Many students participate in taekwondo and just come to classes. Attending classes regularly gives students many benefits including learning life skills, physical fitness, and community. However, a huge piece of the puzzle is missing- tournaments. Competing in tournaments is the next level of Martial Arts training, and something in which we recommend every student partakes.
You wouldn’t go to baseball or soccer practice and never play in a game, right? The same goes for Martial Arts. Tournaments give students the opportunity to use the skills that they have been practicing. They get to show off what they know and get the chance to win a medal and a title. It’s empowering to see your hard work pay off and get a real reward for your efforts.
On the flip side, it can show them what they need to work on. When training with the same people on a daily basis, you don’t really get to see how good other people are at Martial Arts. Tournaments expose students to people from all around the world and give them the opportunity to see the skills that they possess. It can show them how good they are, or what they need to improve on so that they can be the best. If you were playing baseball and your team kept getting beat, you would work harder to become better!
Meeting new people is a huge benefit of tournaments! Unlike other sports where you just play a team and never talk to them again, in a taekwondo tournament you meet people from other schools and actually become friends. Competitors exchange knowledge and still root for you to do your best. As part of the same organization, the National Martial Arts Alliance, students all work towards a common goal and support each other along the way.
Tournaments offer the next level of Martial Arts training that makes sure students are working their hardest, have a goal to strive towards, and gives them the opportunity to win something for their efforts. Next time a tournament comes up, like February 11th in Golden, sign up and see what an amazing experience it can be!
Venture Martial Arts will be competing in the February 11th tournament. To learn more about Venture, click here.