How long?

[nitrogen]

How long should you have been training before entering a tournament. I would really like to compete sometime, but I don't want to do it prematurely. Are there different level tournaments?

[applexcore]

yeah i would think that you would need to know what other people have done....

also can some people add some real life experiances from there battles? i think that would be really interesting!

[KarateKid]

Well training is a life long thing, you dont just start training because your entering a tournament.

Ideally you will train everyday regardless, but before a tournament most people will double their training regime to ensure full preparation and fitness.

[blueangel]

Tournaments promote another side of martial arts in my opinion.
I believe that training and learning the sport is a good thing for adults and children but then to go and compete to win against one other person that just isnt what it should be about.
When battles start and the competition is started it encourages the wrong vibes. Doing martial arts isnt about who wins a certain fight alot of it is about avoiding a fight altogther.
I dont think tournaments actually show how good a person is at that particular martial art anyway, i think when you gain your next belt etc is all a person needs to show off there level of experience in the arts.

[mmmariap]

Well, from what i've always been told, for tae kwon do (WTF) anyways, anybody can and should enter tournaments, I mean, if you wait till you a black-stripe or blue belt or something before you start going to tournaments your going to end up facing people who have been going to tournaments for 2-5 years at least. So it's always good to start early.

[Twinkle]

I dont do tournaments, I havnt been in training for nearly 3 years, when I was in training I trained in Kickboxing, I didnt enter tournaments then, and I dont now.
The reason for my not entering tournaments is this, I trained to help my phisical self, to keep in shape, to teach my self disaplin and to learn how to defend myself. I never felt the need to prove my skills against another person. I believe that if the day should ever come I would be able to defend my self. But still I feel no need to go out and say I beat someone in a tournament. I believe that its against what a martial art stands for in the first place.

[Tonic]

Some people do these sports to win tournaments, some do it for personal satisfaction.

Im somewhere in the middle - winning tournaments gives me satisfaction to some extent.

[Twinkle]

After some carefull consideration, and talking to my new trainer (im back on the kickboxing circuit ), I have a new ideal on this concept.
I think that if you want to get out there and enter a tournament then go ahead, and give it your all.
In answer to your question nitro, talk to whoever is training you, he/she should be able to judge when you are ready to enter a tournament.

I would just like to add my oppinon. I think if you want to start fighting in tournaments...then you should go ahead. It shouldn't take long, because the best way to learn how to fight, is to get out there and do it. Learn from your mistakes, get better. The experience is the best teacher. In my oppinion...you can train for years upon years to fight, but unless you actually get out there and do it, you can never learn to truly fight

[usagichan]

I entered my first tournament two weeks ago. I will be honest, I was scared to death. I had only been training a little over 6 months. I did surprisingly well for a first timer. I didn't win but I did come close.