scared to spar

[JimmyNewton]

good luck.

also, practice your technique and shadow box and work on bag relentlessly. it'll make your techniques come more naturally in sparring situations. almost like a reflex.

when your at ease with your ability and have confidence in your techniques. it makes spartring that much easier when the time comes

[Hawkeye]

Make sure you don't get so worked up before your match that you forget to do the things that will help you perform well. Stay hydrated, breathe deep and stretch whenever you can - even between points. Sometimes, if you develop some pre-match rituals, they help distract you from your fear and help you stay loose.

[thomas]

thank you guys for all your tips i will use them

[Sandhoppa]

Let us know how it all goes Thomas, we're rootin for you

[kitsune_no_tama]

develop a friendly rivalry with someone else in your dojo, and put their face on your opponent every time you spar someone new. having the confidence derived from know you are already competing, you know it can't get worse than sparring your rival. thats why they have divisions. if you do well against higher ranks in your dojo, you probably do awesome against your own rank in other people's dojo. if your unfamiliar with their style, remember your 8 point blocking, and strike fast and furious. a technique i find to be easy and effective is when they throw their initial kick at you,sidestep towards their closed side,inside block their leg to throw off balance and take them out at the ribs. faking a technique to draw their guard away from your striking target also works really well for me.

[PBI]

I think the previous posts have covered the most important points, but I will add the following: If you can identify the source of your fear, it's the first step in conquering it.

If you are afraid to be shown up, continue to train until you have truly given everything you have. You'll probably still lose some matches, but you'll know it's not because you didn't try.

Likewise, if you're afraid of being tagged, I might suggest avoiding the tendency to focus on the concept of "hit but don't get hit," and accept that you're going to take a few shots. As a fighter whose name escapes me once said: "When some people get hit, it makes them skittish and afraid. When I get hit, it makes me want to hit back. HARDER." Cultivate that attitude in the ring, let your aggression carry you, and you may find that your nervous is quickly a thing of the past. "Hit and don't get hit" should be a strategy, not an exercise in desperation!

[Goju_boi]

y are u scared sparring is one of the funnest parts of martial arts?also i heard this somewhere,they are more scared of u than u are of them

[foot2face]

use the fear to your advantage. i always retreated when under fire from my sparring partner. then i learned two good strikes that worked great while retreating. (1) while backing, i'll step to the right and do a low spinning heel kick to the leg while backing away (2) or step back, drop down into a dragon tail sweep.....when most people attack they raise up out of a good stance and get on their toes. this makes them more succeptable to sweeps and leg strikes. try it. i promise it'll work. the spinning heel kick is my favorite. it looks like damnit but the heel frogs any muscle it hits!!!

[Conqueror]

As a fighter whose name escapes me once said: "When some people get hit, it makes them skittish and afraid. When I get hit, it makes me want to hit back. HARDER." Cultivate that attitude in the ring, let your aggression carry you, and you may find that your nervous is quickly a thing of the past.

A bad strategy in my opinion. The person across from you is not your oponent; s/he is your partner. If they get hurt, YOU are responsible. I regularly scold our students who get more and more aggressive as they get hit - the mark of a good fighter is to remain calm without letting his emotions escalate during the fight.

My advice is as follows: find a higher-ranking student, or even a black belt, who is experienced in sparring. Tell them you've been having problems in kumite and you'd like to train them out. Practice sparring with this individual.

At first, you should be the only one throwing punches or kicks. Let the more advanced person do nothing but dance around and receive until you are comfortable executing the basic techniques of kumite. Then let them throw soft techniques, and you may only block. This will accustom you to receiving, and the advanced person should have enough control to keep from hurting you should you make a mistake. One you are comfortable both attacking and receiving, begin to escalate your sparring until you reach the intensity level of kumite you desire.