Negatives
Non-competitors should also be given the opportunity to show their skills.
Everyone who competes should be recognised, win or lose. We call all competitors up for a clap in front of the class and recognise them for their bravery and willingness to have a go.
We do not pressure kids to go to tournaments. If they want to go and if the family can afford it, that’s fine.
We try to recognise non-competitors for their achievements in class; for instance kids get to demonstrate techniques in front of the class if they do them well.
For kids that are having difficulty coping with the pressure, we try to give them extra encouragement. As coaches, we never show anger or disappointment at our students’ performance. We support them and try to help them do better next time. If we see a parent getting a little heated about the results of their child’s outcome, we might have a talk with them. We want kids to have fun, make friends, and be inspired by their team-mates performances. Most importantly, we want them to enjoy their day at the tournament. That is what it’s all about.
All good points Matt,
I would add that winning and losing is real life that is good for children to experience. One of the ancillary benefits of a tournament is the kid learns what pressure is like. So win, lose or draw, if the kid fought to the best of his or her present ability – he or she has nothing to be ashamed of and everything to be proud of.
It is kind of funny but my first trophy was 3rd place out of 3 fighters at a small tournament. I did ok but did lost both of my matches. I had been in about 5 tournaments before that but I was very happy I finally placed.
Later I went on to win more than I lost and learned the knack of being first! (first to get in the strike) with the assistance of my instructor, Dick Willett who would give me homework between tournaments until I started winning more.
I agree with you that if the instructors have the right attitude, losing well can be instructive and a positive experience for children. It was for me in my late teens.
Hey John,
Yes, by competing to the best of our ability, we are all winners in my book. I think I went to about 3 or 4 tournaments before I got my first trophy, and there were only a few fighting. I tell all my students who don’t get a trophy “every dog has their day”, and sure enough, they do. Never trained under Dick as Todd was always my sensei, but heard he was pretty good. Thanks for all your great comments John and for all your support. John has an awesome blog about self defense and kenpo history so please visit it everyone.
Great site. A lot of useful information here. I’m sending it to some friends!
I agree with all the points on this page, and I, like the two highly ranked martial artists above me, took a while to first win a trophy, which was 2nd out of 2 competitors. But after that, I felt really motivated to continue with the tournaments and so I did.
Now, I am doing reasonably well and hope to compete in the U.S. Open next year.
Also, excellent blog matt, I enjoy reading all of these issues.
Thanks Grant, your comments are always welcome here. It is good to get the perspective of a young competitor.
U know Me Sensei Matt LOL
Good OR Bad ????
Well where do we start? Hmmmmm!
Tournament experience is a necessary part of every Marshal Artist Life to realize there true potential along with many others things,
Tournament sharpens your abilities and skill level:
Your Range,
Knowing where your target is and how much energy you need to exert. (Halo)
Your Control and Self Confidence,
Knowing where your limits are and knowing When and Where to resort to hand to hand combat,
It is far easer to throw A Punch, than know when to Pull a Punch
Your Focus in Crowds,
You never know when you will get bailed up in a noisy Concert or Pub,
Your Foot Work,
Foot work is so important because most fighters will focus on you upper torso than your legs and feet unless you have your foot in there face.
Your Peripheral Vision (Awareness).
Being able to see (Not Pre Empt) a strike coming from anywhere.
What Tournaments do not help with?
Your Follow Through,
Striking through your target apposed to pulling your strikes
Being Humble,
It tends to make some Marshal Artist think they are unbeatable; Remember there is always some one Bigger & Better Out There! We must all stay grounded as this is the way of the CHI, “A Humble Man is an Honest & Good Man” We strive to obtain self confidence & self control so we can appreciate what Life has to offer but this will always be clouded by EGO this always make it hard for us to see & achieve our goals
Your Attitude to your Brothers and Sisters Marshal Artist,
Life is full of competition But with out compromise where would we be?
Knowing when to press forward & when to stop and re group is the Key to good wisdom and strategy.
Earning Respect for your self and giving respect to others,
If life is always Win Win Win when do have time to Give Back?
Personally I find Giving much more satisfying than Winning,
But knowing I can win is also important to me.
Keep in touch with the fundamentals,
We tend to always look for fancier and more technical moves to impress with But remember, The house is only as good as the foundations it is built on
So in saying all of that you must try every thing to understand weather it is some thing you can use to improve your self and your skills.
But never forget where you came from.
Marshal Arts is one of the smorgasbords of life, Try a little of every thing & only go back for seconds for what you want & can use.
Cheers Sensei
“Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger or faster man, but sooner or later the man who wins is the one who thinks he can.”
“If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.”
Well said Shandor, like your comments about humility–knowing that there is always someone better is a good reality check. No one should think they are God.
Yes, basics are key, although more technical moves build coordination, agility, and explosiveness.
Competition must be balanced with cooperation and helping others–great point. It is not always about me.
Great blog Sensei it is interesting to read the diferant views on this subject. The Scholar is one specialist that I try to encourage as it is the Kempo Ying and we teach the Kempo Yang in class every week.
With out one or the other it like having a left without a right “WHY would need it?” Cheers
What a great resource!
What an execelent blog! i would like to know when the next ISKA tournaments are comming up
Thank YOU!
Thanks Dino, google ISKA.com.au and you will get a complete schedule for the year. Thanks for the complement and for supporting our blog.
That is important for kids to develop their skills and then compare them in competitions. This is good in my opinion because it will help that kid to gain better results in life later.
Thanks Michael, appreciate your comments. Agree that a child that can withstand the heat of competition will be set up for success in life.
Maybe the most interesting blog I have read ever 🙂
Helga
How many blogs have you read Helga? Just kidding, I appreciate your comment.
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