Premiered in 1979 as the First Annual West Coast Can-Am Championships, this tournament has developed into one of the most prestigious and longest-running annual tournaments in Canada, as it enters the 31^st year in 2010.

The goal of this event remained the same throughout the 31 years, to provide a safe, fair and fun competition event for Martial Artists of all styles. The Can-Am is known for its quality 5 ft and 6 ft trophy awards for both forms and fighting competitions, as well as handsome awards for judging officials.

Over the years, many world-famous Martial Artists from all styles such as Karate, Kung Fu, Wushu, Taekwondo, Hapkido, Tang Soo Do, Tai Chi, Jiu-Jitsu, Kenpo, have competed and performed in the Can-Am.  The Can-Am has indeed become a showcase of Martial Arts.

There are over 700 divisions to compete in, such as hand forms (Kata/Pattern), weapons forms, Karate Style point-fighting, Continuous Fighting, Sanshou fighting, Pankration, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Each category is further divided by gender, age, and ranking.

In this year’s 31^st Annual, we are again anticipating top competitors coming from China, the United States, and other parts of the world, and of course, our own excellent Martial Artists of Canada. To more accurately reflect the international level of competition, this tournament will soon be renamed “The International Can-Am Championships”. This historic name change will be announced in the 31^st Annual Awards Banquet, to mark the official entry of this quality event into the international arena.

2009 Western Canadian Martial Arts Championships

October is coming soon and that means its time for the 2009 Western Canadian Martial Arts Championships. Its a great place to several different disciplines of martial arts, different classes and different age groups all together at one place. I attended last year’s event and blogged it, since a fellow martial artist and occasional sparring partner, Adam Blanchette, competed in kickboxing.

This year promises an exiting tournament with two days of action with new and expanded divisions in Karate, Kung Fu, Grappling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Modified Muay Thai. Dont forget that besides fighting or just watching, this is a community event that needs volunteers for setup, registration tables, timekeeping and other tasks. Volunteering gets you the best seats in the house and a sweet T-shirt if you register before October 9th.

There is also the event Facebook page.

See you there!

MORE INFO Here: http://www.mantiskungfu.com/TigerBalmInternationals.htm

HOST TOURNAMENT FOR THE 2009 CANADIAN ISJA SPORT JUJITSU CHAMPIONSHIPS

SEE: Karate vs Kung Fu vs Tae Kwon Do vs Kenpo vs Jujitsu vs Kickboxing
See black belt contact fighting, including throws, and ground fighting
submission holds with the best competing for ISJA Canadian Sport Jujitsu
Championship gold medals.

NINE SPARRING CATEGORIES

SKIL point fighting, SKIL & WKC continuous sparring, Sport Jujitsu, padded weapons sparring,
San Shou fighting, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Free Style Grappling & Modified Pankration.

LOCATION:
Capilano College Sportsplex 2055 Purcell Way, North Vancouver, B.C., Canada

WORLD MARTIAL ART GAMES:
The Tiger Balm Internationals is a W.O.M.A.A. sanctioned, qualifying event to help pick members for TEAM CANADA for The W.O.M.A.A. World Martial Games.

SAFETY EQUIPMENT IS MANDATORY:
Includes: Hand/foot pads, mouthpiece, and headgear. Protective equipment will be available for sale on site. Gloves will be provided for the WKC Continuous, and Sanshu sparring divisions.

NINE SPARRING CATEGORIES:
SKIL point sparring, SKIL & WKC continuous sparring, Sport Jujitsu, padded weapons sparring, Sanshu sparring, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Free Style Grappling, and Modified Pankration.

PADDED WEAPON’S POINT FIGHTING:

Padded weapon’s point sparring combatants are required to have the following:
Martial arts uniform, mouthpiece, athletic cup (male combatants), fingernails and toenails trimmed, and protective hand pads. Recommended equipment: Knee and shin pads (optional but highly recommended), shoes (non-marking soles), elbow pads (optional but highly recommended), and any safety pads a combatant feels are necessary to prevent injury without restriction of motion.

Supplied equipment by the event:
Weapon of choice (tomfa, nunchucks, three section staff, katana, staff, and arnis sticks), headgear (re-enforced steel wire cages and full faced head), and chest protectors.

MORE INFO Here: http://www.mantiskungfu.com/TigerBalmInternationals.htm