I want to host a local grappling tournament and do not know what I need to do to get started. Please help!!?

I am a mixed martial artist and want to host a local grappling tournament. Something like NAGA or Grappler's quest but smaller. I don not know what I need to do in terms of approval from thre state, renting space, insurance, safety, etc. I was hoping someone out there may know and be willing to help me get started. I would really appreciate the help.

I want to host a local grappling tournament and do not know what I need to do to get started. Please help!!?
Well one question is by local do you mean just the grapplers from your area? If so that makes things a lot easier.





Truthfully, you can organize a local event through your school, and just use the same insurance policy. Simply have the competetors sign waivers just like you and your fellow students do.





Next, mat space. A lot of high schools are good for this, not to mention have wrestling mats that you can use. Talk to your local high school athletics departments, invite some of their wrestlers to compete, offer some free classes for some of their wrestlers as a means of helping them be more effective.





You work the right angle and you can get most High school coaches to chip in, then you have a location, mats, and a facility.





I am not sure too many churches would be down for a grappling tournament, especially when they start asking exactly what it is.





Next pick a rule set that is already out there, you mentioned NAGA, they have a great grappling rule set. See if you can find out anything about getting some NAGA refs. Most guys will be down to ref your event if you are willing to pay for their travel expenses.





Honestly you can have amateur refs, but you risk a whole lot more injury then if you have someone inexperienced reffing.





Safety is really in the hands of your refs, and ensuring you have the proper facilities and mats.





Honestly hosting tournaments are rough. A local tournament isn't as bad, but you are still going to have to come out of pocket a good bit to ensure things are safe.





You can try to work with other grappling coaches and work out a point system, and reffing amongst each other. While you risk some slight favoritism, most people can be professional enough to still score fairly regardless of it being their fighter or not.





Brackets, and all that stuff are easy enough to figure out how to do on your own. There are a ton of PDFs and the like out there on the net that can help you organize that portion of it.





Easiest for organization is following another organizations rules, divisions, and point system. NAGAs weight divisions are good, their point system solid, and their breakdown of Novice Intermediate and Advanced are great as well.





A lot of really depends on how many competetors you can actually get. Find out the interest in your area, work with high school wrestling teams. Offer them the opportunity to make money by selling concessions at your event. Get your local news and paper involved, work with local radio stations. You can get a lot of free press just by getting out there and talking with people.





The better you know your local scene the better off you can be.





Message me if you want to bounce any thoughts of me, I have hosted State Judo tournaments, and been a part of many different organizations hosting different types of athletic events.





Hope that is of some help man, Good luck and feel free to message me if I can be of any further help.
Reply:Local events don't usually need approval from the state. MMA events (like UFC, for instance) need the same certification as any boxing match, so check into your state's boxing commission. (VA doesn't require TKD tournaments to be registered at all.)





As for space - schools work, but you need to go through a hill of red tape. Try your local Y, or other gymnasium. Even some churches will allow this type of event with enough insurance.





As for insurance, talk to the same company you have your school insured through.





As for safety, what do you normally use in your classes? Start there.





Hope this helps!
Reply:Check with your state athletic commission and see what they allow and require. Also inquire if anyone else in that state has held one? If it is just a local type tournament and grappling only you may find that all you need is liability insurance to cover the event. Many states recognize AAU Judo events which have similar type rules (grappling, throws, chokes-at the black belt level). While most states have wrestling and judo tournaments they also have certified referees. When you call them be prepared, have a copy of proposed rules, weight classes, etc. handy. Many of these people don't have martial arts backgrounds so you need to be ready to answer their questions and even offer to send them a copy. Get a copy of someone else's rules and weight classes to use as a framework for your own and go from there.





When you start to talk about submission type holds, chokes, and using knees, elbows, and/or punching and striking while a person is down is where they really start to have some concerns. There are certain holds that are not allowed in wrestling tournaments or at the high school level that are allowed at the college level and some states have very strict requirements concerning all of this.
Reply:Yeah you need a promoters license with the state. I think in California you need a $1,000 bond to do an amatuer show. Just make sure you put on a good safe show. If you are doing kids matches, it would be good if you asked for birth certificate verification to stop some of the cheating that goes on. I can tell you as a parent it is a bad experience when your kid is matched up with another kid 3 years old sometimes because they lie and other times because the promoters just don't care.

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