Competition in Kata and/or Fighting contributes to the overall development of karate practitioners. Competition allows them to measure themselves against others and build self-confidence. However, competition is not mandatory at World Kanreikai Karate and one can still get much enjoyment from our regular training. Often, students choose to take part in tournaments after having trained with us for a period of time. Our instructors prepare them to compete at their best by developing their skills for both kata and/or fighting events. Our training program has proven to be very effective as our competitors have performed remarkably well at numerous tournaments over the years.

Kata and Weapon Kata Events

In Kata and Weapon Kata events, each participant performs a (weapon) kata in front of judges and spectators. It is a thrilling experience and, whether one wins or not, it really helps build self-confidence and improve skills.

Adults compete against participants of the same belt level. Children and teens are grouped into categories according to both their belt level and their age. For weapon kata, competitors use the weapon of their choice.

Within each category, competitors are called up one by one in front of the judges and perform their kata. There are three or five judges, one of them being the head judge. They are usually highly ranked black belts from the various schools attending the competition. Each judge gives a score on a scale from one to ten and the total determines the ranking in the competition.

Semi-knockdown Fighting

The decision to take part in a semi-knockdown fighting competition belongs entirely to the student (and his/her parents, if under 18 years old). Moreover, all participants in semi-knockdown fighting must wear the mandatory protective gear.

Adults compete against fighters of the same belt level and weight category. Children and teens are grouped into categories according to belt, weight and age. The pairing of fighters is always closely supervised by instructors.

There is one center judge and 2 or 4 corner judges. They are usually highly ranked black belts from the various teams attending the competition. The rules of engagement are given before the beginning of the semi-knockdown competition, stating all legal and illegal techniques.

During the fight, both fighters must use legal techniques and obey the center judge at all times. At the end of the fight (of 1½ or 2 minutes), the center judge calls on the corner judges for their verdict.

Knockdown Fighting

Experienced adult fighters, men and women, can take part in Knockdown competitions which means full contact fighting without protective gear (no gloves, no pads and no helmet). Each fighter tries to defeat his/her opponent while using legal techniques, respecting the rules of engagement and showing a high level of sportsmanship at all times.

Knockdown fighters are divided into preset weight and gender categories and paired ahead of time. For each category, the sequence of fights includes qualifiers, quarter finals, semi finals and finals.

There is one center judge and 4 corner judges. All judges are highly ranked black belts. The corner judges call the fight and the center judge controls the fighters and, when needed, holds the tie-breaking vote.

Such tournaments are most often held at an international level and always offer the fighters a tremendous challenge.