Training for Competition
Martial Arts training has many benefits- improvement of physical abilities, learning and practicing life skills, and having a community. The goal is to someday earn a Blackbelt, however, we would argue that training along the way there, and also when you are a Blackbelt, could be for competitions. Mueller’s Martial Arts encourages every student to attend a competition at least once, but we know that they will keep going once they realize what a special experience it can be!
Taekwondo tournaments give the students something to train for. You wouldn’t show up to baseball and soccer practice everyday and never compete in a game, right? So why would taekwondo be any different? Those hours of hard work should be for something alongside getting a Blackbelt, and tournaments are the perfect place. Students get to show off their skills and get the chance to earn a medal. The sense of accomplishment that they get from winning something will encourage them to keep going and train even harder.
It’s also the opportunity to see where they are at in their age range and division. When training with the same people everyday, it’s easy to believe that they are the best or the worst at something. But when they compete against other people they get to see if they really are that great (which is empowering) or if they need more work (which is humbling). Either way they are encouraged to work even harder to become better. If you win a game you want to keep going. If you lose a game you want to work harder to win next time.
Tournaments challenge you in new and exciting ways. When students step onto the mat, they are putting themselves out there to be judged on their hard work. They are competing against people that they don’t know that are from different schools all over the state. It can be intimidating! It’s also the chance to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Growth only happens when we push ourselves to do something new and different. Competition is a great way to do that!
Mueller’s Martial Arts will be competing in the tournament on February 11th and is encouraging every single student to attend. To learn more about our program, click here.