Thread: Kicking Ass or Kissing Ass? (True Grave & Kasekatty)

Brandon watched Kate perform the punch, seeing that she had the beginning right but was doing it too fast. Sort of, but you're doing it too fast and your fist is ending up in different places. Imagine that you're facing an opponent of your exact height and punch to their chest, which would be even with your chest. Do it slowly so that you make sure that your fist ends up in the exact same place every time you use this punch. You've got the beginning and the twisting motion in the punch right, so just work on that. Don't worry about getting it perfect right away, Mark said with a smile, it took me years of constant practice to get my fist to stop and start in the same place. Karate is mostly repetition as you learn new moves. You'll have plenty of time to get that punch and other techniques right as you continue your training. The two let Kate continue to practice the punch, even standing in front of her and giving her a target to aim for to help her get it in the right place. Her determination to succeed was apparent, as she kept trying and getting better until Shozan called an end to the exercises. Everyone line up against the east wall. Every student hustled over to the wall while Shozan strode over to stand in front of them. For the last part of class, the tournament participants will practice their skills while the rest of you watch. Brandon and Mark, you two will be up first. The two jogged over to stand on either side of Shozan, awaiting further instructions. The All-City Karate Tournament is two weeks from now, with Brandon and Mark being two of the five participants from our school that will compete, he explained to Kate. He stepped back so that he looked like a referee overseeing the competitors. Now remember guys, for the competition, you will only be allowed to strike the head, face, neck, chest, abdomen, side, and back of the opponent. No strikes to the legs, particularly the groin area, are allowed in an official tournament. Neither of you will wear your black belts, but will be wearing either a red or a blue belt to distinguish you from your opponent, since the Gis you wear for the competition will be plain white without adornment. He pointed to the floor. As you can see, I have marked out this area with black tape simulating the tatami rice straw mat that you will be competing on. It is eight meters by eight meters with a one meter safety area on all sides that you will not be able to step out of without incurring a penalty. Get too many penalties and you will be disqualified from the match. The other ways to win a match are to have more points than your opponent at the end of the match, to have an eight point lead on either side, and if your opponent has taken too much damage to continue the competition. Shozan then executed a quick punch forward while standing still. Every striking technique carries a one, two, or three point award depending on the type of technique and where you strike your opponent. If you land a mid or upper level punch on your opponent, you get one point. If you land a mid-level kick on your opponent, you get two points. If you land an upper-level kick or an attack on a fallen or thrown opponent, you get three points. As you've no doubt noticed, the more advanced the technique you land on your opponent, the more points you score. Shozan looked at Brandon and Mark before back at the other students along the wall. I will be acting as referee for this contest, and since I and the four judges who will be present at the tournament have taken their places, both competitors should bow to each other before the contest to show mutual respect and sportsmanship. Brandon and Mark bowed to each other with their hands at their sides and their heads dipped low before standing normally again. The match will now begin as I shout Shobu Hajime Begin the match. Brandon and Mark both took up their stances, each stepping quickly around each other for a bit while not exchanging blows. They then both delivered and dodged blows for one minute before Brandon finally landed a punch on Mark's side. Since I believe a scoring technique was used just now, I will shout yame , or return to your positions, and the competitors, referee, and judges all return to their original positions from before the match started. The judges will then give me a signal to let me know if a point should be awarded or not, and then I identify the type of score by holding up my hand in a certain way and identifying the score. In this case, that was a mid-level punch, so I award yuko , or one point, and hold my hand out like this. Shozan held his right hand out so that it was pointing diagonally downward to the ground. Waza-ari , or two points, and ippon , or three points, are signaled like this. Shozan held the same arm straight out for two points and upward diagonally for three points. After the points have been awarded, the referee tells the competitors to continue the match, or tsuzukete hajime . Brandon and Mark resumed their stances and battled it out some more, with Shozan stopping the match each time one scored a point. It was clear that Brandon and Mark were both highly-skilled, executing their techniques with perfect precision, power, and skill. It was a close back and forth match, but Brandon finished the three minute match, the official time for males in the tournament, with a score of eight points to Mark's six points. At the close of the match, both of them bowed to each other, shook hands, and then returned to the wall. Tim and Clayton, you two are up next.