Sprawling

[ShotokanKid]

Hi, I need some advice on sprawling. I'm really having trouble sprawling. When my wrestling teacher (I'm lucky enough to get taught one on one) shoots, I can never react with a sprawl. I always end up trying to grab him and when I go down, I try to tie up his arms, but he always manages to get out of it and mount me or whatnot.

How do I get sprawling to be my natural reaction?

Thanks in advance.

[bushido_man96]

Just keep on practicing, and listening to what the teacher tells you to do. Reaction takes time, so be patient.

[Ottman]

remember that the person who gets their center of gravity lowest usually wins out, and with practice you will get better at feeling out who has the better leverage as well.

As soon as you feel that your opponent has gotten their center lower down, and/or has gained the advantage in terms of leveage, try to push your own center down to the ground (and preferably on top of them) as quickly as possible.

remember that shooting your legs out behind you will not only propel yourself downward with more force, but also take away the potential for your opponent to hook and control them. This should be your first action: maintaining your center of balance on top of your opponent and controling the leverage (or rather smooshing down your opponent's leverage.)

Don't worry about grabbing at this point. You have to condition yourself to realize that control of the leverage and center of gravity are much more effective than following the natural instinct to grab and control with our arms and hands.

Grabbing will make it harder to sprawl against a shooting opponent as well. It is much easier to move your own body and gravity, than it is to try to stop and control your opponents gravity by holding on to them and fighting not only gravity, but all of your opponents muscles as well. Move yourself until you can get the better position, and let gravity work for you instead of fighting against it.

[ps1]

How do I get sprawling to be my natural reaction?

My instructor always told me, "Perfect practice makes perfect."

First: Ask your instructor how to sprawl properly.

Next: Put yourself into the positions that cause your isntructor to shoot. This will allow you two important things.

One: You can practice your sprawl

Two: You will now be able to set people up to attack when you want them to (because you understand what positions they will attack). Thus, you control the game.

Good Luck. Let us know how it goes.

[janos]

practising will make perfect. I was told once you have to do something 10,000 times to master it.

[Jiffy]

My instructor always told me, "Perfect practice makes perfect."

We used to use the saying "Practice Makes Perfect" but as we all know, bad practice does not make you perfect.

So, we started using 'Perfect Practice Makes Perfect". We then realised that there is no such thing as perfect practice, it doesn't happen.

So, we now use "Practice Makes Permanent".

eg. If you practice poorly, you will become bad. If you practice well, you will become good.

The other thing for this is it not only encourages people to train well for good results, but it says, "if you aren't doing it right, don't keep practicing it that way"

[ThePhenom]

ntakes time! i used to stop at defending leg attacks now they can't get to my legs.

get in your grappling stance and move around. shoot some shots and practice sprawling

[Sensei Tom OBrien]

Make sure you use the straight arm or better yet straight arm with both arms. You can hit him with a palm heel at the same time hitting either the head or shoulders. Simultaneously you are shooting your legs back & spreading them. Lastly you should press the opponent down all the way down to the mat if possible. Like everyone said practice it a thousand times.

Thanks,

Sensei Tom