Friday, October 23, 2015

If You Attend Just One Tournament In 2016

Last month I urged readers to stay away from tournaments that don't respect seniors.  If the tournament doesn't offer a 60+ age division, don't go.  If it's a "WTF-style" event that for some reason eliminates one or more senior divisions, save your money.  Tournament directors should be promoting lifelong martial arts instead of "inviting" seniors to compete against 20-year-olds.
   This month I'm happy to point you in the direction of a tournament that treats our oldest and most experienced competitors respectfully.
      Black belt competitors 60 and over: no registration fee.
      Divisions for 60+ athletes?  Yes.
      Actual competitors who are 60+?   Absolutely.  The turnout was excellent last time, and the next version of this tournament will be even better.  The word has gotten out that this is a senior-friendly event.
   I'm talking about the 21st Annual Mercer County Nationals, to be held March 26th, 2016, at Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J.  Hats off to Master Ivan Mendez for once again putting the spotlight on senior athletes.  If you attend only one tournament in 2016, let this be the one.
    Show respect to those who respect you.  Hope to see you there.

                                                                         

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Don't support tournaments that don't support you!

I try to keep this blog immune from martial-arts politics, because all I really care is about encouraging seniors to stay active.  My art is Moo Duk Kwan Taekwondo, but I'm on your side no matter what martial art you study.  Whatever it is, stick with it!
    But I can't remain silent about a topic that has become increasingly frustrating for me.  Too many tournament directors show no respect for the talents and aspirations of senior athletes, and today I'm urging you to stay away from tournaments that don't support us.
    Let me explain what I mean.  I'm 69, an active competitor, and the 2014 and 2015 USA Taekwondo National Champion in my division.  The last three words are key: in my division.  USAT and the World Taekwondo Federation offer a top age division of 66+, which means I'm able to compete on a remarkably level playing field with other guys who are no longer kids.  We train hard; we compete hard; and we love Taekwondo.  Thanks to USAT and the WTF, we're able to compete both nationally and internationally in some first-rate tournaments.
   That's the good news.  Here's the bad.  Most of the regional and so-called national tournaments that send me registration materials offer a top age group of, well, pick your number.   For some of them it's 18+.  For some it's 30+.  For some it's 50+.  Think about that for a moment.  Basically the tournament director is saying that if you're 73 and a serious martial-arts competitor, you can pay $50, $60, or even $70 to compete against people one-third your age.  Gee, what a bargain.
   Now I ask you, why would a tournament not offer 60-69, 70-79, and 80-89 divisions?  Is it the profit margin?  Let's think about that.  If you have a tiny, two-man division of, say, seventy-year-olds, you have to buy two extra medals, $10 each.  If you net $60 in registration fees, isn't that enough?  I think so.
   Or maybe the old guys are boring?  Hey, listen up.  If the folks in the stands can watch 5-year-old yellow belts spar, they can watch 80-year-old black belts do their forms.  In my experience the younger athletes are among the most enthusiastic about seeing the "old guys" do their thing.  And why wouldn't they be?  All of the young athletes will be old athletes one day if they stick with the program.  True?  Yes, true.
   How can any tournament director not see the wisdom of making an event senior-friendly?  How can you not show respect for athletes who in some cases have devoted 40 or 50 years of their lives to the martial arts?  How can you not feel honored to have some of these martial-arts pioneers out on the mat?
   I can hear it coming.  Some tournament directors will say -- and have said -- "Hey, 30+ means ANYONE can compete, including the old guys! The champion is the champion."  Okay, here's what I say.  If you believe that there should be only one champion, then stop offering age groups for the kids.  From now on let the 5-year-olds compete with the 18-year-olds.  Hey, they all get the same shot, right?
   To say that 18+ or 30+ or even 50+ is meant to include the seniors is absurd.  It's offensive.  It's disrespectful.  And this blog will no longer mention, much less advertise, a tournament that doesn't offer AT LEAST a 60+ division.  But I'll go one step better: if you sponsor a tournament that offers a 70+ category, I'll publicize the event here for free.  Just send me the tournament flyer, and I'll do the rest.

                                        Hats off to Master Ivan Mendez      
   Before leaving the topic of tournaments that accommodate seniors, I must mention the annual Mercer County Nationals held each March at Rider University in New Jersey.  The tournament director, Master Ivan Mendez, has made this one of the most senior-friendly events in the country.  I attend the tournament, and I support it fully.
   Here's why.  Master Mendez not only invites seniors, he goes out of his way to bring them in.  Last year he waived the registration fee for black belts 60 and over.  He offered both forms and sparring divisions for seniors.  And he even had a grand championship competition for the top seniors.
   Result: last year the number of senior athletes at this tournament doubled; almost all of those athletes have remained Facebook friends; and I expect the number of seniors to double again in 2016.
   I'll be writing more about the Mercer County Nationals as we approach the new year.  In the meantime, I salute Master Mendez for showing great respect for senior martial artists and for encouraging us to stay in the game.
   Best of luck to everyone.  Work hard.  Compete.  And please DO support the tournaments that support seniors.                      
 

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Where have all the old folks gone?

I'm writing this on the eve of the USA Taekwondo National Championships, one of the highlights of the competition calendar.  This year's event, which will host something on the order of 6,000 athletes of all ages, is being held in Austin, Texas, next week.  If you find yourself in town, plan to buy a ticket and check out some amazing talent.
   The talent in the older age divisions, I'm sad to say, will be in rather short supply.  Even though USAT offers age-specific poomsae [forms] competition for athletes of all ranks -- right on up to the 4th Master Division, for ages 66+ -- the number of seniors participating in this year's event is disappointing.
   The good news is that, yes, there are some older colored belts, yellow through red, participating.  This means that more seniors are taking up Taekwondo later in life and will eventually be competing in the World Class black belt divisions.  The bad news, though, is that seniors who already hold black belts seem to be disappearing from the competition trail.
    Taekwondo is not just for the young.  In fact, in many ways Taekwondo is better suited to the old.  Although Taekwondo certainly holds its own as a major competitive sport with an international following, it is more than anything a way of life.  It is a way of uniting mind, body, and spirit in a positive, meaningful, and life-enriching search for one's genuine self.  And its challenges and rewards remain active in your life long after your athletic capabilities have peaked.
   So this month's post is a plea.  If you hold a black belt but are no longer training, get back in the game.  And if you have never studied Taekwondo, visit a local school and take the first step toward a fulfilling lifelong enterprise.
   Now if you happen to be one of the few senior black belts participating in this year's USA Taekwondo National Championships, here's an interesting and instructive true story.  At a recent tournament I was, as is often the case, one of the few 66+ competitors, and because of that each of us was guaranteed a medal.  We just didn't know what color.  While waiting to perform, I overheard the parent of a teenage competitor say, "See how easy it is to get a medal?  Just compete in the 66-and-over group."
   Easy?  Well let's think about that.  It's certainly true that a 16-year-old competitor faces a greater number of challengers than someone who's 66.  But will that 16-year-old still be training half a century from now?  Will he or she still be competing?  Probably not.  Getting older happens automatically, but remaining fit enough to train and compete when you're closing in on 70 represents decades of challenges that have been overcome successfully.  Things like raising a family, holding a job, and overcoming health issues all work against the senior athlete, so there's nothing at all easy about being one of those few "old guys" who competes for a medal.
   If you're still competing at 60, 65, 70, or beyond, you have earned whatever medal you may receive, regardless of how many others stepped onto the mat with you.  Thousands of others could have competed . . . but didn't.  That makes you a champion, with or without a gold medal.
   Good luck, and good training.  Taekwondo for life!
 

Monday, June 15, 2015

Videotape Your Taekwondo Techniques

If you're reading this "Seniors" blog, you probably remember when filming yourself involved a movie camera, an 8mm cartridge, a projector, and a folding screen.  But you probably don't remember capturing your Taekwondo moves on film, because the process took much too long.
   Welcome to 2015.  Today you most likely own an iPhone or an iPad.  If not, a good friend of yours does.  And since videotaping your Taekwondo techniques is a two-person job anyway, call upon that good friend to play director while you play action star.
   We're now in June, and the halfway point of the year is an excellent time to assess your progress in  forms, or poomsae, as well as individual techniques.  It doesn't matter whether you're a beginner or a seasoned black belt.  Taking a hard look at your stances, kicks, strikes, and blocks always produces some useful feedback that will help you improve your Taekwondo skills.  And thanks to modern hand-held technology, shooting some video footage is quick and painless.
   Videotaping training sessions is something that most members of the USA Taekwondo National Poomsae Team do on a regular basis.  Even though a number of these team members are world champions in their respective age divisions, they realize that they can always improve something: the way the thumbs are held in a ridge-hand block; the speed and fluidity of a double punch; the foot position in a back stance; or the height of a side kick.  Eliminating even minor technical flaws can easily spell the difference between finishing first and fourth in championship competition.  More importantly, it can distinguish between the old you and the new you.  Taekwondo is about a lifetime of improvement, so you never outgrow the need for objective feedback.
   Why do videos help?  I offer two important reasons.  First, how you feel you're executing a particular technique is probably quite different from how you're actually doing it.  Example: we all sometimes feel that our kicks are sky high when, in fact, they're barely face high.  Even when kicking in front of a large mirror, you're likely to overestimate the height and speed of your kicks.  Watching a video can correct that misinformation.  You may not like what you see, but it's nice to identify problems in the privacy of your own home rather than in the center ring of a major tournament.
   Second, the nifty videos that an iPhone and iPad produce will allow you to zero in on particular frames and, if you wish, to print them out.  Why not capture your key problems in a series of still photos, then refer to them in the weeks ahead of a test or tournament?  Because we all have an infinite variety of techniques and combinations to master, we sometimes lose track of the movements that need extra work.  Tape a few pictures to your wall, and refer to them whenever you train.  Naturally, it may make sense to bring some of these photos to the dojang and let your master instructor comment on what he or she sees.  A little tough love never hurt anyone.
   If you're not videotaping your Taekwondo techniques, you're missing out on a simple but highly effective means of elevating your performance.  Before the year is half over, please shoot some video and see what happens. 
   Train well.