Competition and shaolin?

[pazman]

Sort of a response to the Shaolin competition going in the US this summer:

What is the place of organized competitions in Shaolin gongfu (or any martial art)?

When I was young and participating in Taekwondo tournaments I thought they were great fun. It was a great opportunity to turn your training up a notch and meet other people. As I got into high school, however, I started to tire of some of the attitude that I had to come across at them. A little was from the other competitors but most of it was from parents of kids (or even teenagers!) that were competing. It's amazing how a few pissed parents can ruin great days. In college, I actually had the attitude that competitions themselves were bad.

The Aikido organization that I train with currently in Japan, Shodokan Aikido (also known as Tomiki-ryu Aikido) gets a lot of flack from other Aikidoka because we're the only Aikido group that has Aiki-randori competitions. However, since both taking part in these competitions and watching them, I can say that they aren't the bastion of ego and hatefulness that some Aikidoka say they are.

Anyways, if you guys in the US have the opportunity to go to the competion this summer, I'd say do it. I won't be able to go being in Japan and all, but I would recommend that people get a head start, and be warned of my return to the US if there is ever a head-butting division. mwahaha.

[daodejing]

Hmmmm, sounds like my experience with judo tournaments. On a different note, doc you have to talk to these monks, I suppose this is excusable because they aren't from america but SERIOUSLY, HOBOKEN NEW JERSEY?!??!?!?!?!?!?

The only reason to stop on the jersey turnpike is to buy gas, and I'm not even sure if the gas is still that cheap. I'm sure anyone whose ever been to new jersey will second my surprise. I've competed in NJI nationals in Newark new jersey (albeit in 1994), and I can tell you right now its a bad place for a martial arts competition. Doc as a former new yorker, you're responsible for educating these monks

[Maestro]

i used to spend alot of summers at sea side heights NJ, those were good times..

there six flags is good to..

ive been through that state dozens of times on my way to NY and Penn, i dont know what everyone means when they talk **** on NJ, but, i guess theres something to it?

anyway, anyone going to the tourney in nj though? im most likely going..though theres a couple san da and bagua tourneys im supposed to be attending aswell, right around the same time..

amitabha

[zachsan]

new jersey stinks. no really, it just smells bad. i'm not really one to talk, though. my dad was born in jersey and my girlfriend comes from there.

anyway, i think competition is great as a spiritual tool. that is, to keep your cool and maintain the balance in your mind that's necessary to do a good form or spar, when you have countless other competitors to worry about, can teach you a lot about yourself. also, genuine competition can do away with a lot of bull****. if you lose, you lose, and there's no two ways about it. try harder and better luck next time.

what i don't like is the idea of training for the specific goal of winning a tournament. much in the same way i don't like training with the specific goal of kicking someone's ass in a bar. MA should remain MA, and while some sport on the side can be good for you, i don't believe it should be your focus.

hey, you asked our opinions.

- zach

[shaolinstylee]

If you take yourself too seriously at touries, you'll burn yourself, if you don't take yourself serious enough, you'll get burned by others....

Jersey, the armpit of america....

Anywho, there can be a lot learned at a tournie. too many people get mad at the judges at comps for being critical.. which is weird, concidering thats what they are supposed to do.

[daodejing]

LOL I got knocked out of USJI nationals in 1994 by one of the dumbest jersey judges ever to oversee a match. I was fighting this guy who kept countering my advances, and he finally got a really good throw in, but I broke his grip in middair, spun out of it and landed on my stomach. The referee yelled "IPPON!"

Now, perhaps you should all know a bit about the scoring system in judo. A throw is worth jack **** nothing if the person thrown lands on their stomach. If its a crappy throw, you get some points for it, and the match keeps going, if the throw is almost perfect, you get a wazari. Two wazari's and you win the match automatically. If the throw is perfect, the opponent lands flat on their back, then it is ruled an Ippon, and you win the match immediatly by default. But, as if it needed to be stated again, you get no points for a throw unless the opponent lands on their back, or at least their side.

So as I was saying, I spun out and landed flat on my stomach. Jersey ref yells Ippon. I sat on the mat in a plank position where I landed, slightly confused. Now, as in many other sports, the competitors are not allowed to even speak to the ref, much less argue with him. My coach, however was not bound by that restriction. So my coach was screaming at the ref. It was such a lousy call, the other kid's coach was even yelling at the ref that his call was bull****.

But the decision didn't get changed. Oh well, **** happens in dirty jersey.

[shaolinstylee]

A judge in a recent competition started talking smack with me after the beginner taiji division. I tied for first, lost the tie-breaker, and was disappointed in myself because I made some very stupid mistakes. So, anywho, he was being overly dick-headish and was all, I'd think someone would be happy to medal. I didn't say anything, than about a minute later, he asked if I was sparring, when I replied no, he then was all, I guess thats a good thing. Then said some more stuff I can't really remember. That got me close to my boiling point. Needless to say, he was also the judge that scored me way lower than everyone else.