NationStates Jolt Archive

This post may seem a little bloggy but please perservere, there will be a point at the end, I'm almost positive.

I went to a club karate tournament today and have never seen such biased refereeing or scoring. A little background, the head instructor is a chap called Paul and his girlfriend is called Rachel, she has her own dojo and the competition is not only individual but inter-dojo on points scored by participants.

During the early part of the day I heard some rumblings that some things were amiss with the scoring of the bouts and katas from some of the parents of the kids in the younger divisions but put it down to typicals parents being pissed that their kid wasn't winning it all and carried on with my own preperations for my competition. The realisation came when I watched my brother fight in his grade, Paul was refereeing and Rachel was keeping score and my brothers opponent was from Rachels' dojo. During the bout, both fighters were awarded 2 half point head strikes but at the whistle for 3 minutes the scores show that my brother only has 0.5 points. Paul awarded the win to the other fighter but I went over to have a word with him after talking with my Sensai and he eventually called to two fighters back for a 'next point wins' fight to decide the round.

This was the only act of bias that I personally saw but I was hearing stories from other fighters throughout the day. My own grade came and went and I was simply beaten by a better fighter but I was also entered for the open competition and found I was drawn against a much higher grade in the first round. Paul was refereeing the open kumite and during my bout I found he was giving me absolutely no protection against the other fighter, we fight sport karate in tournaments so no contact to the head and very light to the body, after the 3rd shot to rock my head back and not one of mine being counted my own Sensai pulled my from the bout. It seems that Paul no longer likes me very much.

Rachels' dojo won the tournament overall.

So, after a long and fairly rambling post I have a few questions for the great and good of NS. How would you have handled what was going on at the time, bearing in mind that you would have to deal with these people at a later date? And, what would you do now? I don't particulary want to leave the club but it's hard to enjoy club meetings when you will always be suspicious of results and the head instructor doesn't seem to like you very much.

Honestly, as a martial artist, I don't compete very often, and on the occasions I do, I really don't care that much. I'd probably just shrug it off.

That's what the logical part of me says but the bruises and cuts inside my mouth demand action dammit :p.

That's what the logical part of me says but the bruises and cuts inside my mouth demand action dammit :p.

If he has a car, booby trap his air conditioner with a can of whipped cream. :p

It would depend on what style. If its very traditional and no nonsense, put iron-on patches of dragons on the legs of his uniform.

Mr. Miyagi should kick his ass!

http://www.additiverich.com/knife/archives/morita.jpeg

...um.... if he isn't busy.

Yes, I know Pat Morita is dead

I would have killed them all with my IRON FIST.

Say did you just get drunk and fall asleep in front of he TV while one of the many re-runs of karate kid was on?

Honestly, as a martial artist, I don't compete very often, and on the occasions I do, I really don't care that much. I'd probably just shrug it off.

Neither did I. But as a martial artist there are more things you're supposed to be able to learn from a Sensei than just punching. If I ever found out that my sensei was this much of a weasel I'd have left his class. Before I went to the one I ended up staying at I went to the "free demo" at the dojo a friend wanted to join. I liked what I saw in terms of what technique was going on, but I didn't like the people. They weren't overtly sadistic from what I could tell, just arrogant, and the whole atmosphere just disturbed me, so I didn't join.

Later I found out that the whole place was run like a cult. Whenever the members spoke about the place they talked about the sensei as though they were in love (you know that look 12 year old girls get when they talk about the boy band du jour). He used to punch people in the head for a knockout shot if their moves got passed his defense just once. On one occasion he actually took some of his black-belts to assault a rival sensei in the parking lot. And when he finally left the Dojo he used to keep calling the new sensei asking him to send money and getting angry with him when he didn't get it.

I avoided all of this because the day I showed up I made a comment about the pads on the floor when I took judo and how I didn't see any in evidence. The blackbelt to whom I made this comment replied "let me tell you something. If you get into a fight on the street, there ain't gonna be no mats."

Op should find another dojo.

Say did you just get drunk and fall asleep in front of he TV while one of the many re-runs of karate kid was on?

Nah, I have the dvd boxset.

Rachels' dojo won the tournament overall.

So, after a long and fairly rambling post I have a few questions for the great and good of NS. How would you have handled what was going on at the time, bearing in mind that you would have to deal with these people at a later date? And, what would you do now? I don't particulary want to leave the club but it's hard to enjoy club meetings when you will always be suspicious of results and the head instructor doesn't seem to like you very much.He's the head? There's no one above him?

If this were happening to me, I'd see if I could gather witnesses and go to his superiors, if there are any. I lack a background in martial arts to make enough sense of your situation (karate scoring and such) but if this were happening to me at a fencing tournament, I'd get together with the heads of my club and address the superiors of the judge.

Either that or get Rachel to dump him. That way, anyone from Rachel's dojo will be an easy win for you...

(I sincerely hope you didn't use their real names...)

...um.... if he isn't busy.

Yes, I know Pat Morita is dead

Well, he's busy being dead then isn't he? *moulder* *moulder* :p

Well, he's busy being dead then isn't he? *moulder* *moulder* :p

That wouldn't stop him from kicking ass if he really wanted to. :p

it seems to me from my limited experience that there probably not much you can do as karate associations tend to make very little provision for dealing with personality clashes between instructors. generally they are resolved by one guy splitting off and starting his own association. partly its down to the elitist nature of the art. untill you have a black belt your opinion is likely to be disregarded unless you have a particularly close bond with an instructor.

thats just my opinion though.

Op should find another dojo.

Absolutely agree. I've been around the martial arts for as long as I can remember, as well as having practiced them, and it sounds like Paul's running a McDojo. Find a real dojo.

Why not all walk out and join his girlfriend's dojo?

He's the head? There's no one above him?

If this were happening to me, I'd see if I could gather witnesses and go to his superiors, if there are any. I lack a background in martial arts to make enough sense of your situation (karate scoring and such) but if this were happening to me at a fencing tournament, I'd get together with the heads of my club and address the superiors of the judge.

Either that or get Rachel to dump him. That way, anyone from Rachel's dojo will be an easy win for you...

(I sincerely hope you didn't use their real names...)

There isnt' anyone above them, Paul is the head instructor and Rachel is the club director.

There isnt' anyone above them, Paul is the head instructor and Rachel is the club director.

Most clubs have a governing body though, or must belong to some body to be able to attend tournaments, and have gradings?

The UK in Exile;13279351']it seems to me from my limited experience that there probably not much you can do as karate associations tend to make very little provision for dealing with personality clashes between instructors. generally they are resolved by one guy splitting off and starting his own association. partly its down to the elitist nature of the art. untill you have a black belt your opinion is likely to be disregarded unless you have a particularly close bond with an instructor.

thats just my opinion though.

That sounds about right. The club I joined a few years ago was a break away from GKR and the one I'm in now is a break away from that club.

Absolutely agree. I've been around the martial arts for as long as I can remember, as well as having practiced them, and it sounds like Paul's running a McDojo. Find a real dojo.

It never seemed like a McDojo. There are no financial tie-ins and all the seniors have easily checkable records. I've never had a bad word to say about the place until yesterday.

It really is tough to deal with biased scoring. I remember being in a situation in which even my opponent admitted that I should have won, but there was nothing either of us could do. Very frustrating.

But that was a rare occasion, and overall the fights and katas were scored fairly. I certainly didn't see the need to leave over it.

If it had become a pattern over several tournaments, I would have left.

There isnt' anyone above them, Paul is the head instructor and Rachel is the club director.

That sounds about right. The club I joined a few years ago was a break away from GKR and the one I'm in now is a break away from that club.

It never seemed like a McDojo. There are no financial tie-ins and all the seniors have easily checkable records. I've never had a bad word to say about the place until yesterday.

OK, with that info, maybe not a McDojo, but certainly the nepotism, break away of a break away, and tis incident should give one pause.

OK, with that info, maybe not a McDojo, but certainly the nepotism, break away of a break away, and tis incident should give one pause.

I tinhk I'll go with HotRodias' suggestion. I know all few of the other Sensais weren't happy with what was going on so I think I'll see what goes on at the next club meeting before I make a decision on what to do.

That's what the logical part of me says but the bruises and cuts inside my mouth demand action dammit :p.

i personally dont take crap like that, so i'd most likely have done a driveby...
you on the other hand should have and affair with rachel and then when he finds out have her move in with you and then dump her and kick her out....
well look all my solution contain violent endings so ask someone else i'd just go this: :sniper::mp5::gundge::headbang::headbang::upyours::upyours:

This post may seem a little bloggy but please perservere, there will be a point at the end, I'm almost positive.

I went to a club karate tournament today and have never seen such biased refereeing or scoring.

You know nothing of corruption.

http://www.fencingsucks.com/humor/evolution.gif

Well, you have two choices: Sit and take it, or leave. You -could- raise a stink over it, but if your sensei is that much of a weiner, I doubt it's gonna make your situation any better.

Alternatively, you could quit karate altogether and join kendo. ^.^

I have been practicing karate only for a short time right now, and I have been at just one competition (in which I gave a really bad proof, not surprisingly if you think that I had spent the night before drinking beer, playing poker and almost destroying my car), but I really hope nothing like this to happen to me. In your condition, I think I would have asked my sensei for what to do.

You know nothing of corruption.

http://www.fencingsucks.com/humor/evolution.gif

You just can't keep up with sabre, that's why you mock it. :p

You know nothing of corruption.

http://www.fencingsucks.com/humor/evolution.gif

Is that an admission that all weapon based defence systems have been superseeded by empty hand systems and that the proponents of said weapoms based systems are evolutionary relics/deadends? :D

You just can't keep up with sabre, that's why you mock it. :p

Foil fencers talk about the technical.

Épée fencers talk about the esoteric.

Sabre fencers talk about themselves.

i personally dont take crap like that, so i'd most likely have done a driveby...
you on the other hand should have and affair with rachel and then when he finds out have her move in with you and then dump her and kick her out....
well look all my solution contain violent endings so ask someone else i'd just go this: /snip smilies/

Yes, I should cuckold the best fighter I've ever met in RL and then piss off his slightly less technically gifted but much more aggressive other half.