Written by This past weekend, I attended the Gold Rush Tournament hosted in Auburn by Bennati’s Martial Arts. I competed in open-hand kata and weapons kata. I placed second in weapons, however it was a very small division in the first place. What I am most proud of though, is the fact that I placed second in open-hand kata! What made it even more rewarding, though is that it was a division with entirely guys, and I was the only girl competing with them. Doing karate as a girl has always been a little bit challenging since I am often paired up with guys who are a lot bigger than me, and physically much stronger. It’s just another obstacle that I have to face when competing in a male-dominated sport. So being able to do so well in a division of entirely males, it felt really good to place. I’m also really proud though, because I did Chinto kata (my 1,000 kata) and I thought that it was truly my best Chinto that I have done yet! I thought that I had really strong blocks, and my moves were very sharp. Getting to perform it in front of people also felt good because I typically don’t have a large audience when I am doing my katas, so it felt nice to get to do it in front of some people. I don’t go to these large tournaments very often, but I hope that I get to go to more!
Pushups
(28,123 / 50,000)
Situps
(28,296 / 50,000)
Makiwara
(4,189 / 10,000)
Miles
(334 / 1,000)
Kata
(347 / 1,000)
Kumite
(449 / 1,000)
Kindness
(582 / 1,000)
Meditation
(2,600 / 5,000)
Books
(2 / 6)
Blogs
(32 / 52)
Videos
(3 / 12)
That’s awesome you placed silver in both kata and weapons. Well done. Tournaments are excellent ways to prepare for the test. Keep up the hard work.
Congratulations on doing so well at the tournament! It takes courage to perform in front of others, and I celebrate you for doing so! Also, being the only female in your division can feel as if you have a spotlight on you, or perhaps even intimidating at times. Maintaining your mindfulness and knowing that you have an opportunity to embrace rather than an obstacle to overcome can help you find your balance. May you keep cultivating the One Heart Way as you continue your journey to shodan.