Competition for martial arts students can range from inter-school events to world tournaments. Events often include:

• Patterns — A choreographed routine of martial arts techniques which resemble real combat. In competitions, routines are judged on energy, precision, speed and control.

• Sparring — A type of training through free-form fighting. In competitions, students may participate in point-sparring where the action is stopped at each perceived point, or continuous sparring where each judge tallies the points as the fight continues for a specified time.

• Breaking — An event in which the competitor breaks one or more objects with a hand or foot. In competition, technique and difficulty are weighted.

• Weapons — Students demonstrate their proficiency with the weapon by performing a pattern. Energy, precision, speed and control are again weighed.