10 Things to do in Preparation for a Martial Arts Semi-Contact Open Competition. Part2.

Is your first competition coming up or are you a seasoned pro?

You will find something here for you in part 2 of my 10 things to do in preparation for a Martial Arts semi–contact open competition.... Yes it’s a mouth-full. But it is important to distinguish between the many different Martial Arts (MA) competitions out there.

Having said that, an element of this will apply to most situations.

Part 1can be found here

Let’s get into part 2:

Clothing, Equipment and Safety

As a Martial Artist, you’ll have a kit with most or all the above in it. But there are a few things to consider. 

If you have bought any of the above new to be used on the day, make sure you not only try them on before. But actually use them for their intended purpose to make sure they are the right fit and ‘comfortable’. 

Nothing worse than a gum shield or sparring glove that just keeps niggling at you or head guard that keeps spinning and obstructing your view as soon as it is tapped.

Also it is an area where it is better to have a piece of kit and not use it than  to need and not have it or having to go round trying to buy of borrow someone else’s.... It can put you off your game.

Location of venue       

Seems pretty obvious, but this is one event you do not want to turn up late for, because you couldn’t find it or there were two ‘St James Halls’ and you turned up at the theatre instead of the sports hall.

Getting there early gives you a chance to have a wander around at the place, find out what facilities are available in both the building originally and also any additions the organisers have put in place.

Also, you will mostly have any announcements concerning the day’s competition read out at the beginning... You don’t want to miss them even if you are experienced... There is always something unique about each one.

Then there is the all important having a nose around at your potential competition on the day. You’ll be amazed at what you will find out that can actually help you beat the competition... Given away freely just for you being there and listening... Yes please!

(And you probably thought ‘location of venue’ was just a filler.)

 

Competition fuel

Diet

The all important diet... What to eat and drink during training, before the competition and on the day? Thankfully we live in a world of information like no other before. So there is tons of information available on the web, T.V. bookstores.

I actually think it’s more about the importance to your results and general well being and having the will power or should I say habit of eating well than knowing ‘what’ to eat...

We all know fruit, vegetables, complex carbohydrates, legumes are good for you, but! Do we all eat them to the exclusion of the not so good for us food?

I recommend find a meal plan that is right for you and stick to it... Research if you need to and if it’s a will power thing, try getting a friend to hold you accountable. Better yet train with you and share the same diet.

Ultra important!

Adequate rest

This one is a very individual thing, but most of us ‘know’ how many hours sleep we need to feel well rested the next day.

I will say right here at the beginning, that regardless of your Family, work or training schedule. You want to get ‘your’ adequate amount of sleep every night for at least seven days before competition day... And that is a gem, right there.

Now, training days and non training days, yes, your body needs rest to rebuild torn muscle tissue from training and general recuperation. There is a doctrine that says you shouldn’t train everyday. 

This may vary between peoples body type. But I think it is rather about what training you do if you are going to train every day.

I believe it is more important not to over-train. If you do, then having a non training day may not be of much use anyway.

Again, I appreciate this varies from person to person... Listen to your body and get some advice if you feel the need.

In my case, I regularly train everyday and vary what area of the body is getting the work and in some cases the type of training, Thereby having a different effect on my body in each case.

Visualise success

If you are not familiar with visualising an outcome...  Which in this case is Winning your class at the competition or winning an award for best Kata or, Fighter of the day.

Then don’t sweat it.... Just imagine you are playing a movie or a youtube video in your mind, of what you want to happen.

It’s just like day dreaming, only you are in control, in that you deliberately decide just what it is you want to dream about and you create it in your own mind. It is as simple as that... No need to complicate it.

So, visualise the result you want and then play it in your mind repeatedly.

There you have it, part 2 and the end of our look at 10 things to do in preparation for a martial arts semi-contact open competition.

Hope you have found it as interesting to read as I have to write... This is all from experiences, good and bad. I didn’t have a guide like this in 1991when I did my first competition and subsequent competitions in the early 90’s. Come to think of it, don’t recall Google being around either.

All that is left to say is if you are just about to go out and do that first competition and you're feeling a little nervous. First make sure you have prepared as best as you can. Then... Go out and have a plan to just have fun and enjoy the experience. Good luck! 

You may be pleased to hear, or not, as the case may be. In preparing for this post the thought process has spawned enough ideas for maybe another 20 post’s or so... Watch out.

As I write, I’m thinking of a way I can put a trail marker. Bit like a little DNA in all the subsequent post’s that come as a result of this one... I’ll Google it.

Please feel free to leave a comment or ask questions in the box below.

Thank you for taking the time.

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.

Will Martial Arts stop my Child getting picked on?

Martial Arts will definitely help the situation... I am not saying Martial arts will stop your Child getting picked on. There may be several factors causing it... 

You may need to look to additional help in the form of alerting your Childs’ school, if it happens there or report it to the enforcement authorities if it happens outside school.

Martial arts cover a number of areas both from your Childs point of reference and that of the person/group that is offending... Areas like confidence, awareness and tools to deal with this kind of unfortunate situation.

Confidence and mind control.

This is dealing with your Childs confidence and mind... There needs to be an air of ‘no one is going to pick on me’, transcending to an air of ‘I don’t get picked on... there is something about me that just repels bullies, trouble makers and the like.

When she reaches this level of mind control and that is what it is. She’ll be less of a target.

You’ll say and do the right things which preclude you from the oppressors gaze.

The question is how do you do that?

The Body.

You do that systematically over time by showing up to the dojo, learning and practicing all the aspects of the art, which in turn builds confidence... With increased confidence, your mind becomes convinced of its capabilities and the body’s capabilities...

So, your self talk goes from ‘I hope I don’t run into such and such or get picked on by those horrible people’ to ‘Wow, I can look after myself and without hurting anyone, unless I choose to do so. I can run rings around anyone who tries to take advantage of me’

With this self talk, the body walks tall, the face is relaxed, an aura, noticeable aura of self confidence oozes from your Child... This translates to a confident verbalisation to those around, friend or foe that we are looking at a new and improved version You.

Situational awareness and self defence.

In Martial Arts, as part of the training, we do self defence drills and they are practiced regularly... Starting with the basics and moving to an advanced level over time.

Now, I can tell you categorically that just knowing the basics, puts you head and shoulders above most of the day to day run ins your Child may encounter...

It becomes even more effective when you combine it with regular practice, consistently over time till it is second nature an ‘art’.

To add to that you are pitting yourself regularly against other Martial artists who have honed a skill of offence and defence consistently over time as well.

 

The above puts you in a very good position to deal with most situations.

Building confidence, step by step.

The overseer.

So, you have built up your confidence, mind control, physically trained your body to a high degree, then honed awareness, self defence and fighting skills.

Then taken all that and wrapped it in a philosophy, value, integrity that says I will only use my skills in the defence of myself and others, I will be humble and seek to resolve rather than antagonise.

Exercise patience with my fellow people, regardless of race or creed...

It is this level of ascension that separates the good, committed martial artist who makes this art a ‘way of life’ from most of the atrocities that life throws at you.

So, Yes, I’m saying you’ll get so much more from this than availing yourself of whoever wants to pick on you.

I said earlier you’ll need to get additional support, because there are always exceptions to the norm... Yours may be one. But if you are asking if Martial Arts will stop your child getting picked on? 

The answer is; it will definitely help reduce or stop it.

Please leave a comment below to get in touch or have any questions answered.

Thank you for taking the time.

Discover Martial Arts in Alhaurin.

Gerald Brennan, the author who moved to Spain and made Alhaurin his home did a great job of popularising the town with his stories of this wonderful tranquil town with the back drop of beautiful mountain ranges. 

I suspect Martial arts in Alhaurin would have been far from his mind as he sat there on those warm sunny evenings reading or taking down notes for his next book.

But oh, times have changed and though it is extremely easy to get away from the hustle and bustle of the main town and back to what Gerald described...

In recent years, It is a town that has seen in excess of 1000 British people living among the Spanish inhabitants here... A number of those people read his books and followed his trail here, in search of a similar tranquillity. Miles away from sunshine deprived England.

A pacifist at heart.

Gerald reluctantly served in the first world war and although we don’t have a detailed account of that time, I suspect it was certainly under a much more hostile environment than experienced here in Spain.

And here is where our paths cross... In martial Arts there is a doctrine that exemplifies the ‘hard and soft’ or ying and yang.

And so, as modern life in many once tranquil towns, be it in Alhaurin in Andalucia, Spain or Eastbourne in Sussex, England... Martial Arts remains one of the best antidotes to not just surviving, but thriving in a society that takes you ‘places’. 

Where you need to be at the top of your game for a board meeting or important sales call in the afternoon and then relaxed, tranquil and attentive at 6pm as you put the key in the door and are greeted by your loving Family, who want all your attention. Sparing no thought for your need to wind down for half an hour first.

How?

Martial Arts takes you up and down, fast and slow while you remain in an alert state. A typical class will start with a warm up which includes stretching and some very light exercises with an emphasis on breathing control. Followed by a combination of punches and kicks, then kata, which is a continuous demonstration of various techniques. Finally, self defence and some more indulgent exercises to finish.

Performing a Kata.

The key is in the movement, practice and perfection of those skills. This gives rise to the relaxed yet intense demeanour of the participant... It is having this demeanour that helps you to deal with the day to day stresses in life.

Pleasure.

You’ll be hopefully pleased to know that the Art of Martial Arts in Alhaurin is in the perfection of self and once you have mastered the basics. You then start to fine tune the art to deliver more of whatever it is that you want from its existence in your life. 

For example: you may choose to delve deeper into the soft side or the hard side or maintain a balance of all... The choice is yours.

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