Trouble with Fighting

[Ann-Marie]

Hello,

This is my first post and would like to ask everyone if they know of anything that can help me with my freestyle?

Lets just say that I am not a natural fighter! I'm fine with ippon and jyu ippon but with freestyle - I completely lose it. My brain literally shuts off and I come out not having much clue as to what happened. I've won some small stuff as a lower grade but now i'm going in for my Dan grading I'm having trouble assessing the opponent and getting my distance correct.

I did take a break for over a year with a job that took over my life and I feel really rubbish. I've been training again for over a year but still feel like i'll never get that confidence and ability back again...

Any advice?

[bushido_man96]

The more that you spar, the better that you will get at it. By doing so, you will learn to read the telegraphs, and that can help you out a lot.

Welcome to the Forums!

[dragonwarrior_keltyr]

Bushido's advice is good. For me, it's about not thinking. Of course, my sensei does tell me to pick my targets more so it's not like you should not think at all... but sometimes you just need to let your body do the word and not overthink. I haven't gotten the balance quite right yet, but just keep practicing and working on it and you will get better.

[lordtariel]

That's how it went for me. I used to be lousy at sparring, but the more I do it, the more comfortable I am with it. Keep your sparring simple so you don't have to think about it.

Welcome to the Forums by the way.

[AikiGuy]

In addition to what has been said already, I would suggest that you just drill your weakest skill like crazy up until your test. When I took my dan test, my weakest skill was throws, so half of each practice session concentrated on throws. Let everyone in your dojo know you are looking for sparring partners just to brush up and see who wants to join you. Use lower rank partners to try out new combos and experiment since you will feel less pressured, and use high ranks to practice things you already know to stay sharp. Also bag work helped my sparring a lot. I would practice combos on the heavy bag and see if I could maintain or end up in the desired position. I always tried to do this at home so I would not give away my ideas since half of sparring success lies in the element of surprise. Good luck on your test!

[ps1]

Use lower rank partners to try out new combos and experiment since you will feel less pressured, and use high ranks to practice things you already know to stay sharp.

I think this is great advice AikiGuy! Too many times a person tries a new or difficult combo/technique on someone advanced. You'll just never pull it off that way. Practice the timing on the lower ranks first, then move to tougher opponents with it.

Also, I wouldn't focus on too many combos. Then you get stuck trying to figure out which one to use and when. By the time you recognize the moment to use it, you've missed your opportunity. Come up with between two and four combos/moves that work in a variety of situations and stick with them. Keep the combos simple. Two or three techniques per combo.

As a starter I would suggest two attacking combos and two counter attack combos. Also, when working them, remember to work at an angle to your opponent so as to limit the weapons your opponent can use against you.

Hope that's helpful. Good luck.

[dino73]

On top of all of the other advice I would also like to add that I think you should concentrate on what needs to be done and get the negative thoughts out of your head. Instead of thinking that your not a natural fighter imagine that you are a great fighter. Don't think about any shortcomings that you might or might not have. Positive thinking goes a long way, and speeds improvement much faster than negative. And like the others said, Practice, Practice, Practice. Relax your mind and make it fun.

Best of luck.

[Ann-Marie]

Practice is the word!

You lot are brilliant - thanks for the really positive advice. I'll approach my Sensei over picking a couple of combos and working with them - we've done lots in class so there shouldn't be a problem choosing something to suit me.

Thanks to you all

Ann-Marie

[ps1]

No problem:) Good luck and welcome to the forums!

[mmljpp]

i was the same way just relax and let the techniques flow