Sparring Help

[Ben Martin]

yes i agree^ i have short arms too and i often have a problem getting inside so i have to often be willing to take a hit to give one. but the more you practice that the better you will be and being able to get in and give a hit with out taking one.

[theapprentice124]

some lady told me to look at the face to scare them lol but i dont believe that because its not the face that will hurt its the arms and legs that will so i always look down is that any good?

[KempoTiger]

Be patient when sparring but don't hesistate when it's time to make your move. Like others said, work on your footwork...there's numerous techniques that revolve soley around how you move when you fight that can decieve your opponent into thinking you're going to do something your not.

When it comes to punching back, work on intercepting and sidestepping their attack to score quick points under the arms into the ribs, or dropping the hands and lunging forward for chest/face strikes. It's all in the snap, and make sure that you bring your hands immediately on guard after you strike whether you hit or not. Above all, KEEP MOVING

oh and...don't expect to win against your instructors just yet

Good luck!

[Ben Martin]

some lady told me to look at the face to scare them lol but i dont believe that because its not the face that will hurt its the arms and legs that will so i always look down is that any good?

ive always been told to look at the persons eyes. the eyes give everything away. its the same when i used to play steetball when i was younger in a 1 on 1 situation you look at the persons eyes not at the ball.

[KempoTiger]

some lady told me to look at the face to scare them lol but i dont believe that because its not the face that will hurt its the arms and legs that will so i always look down is that any good?

ive always been told to look at the persons eyes. the eyes give everything away. its the same when i used to play steetball when i was younger in a 1 on 1 situation you look at the persons eyes not at the ball.

Ha! thats's funny because I've always been taught, and teach the exact opposite. Always keep your eyes on your opponents chest and AWAY from the eyes. By watching the chest, you have full range of peripheral vision to see which way you're opponent is going to attack. By looking at the face you a) take away part of your ability to watch for hip motion which is the #1 sign that fighters do to project their motion, and b) by looking into the eyes you now allow yourself to enter a realm of mind-games where you're opponent may try to intimidate you, or may glance in different directions decieving you into thinking they are moving in a way which they are not.

[jnpnshr411]

I also learned like ben Martin and it does work. Looking at the eyes give evertyhing away just like bball.

[Belasko]

some lady told me to look at the face to scare them lol but i dont believe that because its not the face that will hurt its the arms and legs that will so i always look down is that any good?

ive always been told to look at the persons eyes. the eyes give everything away. its the same when i used to play steetball when i was younger in a 1 on 1 situation you look at the persons eyes not at the ball.

I've heard all sorts of things to watch, eyes, chest, hips, legs, arms, etc. The one that I've found seems to work the best, because eyes can be trained to focus on something other than what is being targeted, and I teach is to focus on the sternalclavicular notch. this point will move at the beginning of any movement whether they are punching, kicking, or just shifting weight. There are few times that their move is not telegraphed just a touch.