Kumite or sparring and Sports Karate

Kumite or sparring  is an integral part of the AAMA training curriculum. Kumite gives students the ability to apply their skills in a safe and competitive environment. Kumite is practiced as a non-contact sport and special care is taken at AAMA in order to ensure this. Protective equipment is mandatory for both male and female competitors when participating in kumite activities within the training curriculum. The World Karate Federation (WKF) international rules are observed and enforced during kumite training.

Within this part of the curriculum, students participate in set drills and free fighting. The goal of kumite training is to hone students’ ability to apply their techniques correctly while working with a partner. This training allows students to increase their skills via application against a range of opponents of differing size and temperament. Kumite builds on a student’s previous Tan Gan Ho training. Tan Gun Ho is a unique training system system developed by Sensei Fujimoto (8th Dan) and used within AAMA to develop technical skills and application within the three main areas of:

• Distance;
• Timing; and
• Accuracy.

Kumite competition or Sports Karate  (against other clubs) is an activity that may be undertaken by students as their skill level increases. While all students will participate in kumite during the normal training program, competing outside the club is a voluntary activity. No pressure to compete is placed on students. This is purely an individual decision made by each student. The kumite training program is designed to give all students the skills they require to compete in tournaments outside the club. As such, competing in a tournament is simply an extension of a students’ training. Over its lifetime, AAMA has had a number of successful tournament competitors with results including State and National titles. A number of AAMA students have also represented Australia in International competition.