Is Your Child Ready for Competition?

Is Your Child Ready for Competition? A Guide for Parents.

At our academy, we are proud of our competitive environment. Competition can be a powerful tool for accelerating your child's learning and building incredible resilience. But it's also a high-pressure environment, and readiness is about much more than just knowing a few moves.

So, how do you know if your child is ready to step into the competition arena? Here are a few key questions to ask yourself.

1. Are They Training Consistently?

This is the first practical checkpoint. We strongly advise that any child looking to compete is training at least three times per week. This consistency is crucial for building the technical skills, timing, and endurance needed to perform safely and effectively. Simply showing up once a week is not enough to prepare for the demands of a tournament.

2. Can They Manage Their Weight and Diet?

Competitions have strict weight limits. If your child weighs in even slightly over their registered limit, they cannot compete. This is non-negotiable. This means in the lead-up to the event, diet must be managed. This can be very hard for children who are constantly growing. It's a family commitment to ensure they are eating healthily and can make their weight class safely.

3. How Do They Handle "Losing" in the Gym?

This is the most important question. How does your child react when they get tapped or "lose" a game during our training sessions? If they get visibly upset, angry, or shut down, a large public tournament is not the right place for them... yet.

We must first work on reframing their thinking. Our gym environment is built to see "losing" as a learning experience. If they can't handle it in our safe "laboratory," they will not be able to process it in front of a crowd.

4. What Is Their "Test Run" Experience?

The best way to gauge readiness is with a smaller, lower-stress event. We plan to host an interclub competition every two months. This is the perfect test run. It gives children a chance to feel the pressure of a real match without the stress and expense of a long family trip to Taipei.

How did your child do at the last interclub? Their performance and, more importantly, their attitude during that event will tell you a lot.

Finally, look at their training partners. Our gym has gold medalists at all ages and weights. Seeing how your child performs against one of our champions around their age and weight can give you a very good benchmark of where they truly stand.

Ultimately, this is a decision we make together. If you're considering a competition, please talk to a coach. We can give you our honest feedback.