Kumite Tips

[angus88]

1. Pick one side to lead with, and do most of your practicing on that side. Don't try to do balanced left/right everything until you are comfortable with what you are doing. Pick a side to cut down the content you must train so you can increase repetitions and have fewer choices to make in the ring.

I like the reasoning (limit your choices in the ring) - but I think this is better addressed in #3. I think it's an absolutely terrible idea to practice a bad habit with the idea that you'll correct it later when you get comfortable. Don't practice unbalanced.

2. Attack. People who aren't very good shouldn't hang back waiting for the other guy to come in. That is more difficult to accomplish. When the match starts, charge in.

The main thing here is you don't want your opponent to set up on you. If you wait for him, you're giving him more of a chance. Plus, you get a good feel for what works and what doesn't.

3. Pick 3 or 4 combos and stick with them. Practice them over and over, and only use those when you are in the ring. This reduces the choices you have to make.

Absolutely. Do this instead of #1.

4. Lose. Lose and lose a lot. Set out in practice to lose all of your matches. Try to lose. The goal is to lose so many times that your fear of losing goes away. Don't just walk in and throw your matches, but understand you will lose before you get in. Watch you opponent come at you, learn from what he is doing, and find an inner calm observing the match while in it. The more losses you pile up, the better you will get.

This piece of advice I'm half and half on. I think you should get used to the idea that you're going to get hit and yes, you may certainly lose. But don't set out in practice to lose. Besides, how do you "try to lose?" Sit and watch your opponent score on you?

No, the thing is, you practice your set techniques - you don't hesitate, you commit to everything you do - and if you win you win, if you lose you lose. Get winning and losing right out of your mind. You practice fight in your dojo - even if you "lose", you're picking up on techniques that the other guy is throwing and figuring out what works for you.

But again, I go back to what I said before - there shouldn't be such a high emphasis on "winning" and "losing" when it comes to low ranks fighting high ranks. That may be a big part of your problem.

[24fightingchickens]

[i like the reasoning (limit your choices in the ring) - but I think this is better addressed in #3. I think it's an absolutely terrible idea to practice a bad habit with the idea that you'll correct it later when you get comfortable. Don't practice unbalanced.

Favoring one side or the other is not a "bad habit", Angus. Favoring one side is something every great athlete does. A good fighter does not need to be balanced between left and right. Mohammed Ali was not so balanced, neither are most great boxers. They have a lead side, and they stick to it. It emphasizes strengths and minimizes weaknesses.

The person who taught me to do this went from being like our friend "I cannot kumite" to the Women's Cup holder in Japan two years in a row.

The main thing here is you don't want your opponent to set up on you. If you wait for him, you're giving him more of a chance. Plus, you get a good feel for what works and what doesn't.

Yes, but there is also the fact that the attacker can often control the center of the match simply by moving forward. If the other guy side steps or defends and counters into my charging attacks, then he is so much better I would lose anyway. This is just the easiest way to fight.

3. Pick 3 or 4 combos and stick with them. Practice them over and over, and only use those when you are in the ring. This reduces the choices you have to make.

Absolutely. Do this instead of #1.

This is not an either/or situation. If you have 4 combinations, and you practice leading with one side and then the other, you now have 8 combinations. Pick your strong lead side, and lead with it. Swapping sides is for guys with a lot of talent, not guys trying to barely hang on in a match.

This piece of advice I'm half and half on. I think you should get used to the idea that you're going to get hit and yes, you may certainly lose. But don't set out in practice to lose. Besides, how do you "try to lose?" Sit and watch your opponent score on you?

No, not at all. That will not work. I believe I described the very basics of a method of how to do this. I wrote a book on how it works, and I used it myself to great effect. I described how to do it in my previous article. Just read it. It's pretty simple. You just go in determined to practice your combos and see what happens, instead of trying to win or avoid being hit. Sometimes you might score, but sometimes your experiments will fail. After having built up experience, then you'll be able to win.

Try this out before you throw it over your shoulder. My biggest resistance to this idea is fear of losing and being shamed in public. My gut tells me "don't just lose. How stupid!", but my experience says, "This was the most valuable thing I ever did."

[IronWarrior]

Practice, Practice, Practice!! no secrets my friend.. Those karateka that are beating are more experienced e.t.c... just keep training and most important learn from them instead of getting frustrated trying to 'win'..learning karate and training in the end is about victory over ones self! There will always be people that can beat you in a kumite match..just focus on improving yourself daily..Good luck

[Killer Miller]

I understand where you are going with the Lose concept. But I think the concept is to be comfortable to where you achieve a comfortable calm when sparring and not becoming gun shy and making mistakes.

Another concept to achieve a similar result is to work on a lot of combinations in real sparring situations - meaning not as much free sparing. Practising "bits" of sparring in a realistic sparring environment allows you to prepare for tournament sparring, but less gun shy to where you can reach the same calm, be as confident, and hone in technique as well. You touch on working on one or two (maybe three) combinations or concepts. I absolutely agree with this. And I also agree that you don't have to be even on both sides. Tanaka and Oshishi were by no means "even" on both sides, yet two of the best there's been in a long time. They too had two or three combinations or techniques that they perfected from any or favorite positions and would nail the point(s) every time on their oponents.

- Killer -

[samertz]

HELP ME ...

Drills drills and more drills. Work on stepping forward and shifting back. I'm not talking straight forward and back, but do 45 degree angles. Work your footwork like crazy, this will help you immensely. Once you start getting fast with shifting, then shift and punch at the end, or shift and kick. When you get this down start doing shift kick/block, or shift punch/block combos. Try not to just only work one type of combo either. Don't always just shift in and do an oi tsuki/uchi uke, but start changing it up, try gyaku tsuki soto uke combos, and stuff like that. The point of it is to be original and work on getting in attacking and getting back out.

Don't stress with doing more than 2 or 3 attack/block techniques in your training. Usually in a fight (tournament) it will be a 1/2 block counter or shift in attack shift out that will win. Just be original in your training and figure out what your strengths are. If you are a good kicker then work shifting kick/block and shift back. Just make sure you work your weaknesses as well and you should do just fine.

Scot

[Kumori]

Sooo I need to ;

Work on footwork

Come up with a few combos

Get used to getting hit

Work on footwork more!

When the match starts ... Do I just charge in there? or do I keep it cool and look for open spots? Ive heard both things... idk which one I'd do.

Im not that agressive in the match and I know thats my major downfall..

[kotegashiNeo]

These are all great sugguestions and will help tremendously, I would only one thing. Try to fell your sparring partner. I mean hie energy if he is very aggressive you will feel that he is coming at you, if he his passive you will feel that also. I know it sounds kinda hokey pokey, but if you can be still you may be able to read the intention of your sparring partner. One thing, this may take some practice until you can trust your gut, once you can however it can help a great deal remember you must be still first

[Hecklerboy]

When I'm fighting my teacher I always try to imitate his moves.

If he gets me with a certain punch or kick I immediately return the same move. Sometimes I score, but most of the time not.

Fight a blackbelt all the time really pays off in the end.

In my first tournament a few months ago I got second place in kumite in the mens under blackbelt division. I lost to a higher belt rank but he only beat me by one point. Everyone was asking who my teacher was. I made sure he got all the credit because he's an awesome instructor.

[angus88]

Try this out before you throw it over your shoulder. My biggest resistance to this idea is fear of losing and being shamed in public. My gut tells me "don't just lose. How stupid!", but my experience says, "This was the most valuable thing I ever did."

I think now we're just talking semantics. I agree there should be no fear of losing and there is certainly no shame in losing a fight. I think it's the concept of "try to lose" that I resist out of principle - not fear. I say get the terms "winning" and "losing" out of your head completely and just work on getting better at fighting. I don't think your point is that different from mine - but "try to lose" is a catch phrase that can certainly be misconstrued. But it's attention grabbing - I get it.

And yeah, I know we're essentially talking about point fighting at tournaments and there are different things to consider there. I've never put much stock in point fighting because of issues irrelevant to this thread - but I understand that's where this is coming from.

The most valuable thing I ever did in regards to fighting (again, I'm talking free-style full contact sparring) was calm down and fix one thing at a time. In other words, don't get in such a rush to be a perfect fighter. Even the best fighters in the world learn something when they fight.

[Kumori]

Would all these apply to Point Sparring ?

Im going to be competing in Jan. and Im doing Point sparring.