The Importance of Karate Tournaments for Young Recreational Athletes, and FAQ from Their Parents

1. The learning experience.

Karate tournaments can provide young students with valuable insights into their own strengths and weaknesses, both in terms of karate skills and the student's ability to perform under pressure in a competitive environment. By comparing themselves with karate practitioners from other clubs, students come to understand their own relative strengths and weaknesses. This understanding, if approached in a constructive way, can give karate students invaluable motivation to improve their skills and achieve excellent results at future tournaments.

2. A test of a student's current skill level.

It is very difficult for a parent to evaluate their own child's skill level and to monitor their improvements over time. While coaches will almost always have their student's best interests at heart, some coaches may find it difficult to give parents a full idea as to the strengths and weaknesses of their child's karate skills. Participating in a karate tournament is an impartial way for students and their parents to understand the student's skill level relative to other competitors, and to gauge the gaps that need to be filled. Since tournaments give a direct comparison between students from different clubs, parents and coaches can gain valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of each student's performance – particularly since students will be judged by coaches and students from other clubs. The best way for students to improve their performance at tournaments is to work hard and hone their skills, but this cannot happen until the student has a full understanding of the areas that most need improvement.

3. The opportunity to overcome fear.

Most child psychologists recommend that children have the opportunity to compete in a safe environment, as it is an excellent way for children to come to understand their own inner fears and learn appropriate methods of mastering self-control. Regular access to tournaments and other competitive environments reduce the chances that a young athlete will become "frozen in fear" should they need to defend themselves against an unknown attacker.

4. Develop self-confidence.

Karate tournaments are an excellent way for young students to build their own self-confidence, giving them the opportunity to display their skills and knowledge – the results of their own hard work – while being supported and encouraged by parents, coaches, and fellow karate athletes. For some students, having their name shouted in encouragement during a noisy tournament, and understanding that there is a whole team of people eager to witness their success can be a turning point in that student's self-confidence.

5. The opportunity to set and achieve short-term goals.

Karate tournaments provide valuable motivation for students to work hard to achieve a short-term goal. With a tournament growing ever nearer, students can find additional motivation to train harder and become stronger and more resourceful during a short period of time than they otherwise might have. It is often in the weeks leading up to a tournament that karate students make enormous progress in their training.

How many tournaments should karate students participate in?

While there is no magic number of tournaments that will provide the greatest benefit to a karate student, most coaches agree that the more competition the student is exposed to, the better. Every competition makes students more focused, more determined, and provides additional motivation to become stronger and sharpen their techniques. Every competition gives students the opportunity to observe karate students from other clubs and learn valuable methods to achieve their own goals. While students may not realize it at the time, every tournament will provide at least some form of a valuable lesson, insight, or a new technique that will shape that students' progress in the future.

What are the different types of karate tournaments?

Karate competitions in North America come under two broad headings: recreational and elite. They can also be split into further categories, depending on the size and style of the tournament itself:

• Open championships for all karate clubs and styles
• Tournaments organized by a specific style of karate and open to members of that style only
• Competitions organized by local sports governing bodies on a provincial, state, or federal level
• Martial arts tournaments, open to students of a variety of martial arts styles including karate
• Smaller, amateur competitions organized by a local group of clubs, usually limited to two or three clubs per event.

How can I find out about upcoming tournaments?

There are several ways that parents of aspiring karate masters can find out about upcoming tournaments in North America and internationally:

• Ask your instructor. Your local instructor will be best placed to provide information on local tournaments.
• Ask Google. Running a few quick searches with key phrases like "WKF karate tournaments for children", "WKF open recreational karate competitions", and "WKF style karate championships" will provide valuable information about upcoming tournaments. You can even create alerts within Google so that you will be sent an email notification if a new result comes up that matches your search term.
• Check the websites of karate associations and federations, and local sports governing bodies. By regularly checking these websites you can stay up-to-date on upcoming events that might suit your child. Some websites will allow you to register your child for upcoming events, pay fees in advance, and be notified about any new information as soon as it happens. Try sportsdata.org and sportmartialarts.com to start your search.

What should we consider when deciding whether to participate in a competition?

Before registering for a tournament, check the level and professionalism of the tournament. Start with an online check, keeping in mind that professionally organized karate tournaments tend to put a lot of importance on their online presence. Look for up-to-date information on the tournament's website, as well as a well-maintained social media presence. The team behind a well-organized tournament will be easily accessible for parents to ask questions and receive up-to-date information.