Kyokushin competition lessons from the 33rd American International Karate Championships.
At the judges’ meeting before the tournament, Shihan Jerry Poe said something that stuck with me: “I like to say, we win or we learn. There are no losers” It’s a simple line, but I think it captures the spirit of Kyokushin competition perfectly.
We were at the 33rd American International Karate Championships this past weekend. My student, Claudio Rodriguez, competed for the third year in a row. His journey through this event has been steady and disciplined. The first year, he earned 2nd in Kata and 2nd in Semi-Contact. Last year he narrowly missed 2nd place in kata—just a tenth of a point—and finished 3rd, but then went on to win 1st place in Semi-Contact, taking both the semi-final and final rounds by Awasete Ippon (two waza-ari adding up to an ippon). Not long after, he graded to 2nd kyu, and then to 1st kyu this past April.
After that, we decided it was time for knockdown. So we made plans for him to compete at the 5th American Full Contact Championship in Las Vegas this past August. As luck would have it, he received a bye—but then drew Sebastian Bonislawski from Shihan Leslaw Samitowski’s Chicago Kyokushin Kanku Dojo for his first fight. Sebastian is arguably the top knockdown fighter in the United States right now.
Everyone has their first knockdown fight, and it’s always an eye-opening experience. Getting your first knockdown fight against the top fighter in the country is just a bonus. It was a tough match, and Sebastian clearly earned the decision after the first round. Still, Claudio moved well, frustrated several of Sebastian’s setups, and—most importantly—got that first knockdown fight under his belt.
I learned a long time ago to treat tournaments as training evolutions: a way to test yourself against a resisting opponent, to face fear honestly, and to overcome it. Claudio did exactly that. He went on to dominate his next round, defeating Timothy Le from the Hioki Dojo—a tough World Oyama fighter out of Phoenix—by decision after the first round.
Which brings us to the 33rd AIKC.
This year, for the first time, the tournament offered an IFK Kata Division. One of the major differences from Open Kata is that in the first round of IFK Kata, the judges choose your kata from a list. If you advance, then the second round allows you to choose your own kata—again from the approved list. The division was limited to USA-IFK members.
As it turned out, none of the other brown belts entered, choosing to focus on Open Kata instead. So Claudio—still a 1st kyu—was moved up to compete in the Black Belt Division. I told him to treat it as practice and do his best. Fortunately, the judges selected Gekisai-Dai, a kata we had worked extensively as a backup in case a tie occurred in the Open Division. In the second round he performed Tsuki no Kata. Competing against black belts, placing 4th was no surprise, and no disappointment. It was exactly the practice we wanted.
In the Open Kata Division against other brown belts, he performed Tsuki no Kata again—and this time took 1st place decisively.
Next was knockdown, and talk about luck of the draw—he drew Sebastian again. We knew he was there, and we knew this match could happen in either the semi-final or final depending on the chart. As I’ve said, Sebastian is likely the top knockdown fighter in the U.S. this year. He won the 7th United States International Kyokushin Championships in Atlantic City back in February, and the 5th American Full Contact Championship in August.
I told Claudio, “If you want to be the best, you have to compete with the best. We win or we learn—there is no way to lose.”
Their fight was one of the best of the entire tournament. (Yes, I know I’m biased—but others said the same.) They fought non-stop for two full rounds, and neither managed to score.
At the end, the judges once again made the decision for Sebastian, and had I been judging, I would have made the same call. It’s obvious that Sebastian has worked hard to reach this level and it shows.
And yet, I was completely happy.
Some may wonder why. The reason is simple: my fighter went toe-to-toe with the best knockdown fighter in the United States for two rounds and held his own. He didn’t win—but he absolutely did not lose, either. What he did was show everyone watching that he has enormous potential. As he gains more experience, he is going to be a force to be reckoned with. I couldn’t be more proud of him.
Both times he has fought Sebastian, we have come away with something new to focus on in training. That, ultimately, is why we compete: to learn, to improve, and to move toward our true potential. Which reminds me of something else. We should always show gratitude to those we strive against—they show us where we are, and help us move forward along the path.
Moving on: as Claudio and I stood watching the other semi-final between a Kyokushin fighter and a tough Muay Thai opponent, the Kyokushin fighter appeared to be winning as the second round progressed. Near the end, I told Claudio he was likely to face the Muay Thai fighter for third place. Then, out of nowhere, the Muay Thai fighter landed a head kick and knocked his opponent out cold.
I looked at Claudio and reminded him, “That’s why you fight hard to the end and protect yourself at all times.” It’s part of the nature of combat sports. Even when you think you’re winning, it only takes a single moment for everything to change.
Because the Kyokushin fighter was knocked out, Claudio had no opponent for third place. Being Kyokushin, it’s no surprise to me when I heard that the fighter who had been knocked out wanted to fight again, but the medical team overruled him. The Muay Thai fighter decided to withdraw. Who knows why? Perhaps after watching Claudio and Sebastian fight two nonstop rounds, he decided he wanted no part of Sebastian? We’ll never know. He didn’t even show up to accept his 2nd place trophy.
That’s quite a difference when you think about it. The Kyokushin fighter, in spite of the knockout, wanted to continue. Osu no seishin at it’s finest.
Later, after the knockdown divisions were completed and while we waited for trophy presentations, I said to Sebastian, “You and Claudio have something in common you know.” He looked puzzled. I told him, “You’re both disappointed you didn’t get to fight again.”
He laughed and agreed. And I said, “That’s how you know the real fighters.”
Osu!
Want more Kyokushin reflections and training insights sent straight to your inbox?
If you’ve enjoyed this post, feel free to subscribe below. You’ll receive new Kyokushin articles, reflections, and training insights as they’re published. No spam — just good karate. Osu!
Connect with me:
Follow Kyokushin Karate Blog on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
Be sure to visit Kyokushinkai Karate, our Facebook group — one of the largest and most dedicated Kyokushin communities online.
Learn more about Bill Stewart and Texas Kyokushin Karate, where we continue the Kyokushin tradition in Texas.
