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Dive into the world of Karate with our blog. Training tips, event recaps, and community stories.
Join Palm Court Karate and become part of our story
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Mario Sequeira
14 January 2026 • 4 min read
As with so many things in life, you are either for something or against it. However, with a little consideration, very seldom is anything truly black or white.
I personally made the decision years ago to leave Sport Karate and focus my efforts on traditional training—a decision I have not once regretted. This being said, I cannot deny the huge impact competition has had on my career.
As a competitor, I enjoyed being an all-rounder, specialising in Goju Style competitions, representing my style and country on several occasions—this was my little niche. But I probably most excelled as an all-style referee, spending many years working on what, at the time, I considered my craft and sharing with others by educating a whole generation of referees and officials.
This unique combination of being an athlete and official was extremely important to me not only as a martial artist but also as a teacher, and taught me valuable skills and lessons that would have been near impossible to attain anywhere else.
As a competitor, the value of taking part in a competition is found not in winning medals, but rather in facing your fears head on and pressure testing, not only your skills, but also your character—something that is very difficult to replicate in the dojo.
Learning how to deal with success and failures and accepting the outcome, irrespective of if you feel they were correct or not, is an absolutely necessary life skill that can only be taught through experiences like these.
As an instructor, tournaments highlight the strengths and weaknesses of your students very quickly and very accurately—if you are prepared to look. They can help you to rectify problem areas you may not have picked up in the dojo.
In my opinion, tournaments are a valuable tool that must be used correctly in the education of a student, aiding them to become well-rounded martial artists and human beings.
It is when Sport Karate becomes the be-all and end-all in a student and instructor's ambitions, and where winning at all costs becomes the only reason to train, that I take exception and personally disagree.
So next time your instructor asks you to take part in a competition, please remember he has your best interests at heart. Oh yes—a Karate tournament comprises both Kata and Kumite, both of which are an absolute necessity in your progress. Win or lose, it is never a waste of time.