Smith’s “Ultimate Force” rocks Fitzgerald field house

The Fitzgerald Field House was rocked by Master Curtis Smith’s Ultimate Force 2007 Martial… The Fitzgerald Field House was rocked by Master Curtis Smith’s Ultimate Force 2007 Martial Arts Championship yesterday morning.

The tournament featured competition in a variety of martial arts styles and attracted participants from Pitt and the Pittsburgh area.

In each division, trophies were given for first through third place winners and medals were granted for fourth through sixth place.

Pitt freshman David Tringali took home three first-place trophies in the weapons kata, empty-hand kata and sparring events.

Fueled by his passion for martial arts, Smith created the event to provide an experience for his students that could not be achieved through the mere instruction of technique.

Smith hoped to “give an experience to the students of what it’s like being out there in front of people, in front of a crowd,” he said.

Smith, who is also a Pitt police officer, believes facing an audience and a panel of judges is a vital part of a martial artist’s training.

“That rush, that feeling of accomplishment is very important,” Smith said.

With viewers watching from the stands, participants competed in events ranging from breaking and grappling, to “kata” and weapons fighting. The assortment of events allowed for a more diversified competition.

Smith said the competition constituted a typical assortment of events normally seen in the world of martial arts.

The events were soon underway after Smith addressed the crowd and led them in the Pledge of Allegiance.

All of the approximately 150 competitors bowed to demonstrate their honor and respect before the events began.

The floor of the field house was divided into different sections. This allowed for several different events to occur simultaneously within the different rings.

Grappling was one of the most popular events of the day. Grappling is similar to wrestling but also involves joint locks and submissions.

The exercise is related to the martial arts field of Jujitsu. While trying to gain control of their opponents, many competitors, who wore “gis,” the typical clothing of a martial artist, found their outfits in shambles by the end of the match.

Board breaking, a typical martial arts event, was also featured at the tournament. To Smith, the event was a necessary component.

“Breaking is what made karate famous,” Smith said.

Participants broke either one or two layers of wooden boards using kicks, elbow strikes and of course, the karate chop.

In the martial arts community, the “karate chop” is formally known as a “shuto” strike.

Sparring matches involved two competitors facing off before several judges. Fighters scored points by striking opponents with kicks, punches or any of the martial artist’s acquired techniques.

Sparring is associated with the “karate-do” style of martial arts because of its emphasis on basic punching, kicking and blocking.

Students from many different martial arts schools attended the event and many styles of martial arts were represented.

The “kata,” which features a single martial artist performing a series of moves, revealed the diversity of styles that the martial artists exhibited.

Some katas were performed empty-handed while others included the use of weapons.

Arsenio Manalo, a competitor in the adult kata division, commented on the tournament and its wide variety of styles and events.

“The tournament welcomes every style – there’s a lot of variety. You get exposed to a lot of the styles that are out there,” Manalo said.

Weapon use was not limited to the katas. In the self-defense event, pairs of martial artists demonstrated their abilities to perform throws and subdue an attacking opponent. In many cases, the attacker was armed.

The judges critiqued the martial artists’ performances based on technicalities such as speed, power, focus and style.

The judging panel was composed primarily of black belts who had had experience judging events.

Competitors were separated into divisions based on their age, gender and experience level. The divisions kept the matches balanced and the competition fair.

Though the event centered on the aspect of competition, the tournament brought other values to its participants.

Dean Kelley, a judge for the kata, sparring and breaking events, said the tournament brings “camaraderie between martial artists” and gives confidence to children who compete in the events.

“There was good competition and I had a good time. There were definitely some really skilled people who showed up,” Tringali said.

The “Ultimate Force” tournament series evolved from earlier competitions and martial arts expos’eacute;s conducted by Smith.

While martial arts remained the theme of these events, the competitions emphasized fitness on a larger scale and included events such as weightlifting and even arm wrestling, Smith said.

In 1990, Smith coined the “Ultimate Force” title. The now-annual event has been hosted by Pitt ever since.