25th January, the annual Stora Höga Open was held. This is – unlike most of the rapports we read, a tournament adjusted and organized for the width and not the elite. A great “first time” tournament, building the new generation of full contact fighters – but also for fighters with some more experience. The tournament system are very good, since it gives junior fighters more than one fight, even if they should loose in the first fight. 209 fighters from three nations, Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

Stora Höga Kyokushin Karate, with Niklas Ballay Sensei and his team run things really smoothly organizing this event. Three tatamis with almost no break trough the day, starting with the youngest fighters, all the fights and also the prize ceremony – before it all are being repeated – but now in a higher age category.

With the match system as mention, this tournament, and tournaments like this, are very important and necessary as a tool to prepare juniors, and specially first timers to enter tournaments. It don’d have to have a fancy name or tittle if one manage to get the most important thing – the right feeling. The atmosphere are really great, that gives us a relaxed setting – even so that the day are quite intensive.

The tournament does also have adult categories, with semi-contact and traditional full-contact rules. Also here it is very well suited for novice and fighters with limited experience, but one can see from one time to another that more experienced fighters sometimes enters as well. With this setup, one can take the “whole Dojo” on a trip to the one and same tournament, and it could easy work as a kickoff as well, since it always are being held early in the year.