In today's terminology, Sport Karate (or Sport Martial Arts) is the application of competitive martial arts in a sporting environment, and has been around for a few decades.
The two main categories/divisions of competition are Fighting and Forms, with this article focusing on the Fighting category. Part 2 will focus on the Forms category.
Within those two categories, there are various areas of competition ? such as weapon forms, musical forms, team forms, team fighting, continuous fighting, and many more divisions (depending what sanction an athlete competes in). Sport Martial Arts is quickly evolving as competitors continue to push the envelope of what people are physically capable of doing. This not only has increased the level of competition, but also allows martial art athletes to be more innovative in their traditional and competitive training.
Fighting
MA athletes that compete in fighting have implemented new fighting techniques and moves that were previously only seen in boxing and other arts, along with training habits of professional mainstream sports players. This has heighten the level of fighting, and made the sport more exciting to watch and be apart of.
All of the various divisions at a Sport Karate tournament are broken up into age categories and levels of martial art experience to even out the competition. Age groups vary from event-to-event, but experience is usually the same. Less then 1 year is considered a beginner, 2 ? 3 years is intermediate, 3 or more years is advanced and Black Belts are segregated from all other under belts (non-black belts).
Fighting division can be pictured as tennis matches, except they are not as lengthy. Matches are usually 2 to 3 minutes long and the winner is determined by either total points scored (first one to 5) or whoever is ahead in points when time runs out. Ties are sent into sudden death overtime ? first person to score, wins. Keep in mind these rules do not apply to every Sport Karate sanction.
Typical matches are single elimination with no opportunity to fight again unless a competitor makes it to the quarterfinals (the loser, will compete for 3rd and 4th place). Winners of their respected division, as in Forms, sometimes have the opportunity to compete for an Overall Grand Champion against other division winners.
Will I get hurt? Well, you are fighting another person, so chances are you'll end up with a bruise or two at the end of a match. But Sport Martial Arts wouldn't have gained the popularity it currently has if athletes kept on getting injured. Almost all sanctions require the athletes to wear protective gear to prevent injury and judges are always close by to monitor the match. Think of a sanction as a league, there are different types and different levels. Be sure you know what the rules of a particular sanction are before you join to ensure it is the type of competition you're looking for.
To see part 2 of this article, go to www.experiencemartialarts.com, click on "Learn More" and look in the "Sport Martial Arts" section.
Valley Girl Part 1
One thing that struck me while hoofing it toward the finish line was the similarities between running a business and running a marathon (or in my case, walking a marathon). I'll cover 5 altogether -- 2 this week and 3 next.
1. It's all about the mind. There was a quote posted around 18, 19 miles that said "I run marathons because after mile 20, it's all about your mind." Or something like that. (My cognitive skills were fading at that point.)
Basically, what that means is after you've walked 20 miles, there's nothing left. You're exhausted, your leg muscles are a tangled mass of pain and all you want to do is cry because you STILL have over 6 miles to go. Those are probably the longest 6 miles of your life.
So what keeps you going? Sheer willpower and determination.
You WILL cross that finish line. No matter what. So you keep going. Despite the pain and exhaustion.
This is the same way successful people feel about their businesses. They WILL be a success. No matter what. No matter that they're feeling frustrated and depressed right now. No matter that they've just experienced a huge failure. They still get up and keep going.
And, because of that determination, they do become a success.
But actually it's more than determination. They WANT to succeed. That's really what it comes down to.
Think of it this way. When you've hit that 20-mile mark, 90 percent of your body is telling you to stop. Basically every cell in your body below your neck is saying: "Fuel is depleted, energy reserves are dangerously low, serious damage in the hull. We need to stop the madness so we can regroup and repair."
Only 10 percent of your body is saying: "Naw, we need to keep going." So for that 10 percent to keep the 90 percent from screaming "mutiny," that 10 percent has to REALLY want to finish.
And that's the way it is for your business. You have to REALLY want to succeed. Because it's too hard if you don't. You're going to experience set backs and failures and naysayers and everything else. And unless you really want to succeed, you won't be able to overcome all of that.
However, if being a huge business success isn't want you want, that's OKAY. There's no shame in not wanting something enough to keep going when 90 percent of your body tells you to stop. Maybe it isn't the right time, or it's not your passion or whatever. It's okay to decide you don't want something enough to go after it single-mindedly.
But, if you DO decide you don't want it that much, then don't be surprised when you don't cross the finish line.
2. Attitude counts. I admit it. I was in a grumpy mood near the end. I was not at all prepared for the amount of physical pain I'd be in, and was not a happy camper.
Compare that to the people around me who were clapping their hands, saying things like "I feel fabulous" and "I'm so excited to be doing this." (And I don't even want to talk about the people who saw the finish line and ran across it.)
I have no doubt they had just as many aches and pains (if not more) as I did, but they kept right on smiling through it all.
Sure, we both finished. But they probably found it a lot less of a struggle than I did, not to mention enjoying themselves a heck of a lot more. (And they may have completed it in less time.)
Both Javier Lozano, Jr. & Michele Pariza Wacek are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
