The Power of Competition in the Martial Arts

The idea of sport competition in the martial arts is a relatively new concept recently adopted in the late twentieth century. Modern schools of Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Tang Soo Do, Kung Fu, Jiu Jitsu, Judo, Muay Thai, Mixed Martial Arts, and Kickboxing, for example, either choose to implement competition in their schools or leave it out. Many traditional martial artists disdain competition as they feel it erodes the true spirit of martial combat. However, many others realize the power of competition and promote it among their students. This article explains why I think that competition has a useful place in martial arts and what the benefits are to practitioners.

I will start by saying that I completely respect a student or instructor's decision to not make competition a part of their training. I believe that martial arts are highly individualistic and everybody has the right to choose what they do and do not take from them. I would never criticize a part time practitioner, nor would I criticize someone who devotes a major portion of their life to the arts. Likewise, I would never criticize the student who shies away from competition nor the champion who lives and breathes tournaments and awards. Everyone has the right to write their own life story and martial arts can play whatever role they choose, no matter how large or small.

Competition has had a positive impact on my individual training in many ways. Some of my fondest memories of martial arts over the years have involved tournaments. I am realistic and realize that sparring in a ring does not accurately translate into street confrontations. After all if we trained every night by pounding each other into submission with full contact blows, we would be nursing a never ending string of injuries that would impact many other areas of our lives. However you are engaging in an activity that simulates fighting without causing continuous injuries to yourself and classmates. It is up to the student's common sense to discern between fighting in a ring and defending their life on the street, and apply appropriate force to each situation.

The first positive impact is that competition sharpens martial arts training. Most often in competition you will be required to perform a specific form or kata based on your belt rank and skill level. Once the you pick your routine, you should then practice that form relentlessly in the weeks and months leading up to your competition. During this process, your central nervous system will begin to perform those specific movements with increasing efficiency and the pattern will be ingrained into your muscle memory at a high level. If you begin competing at the white belt level, and compete two to three times a year, you will have the opportunity to engage in this kind of intense training with multiple forms as you progress higher in rank. Those brief two or three month spurts of concentrated practice on a single form will become ingrained in you for a long time. Of course, you will have to continue the practice of those forms, but it will be more of a maintenance regiment. Some may argue that true martial artists should be training in this manner regardless; however, competition training gives us a quantifiable incentive to drive us.

Furthermore, along side with the ranking system (which I will discuss in another article), competition teaches the power of goal setting and achieving. The best goals are quantifiable, and a legitimate quantifiable goal is earning a first, second, or third place trophy, or not placing at all. Whether a student wins or loses, the experience gives them an opportunity to reflect on their performance and see what areas they need to improve. Competition training shows that success can be achieved through trail and error. In my experience, I have found that the more I hammered away on a specific form or sparring style, the greater and faster my improvement was. I measured that improvement by the medals I won at competitions, which steadily increased over time. I remember taking a third place medal, then going home to tweak my form to forge a better performance. A month or two later, after continual practice, I would return to take second place with the same form. Repeating the process again led me to begin taking more gold medals. It is true that the results that tournament judges are subjective. However, subjectivity beings to dissolve after you engage in constant practice for long periods of time. Before you know it you will be attaining great results no matter who is judging you.

Finally, competition teaches you the spirit of... are you ready for this... COMPETITION. Like it or not, competition is a very real part of life. Whether you are applying for a university, trying to find a job, or even attaining an intimate relationship, competition will always be present. You will come across people with superior skills and experience than you as well as those who are inferior. There will be days when you have favorable conditions and those where everything seems to go against you. In martial arts competition you may face people who are bigger, stronger, faster, younger, and more experienced than you. The same will happen in every other area of your life. The mark of a true warrior is the ability to overcome those odds and give your very best. Let us say you lose to a superior opponent in the martial arts arena or in life. You are given an excellent opportunity to learn and grow! If you dig deep and win, it will build your confidence and self-esteem. Either way you come away with a positive experience that you can take with you the rest of your life. Growth is rarely comfortable.

To summarize, I believe that competition is an excellent tool for any martial artist. You are never too old or inexperienced to start. The main objective is not to collect trophies and titles but experiencing self-improvement within your art. Through it you will sharpen your skills, learn the power of goal setting, and build indomitable spirit that will teach you to overcome the obstacles of life. I encourage all martial artists to try it if they have the opportunity, it will make you a better martial artist, regardless if you win or lose.