CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — We've been following the students and instructors at Tiger Rock Martial Arts for weeks as 50 students went to the super season 38 World Championship in San Antonio.
Most of them finished in top spots.
"It became very static," said Chief Instructor Israel Martinez in describing the tournament season in 2020.
Martinez says missing out on the World Championships for Tiger Rock Martial Arts in 2020 because of COVID-19 was hard for students and instructors.
“We just competed against the same people over and over again most of the time with our competitors from the same school," Martinez said.
So, when it was announced the 2021 World Championships were taking place here in Texas, students were excited and ready to compete.
Like Adrian Martinez, a black belt.
“I was definitely more excited to go back into it and see if it was the same experience and I’d say it was a little bit better,” he says.
Fifty students were able to participate in the San Antonio competition that wrapped up on Sunday.
The tournament included some changes, like a new type of sparring and a ninja warrior course.
“All of that kind of clashing together made for a really exciting, chaotic but it still a really good time,” Israle Martinez said.
Martinez says it was a great experience, igniting the competitive spirit in his students once again.
Black belt Adrian Martinez wears his medals around his neck. He's competed in the sport for six years.
“This one was for the sparring competition I got first place in, and this one was for the forms competition," he said.
Now that Martinez and his students are back in the Coastal Bend they will continue training for their regional competition in November.
