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I have a problem when I'm sparring.
When I spar, it feels like all the training I did is going down the drain. I feel like I'm not using too much of what I learned and feel like just getting hit or running in and blindly punching some one.
How can I actually get good?
It really frustrates me when I'm sparring because the time I've spent training feels useless.
Help me!

2007-07-27 20:35:29 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Sports Martial Arts

Wow... All of these answers are great.
I don't know who to choose so I'll let you guys vote and decide.

2007-07-28 07:01:23 · update #1

8 answers

Wolverine there had some very good points and there are different levels of sparring. So here are some training tips and drills I use with my students.

1. One fighter fights only defensively and only blocks and counter attacks while the other fights offensively and attacks. (You have to be careful that the offensive fighter does not become like a machine gun and just constantly attack though). You then have them switch. This way each gets to work on either their offensive skills or defensive skills and develop them better than when everything is just open.

2. Fighters fight kicking or hands only-not both. This way each opponent has to only consider things like strategy, defense, combinations and offense from one aspect at a time.

3. Half-speed sparring. Both fighters throw all techniques and blocks and move at half speed and no sweeps are allowed and no score is kept. This way a fighter does not have to worry about getting scored on or "being made to pay" if he makes a mistake or bad decision. It also allowes for fighters to think a little more and as they gain expereince they then can then speed it up with their reactions and thinking.

4. Prediction-You sit and while watching others fight pay attention to how they move, shift their balance to throw certain techniques and combinations and then try to predict it in your mind what they are going to do or throw before they actually do it. As you get better at this with a wider variety of fighters you become better able to read what your opponent does before he actally does it.

Fighting is 80% mental and 20% physical although it takes time to realize this and acquire some experience. Also fighting is very fluid and dynamic and some of the techniques and aspects that you learn in martial arts are not applied as straight forward as others when actually fighting. Many have their foundation in those traditional aspects but may not always be applied exactly the same way as when actually fighting.

2007-07-28 11:01:53 · answer #1 · answered by samuraiwarrior_98 7 · 0 0

No one expects you too be good at the start, once you start sparing and later when you go into tournaments you realize that most of your technique goes out the window under pressure, this is why people have to spar and enter tournaments so at least you are trying

start off slowly, maby pick one or two things to practice at the start, and the main thing is you note down how the other person gets you, what do they do, do they fake, do they wait untill you punch and then intercept it??? then once you know just copy what they do and do it to everyone and see if you can get them

sometimes getting hit will get you more experience when hitting back so focus on a few things at a time and they will become automatic in no time, no one sayed it was going to be easy but if you commit yourself to practice and start to think more about what your doing and not worry about getting hit then you will progress and soon you will be the one controlling your fights

2007-07-28 03:05:05 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Everything flows off a good jab. When you spar, practice staying on the outside and keeping you opponent on the end of your jab. Make the choice to spend a few months learning how to jab. It's much more than just flicking a couple of jabs and following with a right hand. The jab is first and formost a means of disrupting the attack of your opponent, meet his rush with a good jab and laterel movement.

Do nothing for a couple months but practice the defensive aspects of the jab in concert with your movement. The fluidity of movement, is the key. You must be in shape, and your legs got to be solid, because the key to controling the pace of a match with the jab is movement.

Eventually you will feel the right time to build off the jab and follow with crosses, hooks and the hard stuff. Not everyone can KO guys with one shot, I always had to break people down, I never really had one punch power. The trick is to decide going in not to hurry, not to rush in and try for an early ending. Once you commit to this type of style, you lose that sense of urgency that causes fighters to go toe to toe and slug until someone drops. It is the beginning of becomeing a "boxer" instead of a "fighter".

Done properly, the fact that your opponent hasn't dominated you starts to build a different type of pressure on him, and he will start to take riskes to get at you. That's when your counter punches will have the most effect. Psychologically, a pressure fighter must over power and defeat his opponent. A boxer/puncher need only frustrate this attemtp and end the round with a jab to his face to leave the impression of superiority. Sometimes that last jab, causes a mistake at the start of the next round where an over eager opponent runs into something that turns the fight in your favor, sometimes it goes the other way.

Nobody said boxing was easy, and you have to give to get. Sometimes you get more than you bargained for. Good luck.

2007-07-28 04:36:36 · answer #3 · answered by blogbaba 6 · 0 0

The pressure that you get when fighting an opponent makes almost everything useless... Training mitts doesn't move ard, but a live opponent does.

Wat you need is lots of sparring with many different ppl. Gain more experience. Once you get used to sparring, you'll then truly understand techniques and footworks. You'll need to understand when executing a move, timing is more important than just speed alone. Speed and timing works together.

Hopes this helps. Train hard!

2007-07-28 03:14:43 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

The problem you are having is not all your fault. It is actually the difficulty of infusing real world situations in a training session.

To put it simply, when you train to fight to defend your self it is rare that the fight should last more than several seconds. Sparring in class is more of a refinement of technique. Most of the application is only good for sport.

My advise would be to find a partner that you can train with safely and use all ranges of combat (weapons, kicking, punching, clinch, and grappling). Unfortunately when doing this the risk of injury is greater so it must be done with all precautions taken. Wear armor if you have it, slow down the pace, and always protect your self at all time.

2007-07-27 21:20:09 · answer #5 · answered by vaders1 1 · 1 0

I still have this problem myself. I'm fairly new to sparring, so I freeze up a lot, my mind goes blank. Lately though, my lover has been working with me to try and boost my confidence, and get me to 'focus'.

She explained to me that I did too much 'thinking' and I needed to 'feel'/'flow' . We started off relaxing and emptying our minds of distracting thoughts. Then we began on simple kicking moves/blocking moves, doing light sparring only. My mind still goes blank and I freeze up, but definitely not as much when I first started trying.

I think it's basically you just have to get use to sparring in general. Training and sparring are actually different. Training you're just basically conditioning your body and perfecting your punching/kicking/breathing ect. ect. While sparring it's the real thing, you actually have an opponent to hit and who wants to hit you back and they won't wait for you to stop and do the perfect combo.

Hope this reassures you a little! DON'T GIVE UP! <3

2007-07-27 21:07:21 · answer #6 · answered by Tsuki 2 · 0 0

They are different levels to sparring, you should never rush straight in to full contact or light cont. sparring straight away.
In my classes I start my students off with touch sparring and constructive sparring.
Touch sparring works on your foot work and body movement, plus no one gets hurt so it allows you to express yourself. What you do is focus on a couple of points on the body, which you have to touch. Neither of you can block, you can only duck, dive and move. When you get the hang of only a couple of target areas you can add extra as you progress.
Constructive sparring is when you work on a what you are good at and what you need to improve. IE say you need to work on countering - You could ask one person to throw the jab and you think of as many different ways of countering that technique.

Hope this helps;-]

2007-07-27 22:57:08 · answer #7 · answered by Wolverine 4 · 2 0

keep doing it and doing it again and again you will get good practice makes perfect just remember to breath and all will be well.
take your time pick your openings and focus on your target ONLY .
once again just practice it will come..........oh yes it will come

2007-07-28 05:41:22 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

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