A fictional martial arts competition set before or after the pandemic

[Breadcrumbs11722]

My main protagonist had trained and competed in a fighting tournament in his teen youth but all went to failure and years later with his life crumbled down, unable to financially support himself. He ends up saving some young victim from being attacked on the streets. The protagonist, with his use of knowledge he learned from back in his youth, fends off the victims attackers. A man who's an expert master of the arts here's the news and is stunned by the protagonist's performance of defending that victim on the street. The trained master decided to help the poor protagonist on his feet and train him as he noticed the potential and train him of what he learned, then the protagonist becomes a teacher himself.

My question is the main protagonist would have trained in his youth as a teen in the martial arts, fighting in a tournament. This was going to be set in the mid-late 90's during his youth. Then as an older adult he would probably be somewhere around in his 40's or 50's when he ends up as a martial arts teacher. That would set the time period around the 2030's which would take place post-pandemic. Would this have a great effect in the story? I was going to set the date further back and have it he became a teacher in his 40's or 50's pre-pandemic so anytime before 2020. that would make his story set in the 80's which I rather avoid but I might have to in order to avoid the covid-timeline. If it's years after from now, would rules need to change for a tournament? Would an excuse in my story be that all competitors were vaccinated and crowds watch from huge HD screens to keep the social distancing? If it's too much I'll have to set the date further back.

And this competition for teens has no protection, with all kinds of strikes, kicks and throws allowed, punches to the face are illegal and any sort of joint lockings and choke holds are illegal. Maybe they can were small gloves and that would be it. Does it sound too brutal for teens under 18 to be using against each other?

[TheMightyAz]

Maybe one of the reasons for an uptake in hand to hand combat could be because over the course of 2 - 3 years, people realised C19 was not as serious as it was sold to be and that it was being used to martial in centralised governments, centralised economy and centralised law enforcement. Fanciful but solves your problem ...

[JJBuchholz]

I'm still of the opinion that the pandemic shouldn't make it's way into story telling. One, because we're still in it, and two, because
most people just don't want to see or hear about it anymore. It's rammed down our throats everywhere we go, and we need to
have more mediums that don't mention it at all so we can get a break from it.

I'm not down on what you're writing, make no mistake. If it works for you, great. Just don't expect a lot of hurrahs.

-JJB

[indianroads]

My main protagonist had trained and competed in a fighting tournament in his teen youth but all went to failure and years later with his life crumbled down, unable to financially support himself. He ends up saving some young victim from being attacked on the streets. The protagonist, with his use of knowledge he learned from back in his youth, fends off the victims attackers. A man who's an expert master of the arts here's the news and is stunned by the protagonist's performance of defending that victim on the street. The trained master decided to help the poor protagonist on his feet and train him as he noticed the potential and train him of what he learned, then the protagonist becomes a teacher himself.

My question is the main protagonist would have trained in his youth as a teen in the martial arts, fighting in a tournament. This was going to be set in the mid-late 90's during his youth. Then as an older adult he would probably be somewhere around in his 40's or 50's when he ends up as a martial arts teacher. That would set the time period around the 2030's which would take place post-pandemic. Would this have a great effect in the story? I was going to set the date further back and have it he became a teacher in his 40's or 50's pre-pandemic so anytime before 2020. that would make his story set in the 80's which I rather avoid but I might have to in order to avoid the covid-timeline. If it's years after from now, would rules need to change for a tournament? Would an excuse in my story be that all competitors were vaccinated and crowds watch from huge HD screens to keep the social distancing? If it's too much I'll have to set the date further back.

And this competition for teens has no protection, with all kinds of strikes, kicks and throws allowed, punches to the face are illegal and any sort of joint lockings and choke holds are illegal. Maybe they can were small gloves and that would be it. Does it sound too brutal for teens under 18 to be using against each other?

The tournaments you describe from your character's youth are close to what we used in the 70's. Bare-knuckle, grabbing the uniform, catching kicks, sweeps to the legs and other take downs. Judo type throws disappeared after the 60's, but we could still take people to the ground - where we would have 3 seconds to score on them. The only required protective equipment was a cup... which really didn't do much good because the only style available were baseball cups, which offer very little protection in martial art competition.

In the 80's insurance companies got involved, and hand and foot padding became mandatory. Oddly, injuries increased because bare knuckle fights emphasized control, whereas when we wore pads be blasted each other. It stayed that way pretty much through the 90's.

In the new century, head gear has become mandatory and many wear chest protector.

Taekwondo has become an Olympic sport, their competition is only open to those practicing that style. The older type of tournament (called an Open competition) is open to all styles.

Do you want to know anything about the rules or scoring areas?

ETA: about Covid

Most tournaments have been cancelled because of Covid. A few went 'virtual' - with only form (kata, poomse) competition. They're starting up again this summer, but I don't know what the rules will be yet.

It's pretty tough to fight or exercise hard with a mask over your face - but they'll probably have to mandate; time will tell how that works out.

[Sir-KP]

You don't have to include the covid.

And this competition for teens has no protection, with all kinds of strikes, kicks and throws allowed, punches to the face are illegal and any sort of joint lockings and choke holds are illegal. Maybe they can were small gloves and that would be it. Does it sound too brutal for teens under 18 to be using against each other?

No. A lot of teenagers are even sent out to tournaments. Asian martial arts usually don't use gears and protectors, unless it's weapon art (kendo, for example).

[indianroads]

You don't have to include the covid.
No. A lot of teenagers are even sent out to tournaments. Asian martial arts usually don't use gears and protectors, unless it's weapon art (kendo, for example).

That’s true, rules about protective gear and allowed striking areas will differ in different countries.

Ive competed in open tournaments (all martial art styles allowed) in the USA and Italy, and in full contact fights in the USA. Rules change a lot.

[Breadcrumbs11722]

Maybe one of the reasons for an uptake in hand to hand combat could be because over the course of 2 - 3 years, people realised C19 was not as serious as it was sold to be and that it was being used to martial in centralised governments, centralised economy and centralised law enforcement. Fanciful but solves your problem ...

I'll consider that.

I'm still of the opinion that the pandemic shouldn't make it's way into story telling. One, because we're still in it, and two, because
most people just don't want to see or hear about it anymore. It's rammed down our throats everywhere we go, and we need to
have more mediums that don't mention it at all so we can get a break from it.

I'm not down on what you're writing, make no mistake. If it works for you, great. Just don't expect a lot of hurrahs.

-JJB

Is it because of the idea of including the pandemic or the concept of the fighting competition itself?

[Breadcrumbs11722]

The tournaments you describe from your character's youth are close to what we used in the 70's. Bare-knuckle, grabbing the uniform, catching kicks, sweeps to the legs and other take downs. Judo type throws disappeared after the 60's, but we could still take people to the ground - where we would have 3 seconds to score on them. The only required protective equipment was a cup... which really didn't do much good because the only style available were baseball cups, which offer very little protection in martial art competition.

In the 80's insurance companies got involved, and hand and foot padding became mandatory. Oddly, injuries increased because bare knuckle fights emphasized control, whereas when we wore pads be blasted each other. It stayed that way pretty much through the 90's.

In the new century, head gear has become mandatory and many wear chest protector.

Taekwondo has become an Olympic sport, their competition is only open to those practicing that style. The older type of tournament (called an Open competition) is open to all styles.

Do you want to know anything about the rules or scoring areas?

ETA: about Covid

Most tournaments have been cancelled because of Covid. A few went 'virtual' - with only form (kata, poomse) competition. They're starting up again this summer, but I don't know what the rules will be yet.

It's pretty tough to fight or exercise hard with a mask over your face - but they'll probably have to mandate; time will tell how that works out.

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.

[JJBuchholz]

Is it because of the idea of including the pandemic or the concept of the fighting competition itself?

Including the pandemic. As I mentioned earlier, all we hear every day non-stop is pandemic, pandemic, pandemic. I am of the belief that
a writer that includes it as a focal part of a new story is being just plain old lazy. Personally, for the past year I've been reading books
and things that are the furthest thing from daily events in this world, as I've enough.

Don't take my 'lazy' comment as a personal attack, because it's not. I like your idea of a fighting competition, but not laced with more
of this pandemic stuff. We all need a break from it, and fast.

-JJB

[Breadcrumbs11722]

Including the pandemic. As I mentioned earlier, all we hear every day non-stop is pandemic, pandemic, pandemic. I am of the belief that
a writer that includes it as a focal part of a new story is being just plain old lazy. Personally, for the past year I've been reading books
and things that are the furthest thing from daily events in this world, as I've enough.

Don't take my 'lazy' comment as a personal attack, because it's not. I like your idea of a fighting competition, but not laced with more
of this pandemic stuff. We all need a break from it, and fast.

-J.

I understand what you're saying. It has really been shoved in our faces throughout the news and media. Perhaps I can set the fighting competitions before the pandemic even happened. But then the protagonist would of trained in his youth in the 80's which is too much like Karate Kid. Or if I set an alternate universe where the pandemic never existed. It may be hard to avoid.