New to sparring-I need some crucial pointers and tips

[Jkoko]

Hi guys,I just graded on monday and Im getting my sparing gear (from karatedepot.com,amazing price! 150 for 2 sets including shipping,check it out) maybe on the 1st of Feb., and I need some good pointers in sparring and basic rules or guidelines I must follow,all input is welcome

P.S. The dojo Im training at (United Family Martial Arts center-John Savidis master instructor) does only light-contact sparring for in-class free sparring sessions,but we can hit normally in competitions or tourneys

[bushido_man96]

The first thing you need to know is what rules you will be sparring with. We can give you some more specific advise then.

That said, just relax when you start out. Try a few simple combinations, and see if anything works for you. Keep it simple, and see what happens.

Best of luck to you!

[lordtariel]

I'd say relaxing is the biggest thing. More people get hurt because they are all rigid when they are sparring. That's why beginners 18-25 usually wind up with the most injuries. They are all tensed up, and on top of that they are much stronger. You'll also be faster when relaxed.

[AikiGuy]

Try a few simple combinations, and see if anything works for you. Keep it simple, and see what happens.

This is one of the best things you can do when you start. Have a few simple combos in mind to try out in sparring. Practice them in advance in the air or on a bag to get used to the rythm. Then experiment doing different things for different situations. Don't worry about getting clobbered at first. Most schools don't do hard contact for new students. Especially if you spar a much higher rank. It may seem scarier with high ranks, but they know the drill by now so they go softer with new students. They are also better at pulling punches than beginners. Good luck.

[MisterRadley]

Keep in mind that the first time you spar, you'll probably get very tired quickly. This gets better over time.

Good luck!

[Symphony-x]

i was in the same position as you about 4 months ago. the first time will tire you out quickly, and you may not like it to start with but you will begin to get used to it.

as for techniques, try and get the basics, front kicks, roundhouses, jabs and crosses down, then try moving more, and blocking. then slowly you'll progress from there

[obiwansbane]

everyone here gave some good (albeit the same) tips... if you want more specific sparring strategies i personally (some may be able to give them to you without this info) would need to know what belt rankings you'd go up against and the age group... as sparring against white belts makes for an easy strategy to win, where as in the blue - brown belt, ull get owned by people who spent 2years in that division and i wouldnt be able to help out so much

so all i need is whether its Stop-Point style sparring, or free sparring with Point Tallying (eg. 2 points for kick, 1 point for punch, 3 points for jumping kick etc) and what belt range you expect to be going up against

if no tips come in time for ure sparring then good luck

[stejitsu]

Good basic 'bread and butter' combinations are best. Jab cross, roundhouse kick. Practice this for 3 months solid and then move on to another combination. In times of stress in competition you will call upon your most tested combination and it will natural for you.

Good luck

[bob000555]

I just learned that my dojo has a web site, this would have been good to know when the changed the class schedule around . Anyway here's their page on sparing strategy http://www.kreimers-karate.com/sparr.html

My personal advice: take the technique you feel most comfortable with and work it in as often as you can but fallow it up.

[redruss]

Every competition i attend starts before i even glove up. Watch as many fighters as you can, whether they are fighting or warming up in the corner. You can pick out their good and bad points simply by watching... their favourite techniques, are they fast or slow? Punchers or kickers? Lefty or righty? Pressure fighters or counter fighters? etc. One of them could be your first opponent, always better to be armed with the knowledge of your opponents strengths and weaknesses so you can exploit them later on.

As mentioned by others above, relax when you're fighting and enjoy it. Keep moving around the area and stick to what you know works for you. Avoid anything too flashy, stick to good old basic roundhouse kicks and reverse punches if you're not too sure. The most basic techniques are the most commonly scored simply because they work.