Open Tournaments for ALL Kuk Sool Practitioners

Discussion in 'Kuk Sool' started by tulsa, Feb 19, 2013.

  1. tulsa

    tulsa Valued Member

    Just a thought I would like to share with you all. Since I have begun teaching Full time again I am looking for Open Tournaments to take my students to that are geared to Kuk Sool Students. I continue to take my students to OPEN "Martial Art: Tournaments but they are geared toward TKD. So does anyone know of any other Tournaments that would be good to attend?

    :evil:
     
  2. Pretty In Pink

    Pretty In Pink Moved on MAP 2017 Gold Award

    K1 events perhaps? Maybe MMA?
     
  3. Obewan

    Obewan "Hillbilly Jedi"

    Not sure what your looking for Tulsa? "Open" tournaments aren't going to be geared toward one art or the other. The tournaments I used to attend years ago had Hyung, fighting, weapons, and self-defense, has that changed? The reason I asked is that we did well at those events. This was back in the PKL day's, I don't know if the PKL even exists anymore. I don't see why an open tournament wouldn't be ok to test the skills of your students. The biggest obstacle was the judges not being familiar with Kuk Sool, so it took alot of attendance by our schools before we started to make an impact on the medal take, but after awhile they hated to see us there. ;)
     
  4. JoKyoNimJey

    JoKyoNimJey Valued Member

    Familiarity is what Tulsa is looking for Obe. There being two KSW schools and Tulsa's KiCKs school means 3 in the whole state. There are many open tournaments in the Tulsa area, but they are usually put on by TKD or "karate" associations. The judging is biased because of their lack of experience. I've been to around 5 tournaments in the area and I have seen 2 Kung fu practitioners, and the rest are hard-styles.

    Sound about right Tulsa?
     
  5. JKN-Pellegrini

    JKN-Pellegrini Valued Member

    A mid-color belt from my old Kuk Sool Won school was penalized for doing Ki Cho hyung at an open tournament final form competition. As mentioned, it was TKD and Karate ran, and for the final the judges commanded the contestants to do their white belt form.
    Needless to say, they took points away from him because they didn't/couldn't believe Ki Cho Hyung was a white belt form. No amount of arguing from my instructor afterwards would overturn the decision. So I totally see where you're coming from.
    That said, I don't see an open Kuk Sool tournament happening anytime soon. At least not if ran by the won. If the splinter schools (no offense intended--that was the most descriptive term I could think up) were to organize and run one, then maybe... although I can also imagine the won may try to discourage won students from participating. But then again, they let us go to open tournaments, so who knows?
     
  6. tulsa

    tulsa Valued Member

    But they are.... The ones around the Oklahoma area are geared and run so that a Kuk Sool student does not get a true chance to even medal. When I first started to learn KS my instructor took some of us to tourni in Texas. She told us not to expect an medals. We found out why quickly. The tournaments are ran by TKD people and they judge only on what they know. If it does not fit there mold then you MUST be doing it WRONG!

    Just looking for a "FAIR" tournament that educates the judges on what to judge on and not just run it for there students....:evil:
     
  7. Obewan

    Obewan "Hillbilly Jedi"

    Oh yea I agree, the thing is it takes some attendance to win over the other styles in your area. The most difficult thing is to try to fit Kuk Sool into a category at the tournament. Our challenge was, and is, that Kuk Sool is a hard/soft style and in most cases MA is either one or the other. We mostly competed in the soft style category which took a lot of persuading with the Kung Fu schools but they were far more accepting than the Karate Tae Kwan do schools.

    I don't see a competition geared toward Kuk Sool, but if you hosted a tournament that would give you more control over the format and you could require the judges to attend a training program and you could set the judging criteria that included skills that are universal to all MA's.
     
  8. tulsa

    tulsa Valued Member

    Well, we we had a tournament planned for August here BUT the place we had reserved to hold it had a fire. We had to cancel it because we could not secure a place to hold it unless we wanted to pay out the nose. We are still wanting to do a outdoor tournament some time in the near future but getting all the i's dotted and t's crossed is becoming very difficult.

    We are wishing to hold one next year in June. After the Rain and before the HEAT! :evil:
     
  9. Obewan

    Obewan "Hillbilly Jedi"

    I couldn't even imagine the job it would be to get a tournament organized. I would still recommend getting together with other school owners in your area and network with them. That way you can utilize their experience and participation. That would go along way to get them familiar with Kuk Sool and help your students get accepted in their competitions.

    Good Luck!
     
  10. tulsa

    tulsa Valued Member

    OB1, I am very good friends with several area schools and in fact I do seminars for lots of them. I do agree with you. I have been talking to LOTS of the Schools in town to do a Northeastern Oklahoma Championship associated with a Asian Fest. It would be AWESOME! But that is taking allot of time.. :evil:
     
  11. JTMS

    JTMS Valued Member

    Please define "lots". I have noticed lots of talk from some folks, lots of promises to show from some folks, but zero action from some folks.:hat:
     
  12. tulsa

    tulsa Valued Member

    well at least one a month in the off season and then an average of 3 a month during the on season. Now I do not live on the road but I do travel around the Oklahoma area. :evil:
     
  13. VegasMichelle

    VegasMichelle Valued Member

    I suppose in a town of 10 people...speaking to 3 of them may be considered "lots."
     
  14. tulsa

    tulsa Valued Member

    Attendance of around 50 to 75 students each time I do one is good for me. Since I do not do them to make my majority of money I say $35.00 a pop x 50 ( minimum ) = $1750.00 for 1/2 days work is pretty good. But of course VM that is small potatoes for you..(lol)..:evil:
     
  15. VegasMichelle

    VegasMichelle Valued Member

    I didn't realize a properly planned tournament with decent attendance only takes 1/2 days work. Way to minimize all the planning time, advertising time, outreach time, informative time....components of the "real" hard work in order to make it appear as if you are earning $1750 for 1/2 day's work.
     
  16. tulsa

    tulsa Valued Member

    Vegas if you even read any of the other posts in this thread you would have noticed we also talked about seminars..... DUH!!! you really need to start reading things....... :evil:
     
  17. VegasMichelle

    VegasMichelle Valued Member

    Let's not even start on who reads and who doesn't.

    Putting on a SINGLE tournament with a focus on KS with lots of participants is a tough feat to accomplish. Putting on seminars and workshops are hard too. Did you know that the WKSA put on over 70+ tournaments, workshops, seminars, CEP events in a year?

    Breaking away from the WKSA was a "cutting off the nose to spit the face" maneuver when it relates to your student's ability to compete in tournaments on a regular basis...wouldn't you say?
     
  18. tulsa

    tulsa Valued Member

    Not really! Traveling at least 450 miles to attend a WKSA tournament only 2 times a year really does not seem like cutting a nose off. When students have to spend several hundred dollars just to attend a one day tournament from the WKSA or spending the same amount and going to 6 nearby tournaments - - - - let's think......

    Seminars, My students CAN and DO go to seminars from other Martial Artist. I personally hold seminars that teach at least the same things that are normally taught at a WKSA seminar. OH wait let me restate that.... I hold seminars that teach at least what the WKSA use to teach at there seminars. In fact for several years my students thought that the WKSA seminars were not a good value to them. They learned the same stuff in regular class.

    So VegasMichelle, I really do not think that way at all.

    I am glad you love what you do. I, Love what I do! :evil:
     
  19. tulsa

    tulsa Valued Member

    Not really.... Seminars are very easy when you make it mandatory that a school hosts them.

    Tournaments are also easy to hold but very hard to make fair. Even in the WKSA there has been several schools that have felt that they were "ROBBED" during a tournament. I have seen in open and WKSA tournaments that a certain teacher ranks his students higher than the rest. And then a center judge telling you that a certain "student" was family to the Suh's and that it would look bad if they did not score high... kinda of puts a bad taste in your mouth. But I also see this in open tournaments also.

    What I want to see is a "Fair" tournament for different styles not just Kuk Sool. :evil:
     
  20. VegasMichelle

    VegasMichelle Valued Member

    So when you used to be part of the WKSA, you hosted seminars that were not a good value to your students. What were you? A KSN-PSBN at the time? Good for you that you were so great and so beyond your years that visiting Masters were made "not a good value" for your students.
     

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