The Importance of being a Certified Judge or Referee

If you have been to as many tournaments as I have (which btw isn't as many as most) you know that the one thing that can grind the whole tournament to a screeching stop are no judges and or referee's.  But judges and referees are not those who decided to be one five minutes before there first tournament. Quality judges and Referees are hard to come by. 

Imagine the person judging your match have no idea what they are doing?  And then they declare you the looser? How would you feel knowing that the judge is someone who just got pulled out in the audience?  And what if you we're declared the winner.  You know your victory is hallow since its from an inexperienced and unqualified official. 

Any organization whose worth their salt must create programs to train and certify quality officials. And GSBA USA Director Master Steve Del Castillo from Doce Pares Mt. Sac is hosting these certification. And I STRONGLY encourage any school sending any fighter to go to these certification course. That's the only way we can keep the game honest. 

I wonder if the "other" group is doing that? 

The real opponent

We all have it, our very own pre fight ritual. What ever we all need to be able to get us to the place where the warrior meets the ring. But when you prepare yourself I encourage you to consider what or who are your preparing for.  I know there isn't anyway for your to know who you would be facing in the ring at least not till they call your name.  

Sometimes your biggest opponent isn't the guy in front of you. It's that person inside of you that ones that wants to quit in the middle of the third round and your hurting all over and you just don't have any more gas in the tank. That same voice that's get louder and louder as you get tireder and tireder. When you ask yourself is this last mile worth it. Is 99% good enough? 

That's when you find the warrior in you. It is when you say to that voice, I will not be mediocre, I will not settle for good enough and if I go down, then let me go down swinging.