Kumite Tips

[Kumori]

Would all these apply to Point Sparring ?

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

[angus88]

1. How often do you spar in your dojo?

2. Is it point fighting or free-style?

3. How many fights do you have in a night of sparring at your dojo?

If you're going to be fighting a lot between now and then, you have plenty of time to get down a few choice combinations - enough to make a good showing at a tournament anyway. The more you fight, the better you get - simple as that.

[karate kid 1]

i dont no if im right when isay this but is it wise to work on a selected area of your oppents body

[JAKEHE3078]

right above the knot of the belt

[Shrekka]

Anywhere above the belt and below the shoulders will score a point in WKF stlye. I wouldn't focus on a single point on the body as an experienced competitor will quickly pick up that you are targeting that area and will defend it well.

[Whitefeather]

Drills drills and more drills

I can not agree more with that. Pick several drills that you like (whether you came up with them or not does not matter, but if use drills you made, show them to your sensei first before devoting a lot of time to them) and spend hours hammering on them in the most relentless manner possible. Try to watch the sparring habits of people that are better then you. How they move, how they time their attacks, what attacks they favor, what combos they favor, etc. Also, practice sweeps at home to. Hang a weight from the ceiling about three feet off of the ground, and then hang a tennis from the weight so that the ball is inches off the ground. Then set the whole thing swinging and practice sweeping it at the apex (the part where it is just about to start moving away from you) of its swing. This will help build your ability to time your opponent for sweeps and other attacks.

[Killer Miller]

Nishiyama Sensei would only have us work on a couple of techniques for tournaments - in all possible variations of those two techniques. You would work on them to where you NEVER had to think about where and when to use them - it was natural without thought. Although, this does not mean that you didn't use other techniques and variations to create openings for points using these primariy techniques.

Secondly, Nishiyama Sensei would never tell us that we had to specifically use any two particular techniques in tournaments or development. He would try to hone in on what best fit your build and style, then perfect it, but not which ones you had to use. You were kind of on your own as an individual and part of your own personal growth in Karate. But with all the training, development, coaching, learning all variations of all techniques, when the time was right, you knew exactly which two were best for you. It's kind of funny that with all of the structured training we received, and all the techniques we all worked on together, and all the perfection of team kata, no two Karate-ka sparred alike... Similarities, but still different.

So what am I trying to say here?

• No one tells you what techniques to use in sparring - but coaching perfects them.
   
  Simplify your sparring by working only on a couple of sparring techniques for the winning or killing point. Use these techniques in all possible variations and work on other techniques to compliment their use naturally.
   
  Work heavily on "breathing timing." Use proper breathing techniques when sparring and take it a piece at a time to fully understand your breathing and utilization. By doing this, you will understand your oponent's breathing timing and know when to naturally strike for the kill or point.
   
  Work on attacking to the mid section only regardless of what technique you decide to perfect. The mid section is the most guarded part or your's or your oponents body. Try to get them to open up the mid-section and immediately attack it utilizing breathing timing. If they open up the mid-section, this means they are inhaling and in a relaxed state and this is your oportunity to attack while they are unprotected - it happens in a nano second. You get good at attacking the mid-section with proper speed and power, you can attack ANYWHERE on their body with NO PROBLEM AT ALL...!
   
  After warm up and warm down, work at least for 30 minutes, with a partner each sparring training session, on brething timing. Work 30 minutes on variations of your two tournament techniques and all variations. Work only 15 minutes on actual sparring utilizing and perfecting these two techniques in actual free sparring.
   
  Work in the above concepts 3 days a week - only. The rest of the time should be dedicated to perfection of basics, kata, stretching, etc.

If you follow the above plan, you will see dramatic improvements in a few short months. Tournament wins and trophies, if that's what you are looking for, will soon be forth coming. Not too many out there work on this concept and they don't expect it, nor do they know what to do with such natural perfection of technique from any and all openings.

Osu.

- Killer -