common mistakes in sparring

[BlueDragon1981]

Turning your back and leading with your head are the commons I see.

 

Telegraphing kicks, focusing on wrong spots, are a couple other things.

[koreantiger81]

A lot of good points here...

 

Here are some mistakes that i've observed:

 

1)Fighting in a linear fashion. If you just go back and forth, you'll get hit.

 

2) Dropping the hands opens up your target areas.(Although sometimes it can be done if you're careful; in order, to draw a kick)

 

3)*Being too tense* If you're tense, you compromise speed, power, and also you become very telegraphic.

 

4)Trying to score with one kick. It's better to throw kicks that will set up your the kick or punch that will score.

 

5)Leading with the head. (I sometimes do lead with my head on purpose; in order to draw a kick in.)

[KarateMom]

I've only point sparred 5 times (twice in a tournament, three in practice)

 

I probably have to many mistakes to list.

[KickChick]

How could you have competed with only having practiced 3 times????

 

....I've sparred in school so many times during the course of my training ... but haven't competed ... (not that I didn't try!)

 

Yes ... those are all the common mistakes I have seen, and although we may spar often ... we all fall prone to having those "off" days where we don't "feel" like sparring and find ourselves doing many of the things that have been listed here.

[KarateMom]

It was an in school tournament. I have sparred many times as I am an Orange belt, but I had only point sparred a few times prior to the tournament. There was a women's division and if you wanted to enter the competition you were more than welcome. I talked with all of the other ladies in the school and several of them said they would compete. However the night of the tournament there were only 3 that showed including me. Two orange belts and one second green belt. It was the first to 5 points. The young lady that was the other orange belt had two stripes and experience also in Kung Fu. I had no stripes. I won 5-3.

 

Then both of us (orange belt Ladies) sparred against the second green belt for fun. we both lost. (I lost 5-3, (she lost 5-2)

[Bon]

Some of the mistakes in my opinion are showing fear, pain, your intentions by looking where you're going to hit, etc. And, the biggest mistake of sparring is saying to yourself 'I give up', the moment you lose the mental battle with yourself, you've lost the physical battle with your opponent. NEVER EVER tell yourself you've had enough - it's more a mental battle than physical.

 

Another one of the biggest mistakes is that because they 'won' in sparring, they don't think about how they could improve.

[Ironberg]

SPARRING ROCKS!

 

Okay, just had to get it out of my system.

 

Anyway, I have a few questions and comments to make. I am a rather tall person and have been sparring at a strong level for about nine+ months. I am very flexible and can kick like no tomorrow. My style of MA resembles TKD most of the time. My problem with sparring is interception. I must admit that it will take me time to eliminate telegraphed technique, but sparring at times becomes a track meet instead of sparring.

 

Let me demonstrate, I love kicking combos, and over the months have developed a wide arsenal of them that are even complimented by some pretty darn fast spinning kicks. I try to intercept my opponent with these techniques and they usually try to circle, block or even go backwards, to even ducking out of the way so that I can pretty much jump on top of them. This doesn't happen all the time, but it is happening more and more, and I wanted to ask you people if you have any comments about this little paradigm of mine.

[kicker]

Well ususally common mistakes I see or I do are:

 

- When I do punching combos I sometimes don't always bring my hands back to my face.

 

- Sometime I see people doinging a roundhouse kick wrong way or there footwork is bad or even there not protecting there face or stomach.

 

- there is more but I can't think of anything right now.

[ramymensa]

now for the other side. You cant be a good fighter if you dont fight.

 

You cant really understand kata unless you fight either ;p

 

Im a better fighter because i do kata.

STRIIIIIIIIIIIIKEEE!!!

 

I feel the same way. And in katas there are many techniques very efficient and nice. What I try to do all the time is not just win a sparring session, but to apply new techniques, well not new, but interesting ones, taken from kata of from my imagination. I love the creative part, and a martial artist MUST be creative. Guess

 

And in order to be good at sparring one must sparr, and please all DON'T think us, karate guys and girls, don't sparr. Well we do. A lot, but we also pay attention to kihon and kata. The 3 K's (not KKKLAN )

[Pyros]

-afraid of getting hit

 

-not confident enough to commit to an attack