Always Up For a Good Fight

On Saturday, I'm scheduled to compete in a Tae Kwon Do tournament against a bunch of other "old" ladies, and I've been doing mental prep all week. You see, I don't take competition lightly. In fact, anyone that knows me will tell you that I play to win.

Whoever said that 'winning isn't important' I think probably spent a lot of time losing. I refuse to teach my children that learning is the most important lesson learned in competition. It's not. Sure, it's important to learn from both our failures and our successes, but, when it comes to competition, winning is success. That said, my goal this weekend is to sweep all three events: forms, breaking, & sparring.

Earlier this year, I competed in another TKD tournament, but I only competed in two events: breaking and sparring. I won both then, so I figure I should have a good shot at winning all three this time around. I'm entering this tournament as a senior blue belt, which means I could compete with green, blue, brown, or red belt competitors. As a competitor in the Senior Women's Division, I figure I have 2 things going for me: speed and power. I also have 2 things working against me: height and a bum left knee.

I am lucky to be on the young end of my age group since most women over 30 have lost a bit of speed. I spent a little time watching real sparring on youtube to pick up some pointers. Most people tend to stand there when the center judge tells you to start fighting, so my strategy has been to be explosive from the beginning. I figure the fight is over if I can get 3 quick points in before my opponent is really even ready (rule: first to 3 points or 2 minute fight). I won last tournament with this strategy, so I'll let you know if it serves me well.

Here's some real fighters in case you're curious what it's like.