This past weekend, I was able to travel to Rochester, NY with 4 students from the dojo to participate in the 2011 All American International Karate Championships. It was a great experience for several reasons, and many lessons were learned.
We learned that, in a sparring competition, you should never leave the decision in the hands of the judges when you can finish the match on your own.
We learned that belt colors don't translate perfectly from one style to another or from one Kyokushin association to another.
We learned that time spent training doesn't mean nearly as much as time spent training the right way.
We also learned that, in many ways, we are training the right way.
We learned that the smallest interaction with another person can bring hours, and hours, and hours of hilarious conversation.
We learned that our opponents are real people and not enemies who must be destroyed.
Practically speaking, we were very successful in our endeavors. Results are below and videos can be found on the "photos" tab to the left of your screen.
Davin- 3rd Place 15-17 year old semicontact.
Jacob- 3rd Place 13-14 year old semicontact. I asked Jacob to compete in the advanced division, against other young men with 4-5 more years of experience. I'm thankful that he trusted me.
Tim- 1st Place 13-14 year old semicontact. I asked Tim to compete in the intermediate division, against other young men who had 2-4 more years of experience. Again, I am thankful that he trusted me.
Dai- Superheavyweight Knockdown Champion.
We learned that, in a sparring competition, you should never leave the decision in the hands of the judges when you can finish the match on your own.
We learned that belt colors don't translate perfectly from one style to another or from one Kyokushin association to another.
We learned that time spent training doesn't mean nearly as much as time spent training the right way.
We also learned that, in many ways, we are training the right way.
We learned that the smallest interaction with another person can bring hours, and hours, and hours of hilarious conversation.
We learned that our opponents are real people and not enemies who must be destroyed.
Practically speaking, we were very successful in our endeavors. Results are below and videos can be found on the "photos" tab to the left of your screen.
Davin- 3rd Place 15-17 year old semicontact.
Jacob- 3rd Place 13-14 year old semicontact. I asked Jacob to compete in the advanced division, against other young men with 4-5 more years of experience. I'm thankful that he trusted me.
Tim- 1st Place 13-14 year old semicontact. I asked Tim to compete in the intermediate division, against other young men who had 2-4 more years of experience. Again, I am thankful that he trusted me.
Dai- Superheavyweight Knockdown Champion.
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