Area kids gather for long day of competition at Hollister
martial arts tournament
From ages 4 to 46, they came to the KJBANA Tournament.
From Nevada to Oregon, they came to participate in a sport well off most people’s radar screen.
They came to Sacred Heart Gym Saturday to compete in the ancient sport of Chinese kempo, a form of martial arts which involves kicking and open-handed boxing.
“Not a whole lot of people even know what it is,” said 13-year-old Jacque Mink of Hollister. “But it’s really, really fun.”
Keep in mind Mink had just been accidentally punched in the lip minutes earlier.
“Yeah it can be a little hurtful sometimes,” she added.
One adult ended up with a black eye, but the 65 competitors – mostly kids – were practically covered from head-to-toe with protective gear.
A local team composed of around 20 people from Gilroy, Morgan Hill and Hollister competed against visitors from Sunnyvale, Reno and Salem, Ore. The sparring started early in the morning and went on for several hours.
For those age 9 and younger, the match’s three rounds lasted 30 seconds each. For those age 10 and older, the rounds went a minute a piece.
Matches were contested on four mats and all times and were judged by parents volunteers.
“It’s pretty unique like that,” said Alfredo Bandalan, an instructor and 42-year veteran of martial arts. “Our sport gets parents directly involved.”
After the sparring competition, a contest was held to determine which fighter had the best kata, another name for their memorized forms and moves. A few black belts also wowed the crowd with their advanced katas.
The competition lasted nearly eight hours.
But the tournament and the sport seemed to get nothing but positive reviews from the participants and the 100 or so spectators at the double-elimination tournament, which was sponsored by the American Self-Defense Academy of Gilroy.
“It takes a lot of discipline and respect,” said 10-year-old Morgan Hill native David Salah, one of around 20 local kids at the event. “You learn a lot about those two things.”
Salah has been lucky enough to learn from Bandalan, well-known in the martial arts community for his instructional academies all over the world.
At the Bandalan Docebares in Gilroy, the 65-year-old grandmaster has trained eight world champions.
He said one of his most rewarding achievements, though, is the work he does with his youngest students.
“There’s no discipline in the schools anymore,” Bandalan said. “So we let the young kids have fun, but we also make sure to instill discipline that they can use at home and at school.
“What we stress most is making sure these kids grow up to be an asset to their community.”
San Martin-native Mark Daniels, one of about a dozen adults who fought in the tourney, said his sport provides plenty of tools to achieve just that.
“Not only discipline, but purpose, perseverance and a positive attitude,” said Daniels, an instructor for two decades.
“I know parents might shy away from it because of its violent nature, but it’s really more than that.”
Kim Casillas admitted she had her doubts after taking her son, Payton, to his first practice three years ago.
“A kid got knocked out right after we got there,” the Hollister-native recalled. “It scared me to death.”
Both Casillas and her husband, Jim, were adamantly against fighting, but thought the sport would provide discipline to their 5-year-old son.
“And it has,” Jim Casillas said.
Payton, now 8, is even teaching the beginner Lil’ Dragons as part of his belt-to-belt promotion.
“When he started out, he couldn’t read and I was helping him out with a lot of stuff,” Jim Casillas said. “Now he’s teaching me.”
