At taekwondo, after our usual exercises, we spar. There is this guy that is like fat and twice my size in my class and Im only a teenager. Everytime I spar against him, he hits me soo hard and the whole point of sparring in our taekwondo class is to get used to it and not to actually hurt the person u are sparring against. What should I do. I definitely dont want to tell my teacher that I dont want to spar against him. (its what my mom suggested.) So yeah I really need ur help in this situation. How do I stop him from like beating me up in taekwondo?
2007-06-21 08:59:59 · 26 answers · asked by little s 2 in Sports ➔ Martial Arts
Give him a nice swift "accidental" kick below the belt everytime he hits you hard, he will learn his lesson really quick.
2007-06-25 07:30:28 · answer #1 · answered by Chris 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pretty lame that your instructor or an experienced student isn't supervising this. I agree that you should push yourself in sparring and "just deal" with him and fight back. This could be the exact scenario that you would have to deal with in a self defense type of situation. However, there are different types of sparring and different reasons for people to take martial arts. If you feel that this student goes too hard against you and you cannot learn anything from it your should simply explain this to your teacher. Maybe phrase it in a way that is different than "I don't want to practice with him", tell your teacher why this doesn't suit your training needs.
Another way is to "meet his pace", by that I mean hit him really hard. I know it sounds weird and maybe disrespectful but it works. When I train/spar with another student, no matter what their rank, I always try to train to their level. If another black belt wants to throw down, I'm in. If a blue belt is just getting used to squaring off I try to help teach. Now if I do this and the blue belt wants to swing away, well he does so at his own risk. Sometimes you can only get your point across by beating someone in the head.
2007-06-21 19:38:19 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Talk to your instructor and clue him in on what is going on. Even in sparring in a martial arts class there are rules and standards of behavior and what is allowable contact. It is also laid out in his insurance coverage and any claims push his premiums up. Also if this fat cat is doing it to you he is probably doing it to others and it is only a matter of time before he hurts someone or your instructor loses a few students.
In a good school with good instructors a tough student proves himself with other tough type students under the instructor's watchful supervision and not with students half their size or beginners. Larger students are made to realize that their greater size, weight, and strength behind techniques when landing on a lighter, smaller opponent have more impact and can cause more injury than to a opponent their own size. So talk to your instructor first and the person that is doing this second on the chance he does not realize it. Once that is done and if it continues I would take my business elsewhere. Your instructor will eventually figure it out after he loses a few more students.
2007-06-22 00:18:00 · answer #3 · answered by samuraiwarrior_98 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am still a teacher and have a black belt in tkd though I teach mainly Shotokan but I do mix it up with kenpo and tkd.
If you are seeing that this guy has a lack of conrol and its hurting you then there are a few things you could do without having to stop sparing him, which you should continue to do if possible for you learn best from someone better than you are usually.
First you could ask the other person to not go as hard for he may not realize his own strength against you and does not mean to harm you. Tell him and see how he responds, if you are classmates I am sure you can talk to him.
second choice is to talk to your teacher and tell him just what you told us, you do not want to stop sparing him but you feel its a bit too hard for you to handle and not the level where you can tolerate and build up on it.
third option is ask if you can wear more protective gear, chest protection, face, shins, etc. Every school has is policies for sparring and most require safety equipment but chest equipment is not standard for men unless it is full contact but you can use them and they do help, they make differant size ones and look for one that wont be too cumbersome.
last choice is your moms, don't spar with him but it is not the option i would choose first. I would try one of the three above first.
good luck
2007-06-21 18:06:26 · answer #4 · answered by Legend Gates Shotokan Karate 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Communicate with the guy. Tell him to go a touch easier on you. Unless he's a jerk and doing it on purpose, he probably does not know he's sparing too hard. In sparring you should only hit as hard as you'd like to be hit. So make sure your not hitting him too hard either. I sparred with a guy one time and he was a beginner, we were going through blocks. I went pretty light on him at first and then gradually put more pressure on him. A few turns later I noticed he was punching pretty hard and I told him to take it easy. He said some smart-*** remark and lightened up for a minute. When I felt him starting to throw a bit too hard I blocked him with a slightly hard phoenix-eye (basic fist with pointer knuckle out) punch to his side of wrist. He got the idea.
2007-06-21 17:05:11 · answer #5 · answered by Riyach 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
taekwondo should be a safe and enjoyable pastime for everyone involved (students and instructors alike) i agree with jetmech in that you really ought to have a discrete word with your teacher. i am sure the student does not know his own strength-and if this is the case then he will be happy to tone it down a little-if on the other hand he is a bully then he has no place in martial arts and you would be doing your fellow students a favour-i certainly would not allow it in my club. as an instructor i have to wean the student into sparring gently-i do not allow contact before green belt (6th gup) then it is moderate contact up to blue belt (4th gup). with full contact only allowable to adult students of red tag and over (3rd gup) and only then when the students are correctly matched. if you have to spar with him again then you have speed on your side-so use it keep on the move if he is fatter and bigger than you it will tire him out-you don't have to hit him yet-wait until you tire him out first-then keep your distance nip in and sting him then back out quick-go for the ribs and thighs-but the most important thing is "get in hit him and get out again-fast!!!. good luck
2007-06-21 17:41:49 · answer #6 · answered by tony c 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As a TKD school owner and instructor, I can tell you that I'm surprised your instructor has not noticed this. An instructor needs to be aware of his/her students' actions at all, especially during sparring. That student should not be allowed to hit as hard as he is apparently doing so -- sparring is not about brute force. It is about strategy and control. If he is pounding his opponents, to the point of bruising and injury, then your instructor needs to know. NOW. Because if this student ever seriously injures someone else, either in your school or at a tournament, your instructor will be ultimately responsible.
That being said, talk to your instructor! And if your instructor does nothing, either look for a new school or follow the unspoken rule for sparring: your opponent sets the level of contact, so if your opponent hits you lightly, you hit back lightly, and if he hits you hard, you hit him back just as hard.
Good luck!
2007-06-21 16:36:07 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 1⤋
Well being a former TKD instructor, I would let your instructor know. It isn't being a tattle tale or a wimp it is a matter of possibly preventing a serious injury. There is no reason to get hurt in a sparring session.
2007-06-21 16:06:05 · answer #8 · answered by JetMech 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Try a quick word directly with your portly sparring partner. "Lighten up, please; you're injuring me." It must be delivered clearly, assertively, and with no apology or discussion. Then get right back to kicking. And use your matches with this fellow as an opportunity to practice evasive maneuvers to avoid getting hit. Don't block; get out of the way. (Easier said than done, I realize.) The next step is to speak with your instructor, who should realize this kind of thing puts students at risk of injury. Every student should be able to spar with good control.
2007-06-21 16:20:47 · answer #9 · answered by goodiryu 1 · 2⤊ 1⤋
talk to your instructor! And if your instructor does nothing, either look for a new school or follow the unspoken rule for sparring: your opponent sets the level of contact, so if your opponent hits you lightly, you hit back lightly, and if he hits you hard, you hit him back just as hard.
2007-06-24 16:29:42 · answer #10 · answered by timberrattler818 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the same thing happened to me i really dont like sparring it is a waste of time anyway cause it is supposed to teach you how to fight and half the people i spar dont fight they flail not only that is non contact so its teaching you to pull a punch and the blar blar there are so many things i dont like about sparring dont get me started
2007-06-22 05:11:50 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋