MARTIAL ARTS TOURNAMENTS

take a leap into

CHINESE SWORD FIGHTING

This year (2010) two martial arts tournaments combined as the Traditional Chinese Sword League Open Chinese sword fighting event was hosted by the well established International Chinese Martial Arts Championship. Some of the contestants are now seasoned players, having competed in all three years of the TCSL Tournament. Pictured above are Greg Wolfson, last year's winner, and Anne Likold, first time competitor and and this year's sole woman warrior. Anne teaches Taijiquan and Chinese Swordsmanship seminars in Europe, America, and in the near future, Australia. She tells her martial arts tournament story below.

Anne Likold - a woman warrior
in a Chinese Martial Arts Tournament

On October 2nd, 2010, I competed in the Traditional Chinese Sword League Open Tournament. It was held as part of an international Chinese martial arts tournament in Washington DC. The tournament was a full contact sword fighting competition with full weight wooden swords, in the Chinese historical tradition.

There were thirteen participants in the sword play tournament, people from Washington DC, Vermont and Estonia. The actual tournament was only one day long but the intense preparation for it took several weeks.

Preparation for martial arts tournaments is physically and  mentally demanding. Most of our training took place outdoors in 90+F heat, a sauna which continued day and night for weeks.  We could not afford to relax or slow down. We had to give it everything. Tiredness was not an acceptable excuse.

"Show me what you've got when you've got nothing left!"

Anne Likold Demonstration Seminar With teacher

I must admit, wearing the full gear was no fun at all. But it is necessary for the safety of our bodies. The first rule was "Do not get hit!" Nevertheless, after each day of training, everyone had several conspicuous bruises and the sword seemed heavier by the day. Our teacher Scott M. Rodell, worked us hard daily. We were all sweating (almost melting), and breathing hard, but still giving it all to be ready to face the opponents and do well at the tournament.

We were all dead tired by the end of the training. After such a day, cold water and a cold bath were foremost in our minds. But as the saying goes "Train hard, fight easy!"

Practise Competition Judges Full speed

Everything was preparing us for the BIG day - the day when only one of us could be the champion.

Why did we work so hard to go to the tournament? Full contact swordsmanship with full gear is as close as it gets to the real thing. When two people meet in the ring and cross swords, there are no friends, no mercy. It's all about him or me. There can only be one.

It teaches you to stay calm, pay attention and listen to the opponent, not to rush but to make the right move at the right time - to be ready to react without being afraid.  In order to win, you have to be skilled, fast and powerful.

The Day of the Tournament

The event started at 09:00 am. People gathered early to set their minds on the match and really concentrate on doing their best. Everyone tried to act nonchalant and make out the surrounding agitation didn't make them nervous but the fact was, it did. The air was tense. No one wanted to lose... no one...

The tournament was held in a huge, crowded hall. The events began with an opening ceremony.


Straight after the opening the real deal began - the matches. All competitors had about four pools matches. In these, points were scored to decide who would compete against each other in the semi finals.  These were direct elimination bouts, narrowing the field to two competitors who would play off for the final championship. There is more about the matches at the TCSL site.

The judges Opening Beginning Double hit

All of the matches were intense. Some swords got broken or hit away from the opponent's hand. When one has a sword and the other doesn't, guess who wins! It's a good idea to hold onto your sword.


Seven judges officiated during the matches. It was their job to make sure correct decisions were made on every strike. A competitor could win a match by accruing ten points with non-lethal strikes, or with one good "killing" strike to the head or body. No excessive force was allowed and the average match only lasted sixty seconds.  In the end, winning a match comes down to who has the strongest martial spirit and the calmest mind, to use all the skills they have mastered over the years of training.

Deflection Action Warriors Winner

This year's winner was Ian Glazer of Washington DC, who took home the champion's sword from the third national full contact sword fighting tournament. With thirteen competitors, this was the largest to date. This martial arts tournament was a good learning experience for us all.  it brought out our strengths and revealed weaknesses for us to work on in the future.

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