If your child has never competed in a karate tournament before, you may have some misconceptions of what’s involved. In fact, there are many great benefits that your child will derive from participating in a karate tournament and here are five of them.
1. Put your skills to the test
In karate, as in most other sports, you spend a lot of time and energy going through trainings and drills to improve your skills and get better at karate. The field of play in karate is not the local stadium but the karate tournament. Why should your child spend so much time in karate class working on kicks, punches, flexibility and learn all those sparring combinations and strategies if they never get the opportunity to test their skills? That’s like studying so hard for a test they’ll never take!
2. Up your game by sparring new opponents
When you’ve trained with a particular group of individuals, over time it becomes easy for you to tell their strengths as well as their weaknesses. So you know that Cindi’s sidekick is powerful but she drops her hands or that Jeff has a great blitz and all you have to do to avoid him is to change your angle. When you know all these, you stop learning and you stop getting better. That is one of the best things about karate tournaments. It forces you to compete with people you don’t know, making you up your game.
3. See the world beyond your karate school
You know how when you travel for the first time, or read a book about another culture, you realize that the world is way bigger than your hometown? Well that’s what a karate tournament does for your child. Your child (and you) gets to see displays by some of the best martial artists in the area. It opens their eyes, and mind, to see that the world is way bigger than their karate school. Plus you get to meet a lot of cool people who may become famous actors tomorrow. For example, did you know that Twilight star Taylor Lautner toured the karate tournament circuit before becoming a movie heartthrob?
4. Bond with your classmates
Karate is not technically a team sport, but when you’re taking classe in a place like Urban Martial Arts, you build a kind of team spirit with every one of your classmates. And when you go to a karate tournament, the camaraderie is boosted even more. When one person is sparring, the whole group comes out to cheer and if one person loses or gets hurt the whole group consoles the person. Plus there is a ton of fun involved in karate tournaments which is a great opportunity for bonding.
5. Strengthen your character
The ultimate aim of most martial arts is to build the character of the participants. Karate is not different. Of course going into the tournament, you should have winning as your goal. However, participants should realize that no matter the outcome, they will learn a great deal from the experience. Karate tournaments are a character building exercise, helping some achieve humility and others gain confidence.
Whatever your child’s experience level or skill, karate tournaments are just the thing for them. They’ll learn a lot, meet a lot of new people and have new adventures while having fun.
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