10 Things to do in Preparation for a Martial Arts Semi-Contact Open Competition. Part1.

Your first competition or a seasoned pro? There is something here for You in part 1 of my 10 things to do in preparation for a Martial Arts semi – contact open competition.... 

Yes it’s a mouth-full. But there are so many different Martial Arts (MA) competitions out there which will require additional things to consider.

However an element of this will apply to most situations.



You can find part 2 here

Let’s get into part1:

Type of competition

Not every competition advertised will have a depth of explanation as I have in the title of this post. But if you decide to compete, in order to train and prepare effectively, you need to know what you are getting into.

Feel free to call the organisers for a full explanation and get your questions answered.

Know the rules

Following on from above, yet worth mentioning separately... Get a copy of the rules, well in advance and then study them to make sure you are familiar with not just the rules, but also their application.

There is nothing worse than training for weeks or months honing techniques which will then be disallowed on competition day. This happens often, so be prepared.

Your Mental State

Maybe the most important part of the equation... You will need to be mentally up for it which comes from a combination of all the other things on the list. When you train regularly and practice with an event in mind, everything you do accumulates to help form a feeling of certainty that you have done your part and you’re ready to go...

But it will also require that you quieten the ‘noise’ and believe you can do it.... This can come in the form of simply telling yourself what it is you want to achieve and why.

Essentially, be positive in all your thoughts surrounding the event.

Your Physical State

Much the same as above, your physical being requires all the above and a lot of what we are going to talk about before the 10 things are up. But worth mentioning individually so you know how it all comes together....

So, requirements are looking after your body, giving it the time and patience it needs as you train in a steady gradual improvement mode. Rather than guns blazing at the start, only to end up burnt out or worse still, with an injury which stops you competing... Let it come...

 

Chi

Spiritual – Inner strength

More to do with the unseen...  But not to get into a different subject all together. This is to do more with what you are projecting out and to a degree, what is being projected in from the outside and your ability to maintain high spirits regardless of what that is.

And it is in the maintaining of high spirits that we are dealing with here... When in this state, you feel positive and optimistic and this brings a flow about you that is not present otherwise.

This ‘flow’ state is the ideal state for competition.

We have come to the end of Part1 of my 10 things to do in preparation for a Martial Arts semi – contact open competition... 

Look out for the gem I’ve included in part 2... Worth the read.

Feel free to add any comments or ask questions in the box below.

Thank you for taking the time.

Coming tomorrow! Part 2.