Just back from an open martial arts tournament in Jonesboro, AR. I went to check it out and see some friends (from a different style than mine) competing. The Taekwondo/Karate division had some really good action, but I found myself at the grappling ring for most of the day. It's amazing to me how jiu-jitsu has transformed the martial arts world. Everyone seems to cross-train in it now. I wonder if Bruce Lee were still alive, would he train so heavily in the ground game? My guess is that he would...
I was disappointed with the weapons competition, however. It seemed the emphasis was all on forms with lots of flash and speed, not so much about the practitioner's ability to actually use the weapon against an opponent...
Sparring versions of the popular weapons are available for competition, so it would be much more interesting to compete with/watch combatants actually spar with sticks/etc.
All in all, it was a good tournament, and some of my friends did well, so not a bad way to spend the better part of a day...
