Welcome to the Pendo Competition Team Competitive Team Handbook Pendo would like to welcome you and your family to our team. Please use this team handbook as a reference to answer questions you may have regarding Team Pendo. The Pendo Competition Team has been created to provide a means for students and families who are serious about martial art to compete, excel and have fun through competition. Our mission is to provide each student the skills and knowledge required to achieve their personal goals in competitive martial art. Working Together Success in any competitive sport requires a great deal of teamwork and support from teammates, instructors and families. Belonging to a team provides numerous benefits such as: comradery, self-esteem, friendship and unity. Our goal as a team is to create an atmosphere where all students may contribute and belong to something in which they feel valued. We urge all students and parents to ALWAYS remember that if we consistently work together towards the common goals of Team Pendo, we stand a much better chance in achieving something truly great. Team Requirements/Student Eligibility 1. All students must be at least 7 years old; 2. Students must be Intermediate 2 students or higher to participate; 3. All team students must be enrolled in the proper amount of traditional karate classes in addition to participating on Team Pendo. I.e. a. White, Yellow, Orange Green, Purple, Black belts must maintain 1 traditional karate class per week b. Brown, Sr. Brown belts must maintain 2 traditional karate classes per week. 4. All team students must pass the Team Evaluation prior to participating on Team Pendo. Class Structure Team classes will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:15pm. Students are required to attend 1 team class per week and must commit to one of the days aforementioned. Student s attendance may not fluctuate from class to class. If a student is absent for class, a scheduled make up can be made by contacting the front desk. Classes will consist of 5 parts: 1. Kata each week students will focus on perfecting the details in their kata. 2. Form each week student will practice proper form to meet the necessary requirements for competition.
3. Sparring each week students will practice sparring techniques such as combinations, blocking, timing, speed and agility to meet the necessary requirements for competition. 4. Strength each week students will increase their strength in an effort to increase speed, agility and power. 5. Competition Etiquette competition etiquette plays a large role in any martial art tournament; Students must know key terms, salutes and behaviors commonly used during competition and tournaments. Attendance Each student is expected to attend all team workouts and competitions; This team is a true commitment. Excessive absence from team workouts will only prevent a student from reaching their full potential. It also prevents the instructors from providing their full ability. If a student is truly unable to attend a work out, please give ample notice prior to the class so the instructors may plan the lesson accordingly. If a student will be missing a competition for any reason, please notify us as soon as possible. Competition fees and team totals are normally required weeks prior to the day of competition. Refunds are not always guaranteed once competition fees are submitted, regardless of why the competition is missed. Attire/Equipment Uniforms Students will wear their white traditional uniforms during all practices and competitions. For safety, uniformity and competitive reasons, all uniforms must fit properly; i.e.: 1. Uniform sleeves must not cover the hand at all; 2. Uniform pants must not fall below the middle of the heel; 3. Uniform pants may not be rolled up; 4. All uniforms must be kept clean and hole free. Sparring Gear Students must have the following Sparring Gear items: 1. Helmet 2. Chest Protector 3. Gloves 4. Foot Protection 5. Protective Groin Cup (males) 6. Mouth Piece All sparring gear must fit properly so that it may protect the student appropriately. If sparring gear is compromised or fits poorly, new gear must be purchased. During competition, judges and referees will check gear to make sure it is suitable for competition. Judges may ask a student not to compete if sparring gear is unsuitable for competition. Competition Fees and Policy
Competition policy, procedure and price can and will vary from one competition to the next. Pendo will notify all team parents with all necessary registration information as soon as it becomes available. Fees All competition fees and registration forms will be collected at least 2-3 weeks prior to the day of competition. Early registration fees are generally more affordable, therefore all team fees and registration forms will be submitted as soon as possible. Competition Fee There will be a $10 competition fee per student to cover additional costs needed to participate in a competition as a team. Payments are generally based on the amount of events your child will be participating in. Our students will only be participating in Kata and Sparring events. Some competitions will charge the participants a fee per event and some competitions will combine events. This can and will vary based on the competition. Pendo will keep all parents informed of all fees and registration information as soon as the information becomes available. Competitive Events Competitions have many events to offer. Team Pendo will be focusing on the 2 most common and traditional events: Kata/Forms Students demonstrate their katas for a number of judges, where they are generally scored on the following: Form, Balance, Technique, Spirit, Meaning and Confidence. Sparring Students spar with an opponent for a 2-3 minute period in an attempt to score a specific amount of points in a designated area (ring). Each student must try to score 3 clean points on the following areas of their opponent s body: Chest Protector, Side of Helmet and Back. Contact made in illegal areas on the body may result in warnings, point deductions or disqualification. Travel and Competition Location It is the responsibility of each family to commute to every competition location. Under no circumstances is any Pendo Karate employee responsible for bringing a student to a competition. Competition locations will be provided to you as soon as possible. On the day of competition, please provide yourself and your family sufficient time to arrive to the competition on time. Competition Etiquette for Parents Team Spirit is a big help We encourage parents to wear team colors in support. Your child is a part of the Pendo Competition Team. Students are not only competing for themselves, but also for their teammates, parents, coaches and Pendo Karate. Always show proper respect to all competition Referees and Judges at every competition. They are all there for one reason, to support your child s interest in martial art. Under no circumstance should a parent attempt to contact any official on the competition floor before, during, or after, a competition.
If you have questions regarding the competition or a decision made during a competition you must contact a Pendo Karate Coach. Please maintain good order and discipline with any other children you may bring to a competition. This is important for the safety of the competitors as well as the safety of all spectators. Competitions may vary in time and some may be longer than others. Please plan entertainment activities for young ones BEFORE arriving at the competition. Always respect the competition and its furnishings. We are the guest of each facility we visit. Please do not leave trash, be respectful of the restrooms, and eat and drink in the designated areas only. Always show proper respect to all competitors. You never know who is sitting near you (I.E. you very well could be sitting next to a parent of a student who is from another school). Always be mindful of your behavior, what is being said and always show respect. During competition, parents, friends and relatives are under no circumstances allowed to interfere with any of the competition events. Parents, relatives and friends are not allowed in the designated kata or sparring areas. This can become a safety hazard and distraction for the judges and referees during the competition and may also result in disqualification of your child. Please DO NOT Coach your child during competition. Pendo instructors should coach, everyone else should encourage. We promise to coach em, you hug em All students are expected to stay until the end of the awards ceremony unless instructed otherwise by a Pendo Karate Coach. Whether they are receiving an award or not, they need to cheer all award recipients, especially their teammates. Expectations: Problems occur when a parent expects too much from an athlete who is new to the competitive arena. It takes time for a student to develop the skills, knowledge and attitude to reach top honors at a competitive level in any sport. The key is to recognize when your child is working up to their potential. If a student completes all of their skills and gives a true 100% effort during a competition, that is a winning performance regardless of what score he or she receives. Please be congratulatory and positive after your child or any child finishes an event or competition. Always remember that any score received by a judge or referee is not a reflection on you as a parent. There is no reason for you to feel embarrassed. If your child is having a rough event or competition ALWAYS BE SUPPORTIVE AND POSITIVE, IT WILL HELP PRODUCE A GREATER RESULT IN THE FUTURE. Be a Role Model for your child and the other children competing. The purpose of Team Pendo is to provide success on and off the competition floor. Our goal is to use this team to help our children grow and learn through competition. We encourage your support in doing so.
Have fun! It is very important all students and parents remember that this is supposed to be fun and enjoyable. It is important that all instructors, parents and students always remember that. If you have any other questions at all please do not hesitate to ask Sensei Nick.