Those who know me, know I love the tournament scene.  The experience of my first ATA National Tournament was what truly hooked me as a member of this organization.  I met so many fantastic women - not only friendly, and encouraging, but also fierce competitors and amazing athletes. 

I encourage every martial artist to attend at least one or two tournaments, and see what it is all about.  Here is some information about what happens at a tournament.

1. You will be staged into a ring of no more than 16 competitors (and typically much less) of a similar age range and rank to yourself.  On the tournament floor there will be many competition rings labelled - anywhere from 12 (in a smaller tournament) to 40-50 rings in a larger/national tournament.

2. There are 4 traditional events you could choose to compete in, and they will happen in this order when your ring starts competition.  Forms, Weapons, Combat Sparring, Traditional Sparring.  In these events, you will display the traditional taekwondo that you practice in class.

3. After the 4 traditional events, your group will line back up and awards will be presented.  Medals or trophies for those who place 1st-3rd, and collectible pins for everyone who competed.

4. There are also 4 creative/extreme events you could choose to compete in, and this competition starts immediately after the traditional ring bows out.  The events are Creative Forms, Extreme Forms, Creative Weapons, Extreme Weapons.  All 4 of these events are a chance for you to take your traditional knowledge and pull together a demonstration of your own creation - to music if you prefer.  Creative should use only traditional techniques, while Extreme events pull in acrobatics, releases, and dramatics.

5. Before and after your event you are encouraged to watch competitors from your school, encourage them, and celebrate their achievements.  You also can volunteer to help out, even as a very new competitor - judges can always use help in the scorekeeper and timekeeper positions, and will be happy to explain how it works if it is your first time.

Our tournaments are fun, and safe, and the volunteers involved in running the tournament are working as hard as they can to make sure it is a good experience for everyone.  Our tournaments are called “closed” tournaments, as only ATA competitors can participate.  Even so, you will have fun seeing students from other schools around the state (and even from around the country) and how they present the traditional Songahm material in a competition setting.

If you are lucky, you might be attending a tournament with some notable guests - giving you a chance to take a picture with one of the amazing ATA Grandmasters, or Chief Masters.  They also usually are happy to sign your medal, or your belt, as a keepsake of your opportunity to meet them!

Intrigued?  Sign up for an upcoming tournament and see what all the hype is about!

Read More:
Tournament 101 - ATA Martial Arts Newsroom