Fighting

[Shotokan-kez]

Hi guys. My problem is this. At a brown belt course recently we did some kumite for the last half. I lost all my fights. I'm not a bad fighter but all i tend to do is block everything my oppenent throws at me rather than attack. I guess this can be a good thing because my opponent doesnt get many points either but they always win, either that or its no score cos the bouts went on to long. I dance around, blocking his strikes, waiting for an opening to strike back but i never score the point. I find it hard to score points from kicks and my punches always end up being to short.

Karatek reckons it could be like a mental block and i do tend to agree with her, i was just wondering what you guys think of the situation. What worries me is that now i'm 1st kyu and for my black belt grading we have to do kumite and be able to score a point!

[kenpo.stylist]

just concentrate on the counter. you ahve the blocks down, which I would imagine provide an opening...now just work that counter into the opening.

[patusai]

I had the same problem in my first tornament. Afterwards my instructor asked me what was going on. I told him that I was blocking everything just well (mostly). He point out that I lost and had no chance of winning. Which today is obvious but at the time not so much. He said that in a real situation nobody can block forever and if I was planning on blocking until the other person tired out that would not happen either. He said to look for openings and then have at one every so often. From there it was a little better each time.

[Pacificshore]

Maybe it's your timing and distance that is off? Perhaps your more a counter fighter which means you need to be able to strike back as u defend. If there is a size difference then working on ur speed will most definitely be of use to you. The one thing about Shotokan is being known for their quick and poweful reverse punch and front kick.....take 2-3 tecniques you are good with and work them with a partner as you counter their attack. Good luck!

[hurricane]

Perhaps you should try to go back to semi-free. Because there, you will learn to actually see the opening because your opponent is supposed to stay and be a target for you. Or you can try free sparring but switch attacking side with your partner. First, all you do is attack him/her, and then he/she attacks you. And you do this from free stance just moving around and try to see the opening as it presents itself. Or create an opening with a feint or a combination.

The mental block thing could be another possibility. Perhaps you fear that you could actually hit someone? You said that your punches always come in too short which almost makes me think you are worried you could hit your opponent. In this case, it could help you to do a really slow match with a partner, maybe in one of the above mentioned settings (only one person attacking) and then really estimate the distance correctly and try to get in without actually hitting the person. Maybe just to touch their gi.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

[HG]

Hi guys. My problem is this. At a brown belt course recently we did some kumite for the last half. I lost all my fights.

Nobody likes to lose but sparring in class is for learning & fixing shortcomings in your fighting - it's not a competition. Don't get too down on yourself.

I'm not a bad fighter but all i tend to do is block everything my oppenent throws at me rather than attack. I guess this can be a good thing because my opponent doesnt get many points either but they always win, either that or its no score cos the bouts went on to long. I dance around, blocking his strikes, waiting for an opening to strike back but i never score the point.

You have a portion of the puzzle down footwork & blocking are important. Now put them aside & focus on becoming an offensive fighter. To keep things simple, just for now experiement with going in with a move you have confidence in. For the entire sparring session - think attack. Notice what was different when compared to your normal way of sparring. Another thing you might try is start in the corner or with your back against a wall.

I find it hard to score points from kicks and my punches always end up being to short.

Don't move back so much or take such a wide angle away from your opponent. Yes, you are getting out of the way but you've also taken yourself out of counter attacking position. Have a trusted training partner observe what your are doing. Even better bring up your concerns to your instructor.

Karatek reckons it could be like a mental block and i do tend to agree with her, i was just wondering what you guys think of the situation. What worries me is that now i'm 1st kyu and for my black belt grading we have to do kumite and be able to score a point!

Maybe. Could it be you are afraid of getting hit? No belief in your technique? Or hitting someone might hurt them & you just can't do that?

[DragonMike]

It does sound like it could be a little bit of a mental block. Do you do any training with focus pads? This would be a great way to work on the ditance aspect of your punching.

If you are afraid of getting hit, counter attacking will make your opponant less willing to attack you.

[juey palancu]

somedoy already said this, but I want to expand. Zabaki (shifting poistions for evasion). When you move to evade (better than blocking most of the time), dont creat too much distance, instead, create an angle that is advantageous to you. Then, attack!

2 cents,

[alsey]

try being more offensive and make your opponent do the blocking. try to create openings instead of just waiting for them; throw some jabs or a kick to try to get the opponent to react, then counter as he does. its easier said than done, but you just have to attack. move towards him with the feeling that you can't be stopped, and attack. even if your strikes don't land, they force the opponent to move or block and hopefully he will open something in doing that.

[lordtariel]

The great thing about sparring in class is that it's fighting in a safe environment. You can take some chances, do things differently than you normally do... If they score, no big deal, you're learning what's effective and what's not. Doing sometimes defensively unsound techniques a good way to get out of that total defense rut that's easy to fall into.