Is "bouncing" while sparring wrong?

[bushido_man96]

I spar with a little bit of bouncing. I stay on my toes, and I find that it makes me more mobile and ready to counter attack if need be. I don't bounce when I do forms, though. I find that staying on my toes helps to facilitate my footwork.

[Eric7_27]

Hey thanks for all the tips. I know I naturally do it- 'specially when I'm frustrated or something- so maybe it does waste energy. But I also see from what you guys have said that it can be good at times

[bushido_man96]

I personally don't like bouncing but then if you watch all the world champion WKF karateka (eg

), they bounce all over the shop and they probably know much more about it than I do.

If you look at the length of these guys stances id say they are bouncing to compensate for their lack of mobility.

That could be true. Many TKD guys bounce, and they tend to keep a narrower stance, relying heavily on footwork.

[bbk2132]

i have done a lot of kumite seminars with world champions and the like, and they all bounce. I bounce.

I shift my weight from one foot to the other, but i usually make sure their isn't a rythm to it because it makes it harder see when i am going to attack.

My sensei uses the "light in a dark," analogy. If you are still and then you punch or kick, it is the same as being in a dark room when someone suddenly turns on the light; there is no way you can miss it.

Bouncing does make you lose energy, but it makes it easier to move, lunge, doge, and quickly throw or slid up and throw kicks.

[setboy]

You should not be "bouncing" in your forms

[Elky]

You should not be "bouncing" in your forms

ITF taekwondo people do!

[MisterRadley]

You should not be "bouncing" in your forms

ITF taekwondo people do!

Depends which ITF people. I've seen some that bounce in forms and some that don't.

[patusai]

As I see from the posts some styles encourage/allow bouncing in forms. In sparing in competition I suppose that it would depend on the indvidual. If there are time limits for each round then I don't think that the loss of energy would be that great a factor. In other sparing applications where the length of the fight (if you will) cannot be determined (that is it could go on for quite some time) loss of energy may be a factor. I suppose what I am saying is that to bounce or not to bounce should be as needed and as dictated by the situation that you are in.

[baronbvp]

Whatever you do, do it intentionally. Some here advocate moving vice bouncing; they are not the same thing. My personal opinion is that bouncing is unnecessary and wastes energy as well as making you unstable on your feet. Moving is a better choice if you can't stand still. Let the fight dictate; you may not have a lot of room in which to move around.

If you are looking for a psychological advantage, try going all psycho-Mel-Gibson-in-Lethal-Weapon on a guy. Personally, I've always been more impressed with the less bouncy fighter who waits patiently for Mr. Bouncy to get all tired and then punches him right in the face.

I won't argue with exceptionally well-trained artists who bounce, though, as long as it's intentional. Just like the quarterback who learns to eliminate happy feet under pressure in the pocket, you want to be aware of and control what you are doing with your body motion.

[mantis.style]

Depends on the sparring environment. Personally, I don't and never have bounced.