A fictional martial arts competition set before or after the pandemic

[JJBuchholz]

It may be hard to avoid.

How can it be 'hard to avoid'? The solution is very simple: Don't even bother using it or referencing it. Again, using the pandemic
constitutes lazy writing. Use a continental conflict, use a solar flare, use a close call with an asteroid, use any kind of major issue
that does not involve a pandemic.

It's not hard at all, in fact it's quite easy.

-JJB

[Breadcrumbs11722]

How can it be 'hard to avoid'? The solution is very simple: Don't even bother using it or referencing it. Again, using the pandemic
constitutes lazy writing. Use a continental conflict, use a solar flare, use a close call with an asteroid, use any kind of major issue
that does not involve a pandemic.

It's not hard at all, in fact it's quite easy.

-JJB

So basically replace the covid outbreak with say an asteroid encounter or even a zombie apocalypse instead?

[indianroads]

The main protagonist would of trained and competed in the 90's during his youth. I was going to have it in the 80's when he trained but that's something that's been done before already. So assuming they would of just worn hand and foot pads but no headgear?

Was this open competition of all styles done in the 90's? That means anything from kung fu, karate, kempo, taekwondo, sanda, etc, could of been used?

That would be an issue in my story with the covid if the main protagonist as an older adult would take place in the 2030's. I don't know the outcome either. Unless I just set it that he was an older adult in the 2010's, which would most likely make it that he would of trained and competed in his youth in the 80's. Maybe the tournament should be something similar to the technology in Tron if I set it years from now?

The scoring system would help me greatly and the rules setting if you know more about it. Thanks.

First, the oldest type of Karate competition in the USA is an open tournament. I believe that Master Robert Trias ran the first US tournament in 1947. Taekwondo wasn't even a thing back then (started in 1954).

Would you consider staging your martial arts tournament in the 60's or early 70's? I think that would be much more entertaining to the lay person.

I won the California Karate Championship in 1974, when we still fought with bare hands and feet. The advent of padded gloves really changed the way we fought - before then we could grab our opponent's collar or sleeve and turn them to hit the kidneys, but the gloves made grabbing impossible. Oddly, while the padding was added for 'safety', injuries actually increased when they were used. Before their use, competitors were expected to have control and not blast their opponent, but with pads it seemed everyone thought they could hit has hard as they wanted.

In the 60's and 70's we were awarded one point for strike (kick or punch) to the head, neck, chest, ribs, kidneys, spine, and groin. Take downs were allowed, and in some tournaments we were given a point while in others we had three seconds to score on a downed opponent.

These days the system is more complicated. Turning kicks (wheel (hook) kick and back kick to the head are awarded two points (they're more difficult to land). A jump kick of any sort to the head is awarded three points. I could email you the rule book if you like.

This year, head gear with a face shield has become mandatory, so maybe you could use that in your covid plot point? Regarding that, I wouldn't be interested in reading a book with covid as a major plot point - because I'm just sick of hearing about it.

ETA: Google 'Colorado Karate Association' - you can find the competition rule book there, along with a lot of other info.

[Breadcrumbs11722]

First, the oldest type of Karate competition in the USA is an open tournament. I believe that Master Robert Trias ran the first US tournament in 1947. Taekwondo wasn't even a thing back then (started in 1954).

Would you consider staging your martial arts tournament in the 60's or early 70's? I think that would be much more entertaining to the lay person.

I won the California Karate Championship in 1974, when we still fought with bare hands and feet. The advent of padded gloves really changed the way we fought - before then we could grab our opponent's collar or sleeve and turn them to hit the kidneys, but the gloves made grabbing impossible. Oddly, while the padding was added for 'safety', injuries actually increased when they were used. Before their use, competitors were expected to have control and not blast their opponent, but with pads it seemed everyone thought they could hit has hard as they wanted.

In the 60's and 70's we were awarded one point for strike (kick or punch) to the head, neck, chest, ribs, kidneys, spine, and groin. Take downs were allowed, and in some tournaments we were given a point while in others we had three seconds to score on a downed opponent.

These days the system is more complicated. Turning kicks (wheel (hook) kick and back kick to the head are awarded two points (they're more difficult to land). A jump kick of any sort to the head is awarded three points. I could email you the rule book if you like.

This year, head gear with a face shield has become mandatory, so maybe you could use that in your covid plot point? Regarding that, I wouldn't be interested in reading a book with covid as a major plot point - because I'm just sick of hearing about it.

ETA: Google 'Colorado Karate Association' - you can find the competition rule book there, along with a lot of other info.

I thought about the 70's actually. But the idea is the main protagonist would of then trained in his youth, then his main story is when he's a much older adult, even becoming like a teacher himself and being enemies with his old teacher who was a bad instructor. So if he's a full grown older adult by the time it's the 70's which would be the main story, he would of trained and competed in his youth in the 50's or even 40's. If I make it he was training and competing in his youth in the 70's, then his main story would take place probably in the 90's supposedly. His bad instructor who is the main antagonist would have served in the military before teaching martial arts and would of been the teacher and mentor of the main protagonist in his youth so that will also impact the date I set it at.

It sounds like a martial arts tournament's rules setting from the 70's would make for an interesting scenario. Unless I have it more modern-day and just make the rules based on the tournaments from the 70's? I would avoid mentioning the covid, if I did had to make it present-day or set years from now, then I guess the face shields would work and I'd just mention there was some kind of natural disaster or zombie outbreak maybe, and after things got more safe, tournaments were set up to forget these issues, but it might sound too far-fetched.

Thank you for the information. I'll definitely research it more.

[indianroads]

I thought about the 70's actually. But the idea is the main protagonist would of then trained in his youth, then his main story is when he's a much older adult, even becoming like a teacher himself and being enemies with his old teacher who was a bad instructor. So if he's a full grown older adult by the time it's the 70's which would be the main story, he would of trained and competed in his youth in the 50's or even 40's. If I make it he was training and competing in his youth in the 70's, then his main story would take place probably in the 90's supposedly. His bad instructor who is the main antagonist would have served in the military before teaching martial arts and would of been the teacher and mentor of the main protagonist in his youth so that will also impact the date I set it at.

It sounds like a martial arts tournament's rules setting from the 70's would make for an interesting scenario. Unless I have it more modern-day and just make the rules based on the tournaments from the 70's? I would avoid mentioning the covid, if I did had to make it present-day or set years from now, then I guess the face shields would work and I'd just mention there was some kind of natural disaster or zombie outbreak maybe, and after things got more safe, tournaments were set up to forget these issues, but it might sound too far-fetched.

Thank you for the information. I'll definitely research it more.

I wonder if you could do something with the PKA (Professional Karate Association)? They ran fights in rings like boxers - I think they went out of business in the late 80's though. If your character is into Taekwondo you might use the WPTF (World Professional Taekwondo Federation) - Google it. Or maybe you could go with the MMA instead?

Otherwise use the current open tournament rules. Continuous fighting is a thing now, everyone wears pads but the fighting isn't stopped when someone scores a point.