36th Taekwondo National Championship 2009

The following series of photos are shot at the recently concluded TKD National Championship. It’s been awhile since I last went for a competition and it felt great being in an arena packed with young TKD exponents battling it out with one another.

Bring back good ol memories of how crazy it was in college when every free time the few of us have was spend at the Squash court where it was quiet and deserted except for the few love birds hiding in the dark corners making out. Those of you who studied there would definitely know which college i’m talking about.

Anyway, this is not about my story but a post sharing photos shot at that championship. One thing I notice from the fights is that most of these fighters are just looking for quick ways to score points, no longer I see two fighters battling it out with full force trying to fell the opponent. I know my friends and I was like that when we took part in tournaments, points is secondary, main priority is to make sure we move on to the next stage and our opponents are out for the count.

Some of these fighters are vying for a spot in the upcoming Sea Games in Laos and some in next year’s Youth Olympic Games that’ll be held in Singapore. Looking at the scenario in this tournament, I don’t think these kids will stand a chance against competitors from other countries that was more well trained in competition fighting.

Well, more photos from the fight can be viewed here on my flickr. Do feel free to drop a comment or two about the photos and if you are a TKD exponent, when was the last time you took part in a tournament?

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passerby

hi, your photos are splendid!

what was the settings you had across most photos, and more importantly, how did appear at the right places for the best shots? i was there too, but sadly, most of my photos were blocked by the ref.

Sep 16, 2009 @ 11:31 pm

Michael Yip

@Passerby: If you know the game well enough and once you’ve studied the movement of the refs and competitors well enough, you’d roughly know where to go and when to take the photos.

Sep 17, 2009 @ 8:15 am

ahbing

That’s indoor right? How can your photos look so awesome? You’re at another level man.. haha.
ahbing´s latest blog ..Surprises at Green Tea Garden Restaurant

Sep 19, 2009 @ 12:04 am

well said.

you sound like a highly-skilled exponent. great to have met you (or rather, found your website).

care to share a few tips?

Sep 19, 2009 @ 12:09 am

@ahbing: I’m just a noob ler.

@passerby: LOL, i’m not a skilled fighter, i just enjoy sports. after awhile, you’ll roughly know what to expect from each tournament. Like going for competitions, always do research first and from there, it’ll be all smooth sailing.

Sep 19, 2009 @ 7:35 am

interesting.

thanks for the pointers. but what do you mean by “do research”? do you mean go see how other people would take shots at similar events? or read books or something?

Sep 19, 2009 @ 8:01 am

@Passerby: do research as in find out what is happening or who’s competing and what’s their style. That way, if you are focused on shooting a certain main subject, you are able to roughly gauge what to expect from that person. It works similar for events, people and objects. On that day, prior research was made when we made contact with the organizer so we know where to place the video camera and where to position ourselves for the best shots for tv and for my photos.

Sep 19, 2009 @ 8:22 am

Wow, that’s surely an insight to note! Thanks for sharing so willingly. Ever considered covering Taekwondo competitions for Redsports?

Personally, I feel there’s a lack of the limelight shining on them. What’s your take?

Sep 20, 2009 @ 12:17 am

@passerby: well, we can always look into it. As long as it doesn’t clash with my day job. LOL

Sep 20, 2009 @ 10:02 am

will let you know if i know of any upcoming ones. anw, nice meeting you.

Sep 20, 2009 @ 2:47 pm