Hello all Instructors and AHA members,

Yes, it’s that time of year again. The annual AHA Tournament will be held on Sunday 15 September from 8am to approximately 4pm.

PERSONS WISHING TO ENTER THE TOURNAMENT MUST BE CURRENT MEMBERS OF THE AHA.

IMPORTANT!!: The tournament will be held at a different venue this year, as we were unable to book our usual venue. This year’s venue is the Central Coast Indoor Sports at the corner of Wyong Rd & Enterprise Dr, Berkeley Vale NSW 2261. The drive time from Sydney is only a few minutes longer than to our previous venue – you take the Wyong turnoff rather than the Gosford one, but the venue is less than 3km from the turnoff (which takes you straight onto Wyong Road). More information will provided once each participant registers for the event).

Please do not be concerned about it being too competitive or about getting injured. In the 25+ years that I have been involved with our Hapkido tournaments I can only recall one injury that required hospital treatment. First aid at our tournaments usually involves nothing more than applying a few bandaids and a couple of ice packs (and those mostly to minor bruises and strains). Our tournaments, and the many open tournaments Ron and I have attended with our students are nothing like what you might have seen in some martial arts movies (e.g. The Karate Kid movies) – no light up signboards with competitors’ names and/or photos, no screaming crowds – just families and friends who attend – and NO vicious contact or ‘grudge’ matches. Our tournaments are friendly and not much different to the training and sparring you do in your own dojangs.

The tournament offers competitors four events:

Sparring: This is broken up into four divisions: Novice – Yellow Belt and Green Tip; Intermediate – Green Belt to Blue Belt and Senior Belt – Red Tip to Black Tip. There is also a Black Belt Division – 1^st to 3^rd Dan. In the Novice division NO contact is permitted, while in the Junior belt division – only very light controlled ("touch" contact) is permitted. All sparring bouts are strictly controlled by our black belt referees.

There will also be Male and Female divisions as well as age and weight group divisions, depending on the number of entrants, so encourage your training mates to enter – the more competitors we have, the more we can subdivide the groups.

Patterns/Drills: Contestants must do pattern/drill they used for their last grading i.e. the pattern/drill from their previous belt level. For example: yellow belts will do the yellow tip drill, green tips will do the yellow belt pattern, and so on. Black Belts: 1^st Dan – Eagle Pattern, 2^nd Dan – 1^st Pole pattern, 3^rd Dan - 2^nd Pole Pattern.

Self Defence routines: These routines are always interesting and entertaining and greatly improve participants’ self defense skills. Routines may be a maximum of 45 seconds’ duration and should depict a realistic and reasonable (depending on age and belt level) Self Defence scenario. There are Junior, Senior and Black Belt divisions as well as kids’ subdivisions for under 16s.

If you wish to compete in the Self Defence routines event please provide the names of your self defence team mate/s in the space provided in the registration screen.

Breakfalling: A Flying Cat Roll competition will be open to those Green Belt and up in Junior, Senior and Black Belt Divisions.

PAYMENT:

There is a single entry fee of 25 dollars and competitors can compete in as many divisions as they qualify for. Competitors must register and pay no later than COB Friday 6 September. Note: to help students in outlying areas the AHA will not charge an entry fee for competitors from outside the Sydney/Newcastle area.

You may pay your tournament registration fee here and now as part of this AHA/revSPORT registration process OR you may pay later ( but no later than Monday 9 Sept) - see payment options below*.

*PAYMENT OPTIONS

1.   Internet Banking – Payments can be made to the Australian Hapkido Association:

BSB: 062190

Account Number: 10101231

2.   Direct Deposit - Deposits can be made to the Australian Hapkido Association at any Commonwealth Bank:

BSB: 062190

Account Number: 10101231

If you have any questions please contact Melissa Rees by email at this address or by phoning or texting 0411 718 556.

Thank you for your participation and enthusiasm.