THUNDER BAY - A karate match between two black belt competitors may seem a little frantic to the untrained eye, with fists and feet flying so fast they can barely be seen. But there is a lot more going on in such a short period of time, such as moves and technique that have taken years of discipline and practice to master.
“With my style and my pressure fighting, because I want the other fighter to be off balance, so my style may be a little frantic, but I’m trying to get him to back peddle, I’m trying to get him to get out of his comfort zone so he has to fight my style,” said black belt Danyle Copetti.
“We all train and fight a different way, we all train to fight in a way in our comfort level that makes our skills come to the top.”
Copetti was one of more than 80 martial artists competing in the Hoku Shin Karate Club Tournament on Saturday at St. Patrick’s High School.
The tournament, now in it’s third year, brings together martial arts clubs from the city and around the region to compete in various styles of karate, as well as kata and kumite.
Organizer, Patrick Simonaitis, said the tournament is open to all competitors ages five and up. Prior to the tournament, Simonaitis said he was in contact with all participating clubs to advise them of the rules.
“There is no contact in our fighting,” he said. “Just light to the chest. Some of the clubs that wear equipment is used to contact, so it is very important.”
While karate takes years to master, taking the skills you learn into a competitive setting does more than earn a medal or a trophy, especially for young participants.
“Competing really boosts their confidence,” Simonaitis said. “I have a couple of kids here that were a little iffy, but I know once they go up today and compete, I will see a total change in them when they come back to the club next week. It’s a good confidence booster.”
But martial arts are all about learning, whether it is on the mat, in a club, or on your own.
“For me, I’m 41 and I’m still working on katas to get them better that I’ve been doing for 20 years,” Simonaitis said. “It never ends.”
For Erin Couture and Nico Gosselin, who were both named Grand Champions after qualifying for a gold medal in all their divisions, the constant learning is what has kept them involved in the sport for so many years.
“The continual growth aspect of training martial arts. You are never done learning,” Gosselin said. “You are doing what you’ve practiced and checking your progress and competing with some of your peers and friends that you’ve trained with for many years.”
“The karate for me is like a big family. It is a great organization where we all respect one another,” Couture added.
This is what Copetti refers to as the bottom line of martial arts, continual learning and making new friendships.
“You are constantly learning in life, you are constantly learning in society, every day you are learning something new,” he said. “With Martial arts you bring together all these different clubs, you learn to meet new people, we fight different styles, and we learn different styles.”
And one of the biggest lessons that come with participating in a tournament is learning that being nervous is not only natural, it can help you find an edge.
“For myself, the competition is nerves. A lot of people get scared they say they’re not nervous, but the nerves help you stay alert,” Copetti said.
So even though it may look frantic and fast-paced, which it is, it’s all about pressuring your opponent.
“When you force someone to fight your fight, you make them uncomfortable,” Copetti said. “So my pressure style was to push him around a little bit, make him uneasy, make him think and when you over analyze and overthink, you make mistakes.”
