Ok, sorry if this has been addressed already, but I was wondering about the ettiquite at tournaments. I have yet to go to a tournament because most are at least a full day's drive from where I am now. It has been on the back of my mind some though. My main questions are: 1) Bowing in at the beginning of events, etc. I've heard about formal bowing before entering mat and stuff like that, I just need some clarification. 2) Durring weapons competition, I know you need a generals uniform, my question is, for, say, sword form: do you need a "real" (metal) Kuk Sool sword. The reason I ask is because I have yet to drop the $275 for a sword and want to know if I can get by with my practice sword. Sorry if this is a dumb question Thanks for your input
Im going to answer your questions in reverse order. About the sword, It has to be metal, has to have a sheath, and can not be a live or sharpened.Thats all, most people use aluminium, cause its light and shines up pretty. As for bowing, I believe one cannot bow too much, especially during formal occaisions. So I bow when i enter the ring,when i come to (either standing or kneeling)attn posture to bow to the judges,when bow to the senior judge(middle judge), after I ask the judges for permission to start, When I start my hyung, when I end my hyung, when I stand or kneel infront of the judges after I completed my hyung, after I get my score, then when I leave the ring. So thats 9 bows. KJn says that ettiquete is the most important thing to remember, either during Tournament, Testing, Regular class, or just hanging out with MA(KS) friends. Also in judging we have been instructed to try to limit ties during comp. to take in who had the best ettiquete, to decide.
That sounds about the same for me except for the seperate bow to the senior judge. I don't think I've done that one yet.
Bowing from kneeling is more formal than from standing, so I try to be in kneeling attention posture whenever I talk to the judges. I also like to be fairly close for speaking with the judges, ~3 feet. It's a noisy environment, and even though I project my voice reasonably well, I still like to make things as easy to understand as possible. Just a note, though, if you do this. Especially for sword form, you might want to include the "I will begin my form here" phrase, and gesture to a spot behind you. (Normally, that's not really a necessary part of the introduction.) If I begin my form in the exact same spot that I spoke with the judges, I usually just bow to thank the judges, stand up and begin. But if I have to reposition, then I do a separate bow (from standing) to begin the form. I think I always bow at the end of the form, and then bow again from kneeling when at "speak to judges" position. If you should happen to tie, play it more by ear. They usually want to speed things up a little, and especially on forms may just say "Bow and begin". In that case, I bow to enter the ring, bow from standing to begin the form, bow to finish the form, bow to leave the ring. Bow to thank the judges after the point-off. (This might be before leaving the ring, or you might be called back for it.) In general, try not to turn your back on the judges. Obviously if it's part of the form, or if you're in a "point-off" for a tie, then you have to. But do try to back out of the ring, rather than turn & walk. Black belts only get one shot per event. In the event that you drop a weapon, bow and leave - you're done. If you make a mistake in the middle of a form, try not to show it and keep going, it might be the most minor mistake made that day. If it's so bad you get lost and/or have to stop, then that's it- bow to thank the judges & leave.
The only problem I have with all the formality is that it sucks up time. It is very difficult as a judge to keep things going at good pace all day long. If every competitor could shave off 10 seconds from their bow in, I think it would save about a half hour on the day. I don't think bowing once would be any less sincere.
Agreed, Judges already know who you are( well the scorekeeper does, and thats the important thing.) They know what your going to do, theyve probobly been seing it for an hour already. Personally I think that all people need to do is, when theyre name is called, Answer sir or maam, bow in to the ring, bow to the judges, then ask may I begin, then start. It would shave off more than ten seconds, thus shortening ring times.
you guys may think of the wasted time, but though I have not yet competed, I am excited to learn the entire procedure, of such a formal occasion. How many times did you guys have to do it to get tired of it? On such a think as a tournament, which only a happens a few times per year, do you really think the abridgment of tradition and formality is worth the time it saves? If the wasted time caused more important things to be skipped, I woudl be more sympathetic, but if all it does is make the day longer, I am surprised by multiple responses in this vein. Can you guys explain your thoughts a bit further please?
Much depends on how big the tournament is, the ratio of judges to competitors, and in some respects whether it is a World or a local tournament. Where the field is not so crowded, I like the full formal bow-in. Last year it occurred to me that it's rather like the tea ceremony... and done properly, can help the competitor to focus on the event. On the other hand, where there's a huge crowd, and lots of competitors compared to the number of rings available, I can certainly see the point of "bow and begin". Last year's World tournament, on Saturday it was about 11 or so before my carpool could leave. (The really sad part is, it was the 10-year-old who was stuck the longest, both the adult DBNs were done much earlier.) On the other hand, on Sunday I think my division was done by noon, and the tournament was over about 5 pm.
i have checked through the ksw tornement rules, as well as the entry forms, and nowhere on any of them does it say that you must use a metal sword, in fact all it says is "no live (sharp) blades. korean style weapons only." so there is no reason for the judges to stop you from using a wooden practice sword. but on the day, i'm sure there will be someone there who will lend you their metal sword. hope this helps
Would any of you guys practice your form with a wooden sword, and then go into a competition with a metal one? Wouldn't that throw you off?
I have only practiced with a metal sword one time, and it definitely felt different when running through my form. So to me it would throw me off. The reason I asked this question is because it never says one way or another in the rules, but I've only ever seen metal swords in the pictures I've seen. Paying my way through grad school limits my funds to drop on a sword right now, that's why I ask. On a side note, I have this quote on a pirate flag that I got a couple months ago. I am thinking of putting it up in my lab, don't know if my advisor would like it though.
The cuttiing sword i use, is the same weight and balance as the wooden sword i use. But I believe that in the US rules it says it has to be a metal sword, and one that has a sheath. But as someone said, there will be plenty of them there, or you could possibly borrow a sword from your school.
Would, have, still sometimes do. My wooden sword is heavier than my metal practice sword. I figure if I can do the form with a heavy sword, anything lighter will be easier. But the wooden sword is not the only thing I trained with. For one thing, it tends to encourage more "bashing" movements, and less precise slicing. Last year in tournament practice, I used several different school swords, my metal practice sword, borrowed swords, and my wooden sword. But it helps if you can mostly use the same sword for the week or two before tournament.
