NK Intramural Tournaments offer an opportunity for National Karate students of all ranks and ages to participate and receive the benefits of tournament participation. 

Practicing techniques and forms in the school develops memorization and improves physical skills.  However, in order to truly develop a person’s ability, performing “under pressure” is essential.   Developing the ability to not be overwhelmed by our heightened stress levels is a very important life skill that can benefit all areas of a student’s life – from school reports to job interviews to real life self-defense.

Tournaments do this by allowing the student to have a focused goal toward performing their karate skills; encouraging mental as well as physical preparation. In addition, tournaments provide a venue for students to perform outside of their comfort zone, allowing them to become familiar with pressure and learn to use the heighted adrenaline to their advantage.

Some of the benefits students gain due to Tournament participation:

•  Increased self-confidence.
• Accelerated learning.
• Increase physical conditioning.
• Learning to apply what they practice when they perform.
• Self-composure.
• Learning to cope with mistakes by letting them go faster.
• Learning to cope with frustration.
• Friendships with other students based on mutual respect and admiration.
• Learning to perform under pressure.
• Learning to overcome fears.
• Learning to cope with the unexpected.
• Increased poise.

National Karate Tournaments offer both competitive and non-competitive (performance) divisions for students to choose from.

Competitive Divisions allow students to compete for “place” trophies (i.e. 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place, etc.) by demonstrating their skills in front of a panel of Judges who score the competitors.  All placed competitors receive a trophy. All children who compete in competitive divisions who do not place, receive a medal to recognize their effort.

Performance Divisions offer students who would rather perform their techniques without being scored, the opportunity to participate. They show off their karate skills in the same manner their counterparts do in the competitive division (with a panel of Judges) however, the scoring process is eliminated. This is a great way for beginner students to try out tournaments for the first time. All students who participate receive an award!

As you can see, the benefits are many and all of them desirable in the eyes of a parent/adult. For children, however, tournaments are simply a time to show off their karate skills  and win an award. They get all the benefits in addition to having fun!