Over the past weekend we had our second annual Crashing Waves in-house tournament! Our students had a great time showing their very best skills, making new friends, and practicing for our upcoming tournament season. Combined with our Wave students and Elmhurst Tang Soo Do, we had 70+ participants! We hope to keep growing our tournament to even higher numbers next year. 
Competition in martial arts offers a wide range of benefits that can help practitioners develop physically, mentally, and emotionally. Some key advantages include:
- Refinement of Technique: Competition pushes students to improve their techniques under pressure. The need to perform in a timed, structured environment encourages practitioners to refine their skills and make quick decisions.
- Stress Management: Competing can be stressful, and handling that stress helps build mental resilience. It teaches you how to stay calm under pressure and adapt to challenges.
- Focus and Discipline: Competitions require focus, preparation, and the ability to perform when it counts. This helps to develop discipline both in training and in daily life.
- Better Conditioning Under Stress: The physical demands of competition are intense and mimic the physical stress of real-life situations, improving overall stamina and endurance.
- Sense of Achievement: Winning a match or even just competing can provide a significant confidence boost, proving to oneself that hard work and dedication lead to success.
- Overcoming Fear: Entering competitions helps confront and overcome fear, whether it’s fear of failure, injury, or simply performing in front of others. Conquering these fears can have a lasting positive impact on self-esteem.
- Handling Failure: Losing in a competition provides valuable learning experiences. It teaches humility, how to handle disappointment, and how to make adjustments for future success.
- Winning Gracefully: On the other hand, winning teaches how to handle success with humility and how to maintain perspective about your achievements.
- Camaraderie: Whether you win or lose, there is a sense of camaraderie with your fellow competitors. The shared experience of competing in martial arts helps forge a community bond.
Not only did our students do a great job competing, but they also improved their leadership skills by assisting with judging and coaching the younger students!
In the photos above, not only do you see our black belt’s and instructors as judges, but some of our SWAT and Leadership students got the chance to judge as well. As part of their SWAT (Special Winning Attitude Team) training, they’re expected to assist at our events in order to grow as role models and leaders. Some got the opportunity to learn how to be scorekeepers and timekeepers, a job usually done by adults or higher ranking belts at our regional tournament. Others practiced their leadership by sitting with the younger competitors and coaching them on what to do, calming their nerves and reassuring some of our littlest ones. Some of our higher ranked leaders got to sit and score students as a judge, so they got the experience of both competing in front of judges and being the judge people compete in front of. This is no easy feat, but our students rose to the challenge and continued to make progress towards becoming the most excellent version of themselves as leaders, and eventually instructors.
In summary, competing in martial arts is not only about winning medals or trophies; it’s about personal growth, learning valuable life skills, and pushing your limits. It helps cultivate a well-rounded martial artist both inside and outside the studio.
