I think a pro of having instructors in the competitions is that it raises the bar for the other competitors. I second Mr Bergman. The harder the struggle the sweeter the victory.

On a side thought, while it's safe to say that most instructors are better skilled than students (non-instructors) it doesn't mean it's true in every case. Some may be promoted simply due to the fact that they are good teachers. I recognize that the ideal instructor should have a balance of both. I'm not saying that someone unskilled should be an instructor just because they can communicate well but that the mix of what an instructor is can include a greater empahsis on teaching skills.

Are instructors judged on the same scale as regular competitors?

school owners are not allowed to compete (as far as i was told)

as for demonstration members, look in the picture on the winner's stand, Wolfgang posted above (he took silver and is wearing checkered pants). he was in the demonstration performing kyuckgum.


Master Goodwin:

our room whipped ass.

Korean school owners, or foreign school owners? Both?

Jennifer, nice to see my offspring made the top ten list, after only one short ride on Bus number 1! Thank you all for putting up with him on that trip to Seoul! As you can imagine the weeks events took a toll on Max and I, and although I love my son dearly, a week of sharing a single bed and of the hectic time table ensured we were ready to go home when we did. Also my appologies to those of you that I may have met, or met in passing or whom i did not meet. I may have seemed a little preoccupied during the trip, but an almost two year old will do that. And further appologies to any one that witnessed my spectacular drunkeness. I don't remember much but you know the rules, what goes on tour stays on tour. Suffice to say that I don't get to drink often and my embarressment is punishment enough!!!

As for results, you will see in the posted results we Aussies did O.K. Once again Master Tysoe put his cutting skills on show, and our sparring teams did well also placing Gold and Bronze. In particular I was very proud of the effort put in by Master Han and Daniel Wilson. Danny had alot on her plate including MC duties for the opening ceremony. Also my hat goes off to young Anton who placed with a Bronze trophy in the individual patterns. Our demonstration of self defence ( of which I was proud to be a part) went over very well I thought. It may have been our team member Jordan taking off his shirt.....but I prefer to think it was a good demonstration all round, and as the only over seas team to do a demo i was extremly proud.( And we got a really cool 2006 World Championships demo team Dobok as reward!)
This was my first world champs and first trip to Korea, and i'm glad I got to share it with my son. I already have him in training for 2008! Although I did not make it through first round in sparring or patterns( silver medal in both), it was a very enjoyable and worth while trip. I could not have done it without the support of my team mates, and the indulgence of all overseas players. ( Max says thanks too....actually he says HAI DONG, guganahahefur ta, Nooooo!)

I now have my first dan Black belt, which was presented to me and two other team members as we departed Seoul, by President Kim. I can't tell you what an honour that was. So now begins Yedo training....... So perhaps If I train hard for the next two years, it will be me on the winners platform.....? Only time and training will tell. Congratulations to all who paticipated, trophies or not all were winners from the experience alone!

Well, Stuart.... Max was #1 one everyone's list.........he was adorable and handled the rigors of the trip better than some of us.

Your team is very competitive and has great spirit.

Congrats to you on attaining your black belt - the Yedos are a fun series of forms to learn. I'm sure you'll enjoy them.

Overall, I agree with this. However, should instructors compete against students, especially their own? IMO, it might be better to separate the instructors into a group of their own.

Competing against instructors from other schools is one thing.
Competing against your own instructor may (or may not) be something else. Most students, I would think, believe without a doubt that their instructor is more skilled and more experienced than they are. Not sure if this affects their performance.
One of the nice things about HDGD is that the struggle is within. You are competing against yourself. The challenge is to do your forms or your cutting the best you can. However, in forms, if a student finds themselves competing against someone they know is more skilled (their instructor), does it affect their concentration?
Cutting offers one random variable, the bamboo pole, so it's possible to get lucky. Forms don't give you that, though, so it's only you. So if you are competing against your own instructor, does that affect your attitide towards the challenge?

I agree with Casey, it would be good to seperate instuctors and school owners into their own groups. That way it is a little easier for the other competitors

When it comes to tournaments and competition, it is basically the more "technical" side of HDGD that is evaluated, which is only part of the martial art. For this part, a student may actually do better than his own instructor.
Maybe it's not such a good comparison, but the world's nr.1 tennis player or figure skater will obviously beat their instructor/coach at a competition. However they might never be able to transmit what they know and train the next generation.

I can see your point but only if the instructor was no longer practising or was out of practise. In which case I'm unsure if they would enter a competition.

I am really more concerned with age catagories. At 56 my old body is showing signs of wear and tear.

I must admit, it does affect your concentration. I wind up competiting against my instructor often - and I find it to be a humbling but rewarding experience. I enjoy the fact that I am able to compete against someone who possesses a higher level of ability than me. It makes me see what is possible and gives me a reality check on what I need to work on. To me the whole point of competiting is to demonstrate what you can do - to showcase the ability you have at that moment in time. Hopefully the judges, spectators and your fellow competitors will enjoy what they see. Having my instructor in my division only raises the bar and makes me want to work that much harder to excel.

I understand what you are saying, however it still remains that it is a conflict of interest to compete against your students.