apparently i'm too tense when sparring. tips?

[solitarymonkey]

hi, i have a tournament coming up in mid september, and my sensei keeps telling my that when i'm sparring, i need to relax more and be faster in my attack etc. i'm sure many of you probably know what i mean.

and what i'm basically asking, is what tips and advice any of you may have on relaxing during sparring and becoming faster and more ruthless (yet controlled, obviously).

i suffer from depression, and am aware that due to how long i've suffered for, that i dont exactly have the most relaxed and calm looking face in the world, especially during any form of activity involving concentration, which probably makes me look more intense than i feel. but i cant see my body language, so i dont know. lol.

any way, any advice my fellow artists?

cheers!

[Bridge]

Here's what I do:

Before class I decide what my goals are in each area and "meditate" on them for a few minutes. In regard to sparring with my goals firmly in mind I'm more able to relax because I know exactly what I'm doing and what I am trying to develop before the class ever gets started.

Once Sparring:

If I notice tension in my shoulders or that I am breathing too heavily I just become more defensive and evasive for a few seconds...deep breathe, rotary jog, SMILE and shake my shoulders out. I create my own space and control the distance. If they attack at that time they always get a defensive front kick. If I can't breathe through my nose I'm working too hard so I adjust my tempo... I might work in more punches and fewer kicks to decrease my energy expenditure and thus reduce the physical "stress".

Hope that helps.

[solitarymonkey]

well, i've tried out your tip on shaking your shoulders and jogging for the last 2 weeks, and i can honestly say that both my sensei's have seen a drastic improvement in my sparring. i even freaked one out with the speed i approached him with and my rapid attacks.

so i'd like to say thank you!! it's my 2nd tournament in 7 days, and hopefully, i'll make it a lot further than i did last time.

cheers!! and all the best on your journey, too

[Bridge]

Fantastic, thanks for the update. I am very happy those tips helped you. I am sure you will do well in competition, please let us know how it turns out.

[solitarymonkey]

i most certainly will do thank you

[Groinstrike]

Breathing exercises, meditation, visualization

[Lee M]

This might help on proper breathing to help you stay relaxed.

http://martialartsforselfdefense.com/proper-breathing-technique/

[Montana]

I've always found a couple of shots of Yukon Jack really loosens me up...wait, JUST KIDDING!

Practice and more practice..with awareness of what you're doibng and making a conscience effort to relax should work. It takes time to be relaxed in a fight.

[sensei8]

Breathing exercises, meditation, visualization

Ditto and A LOT OF SPARRING. I say A LOT OF SPARRING because a lot of time, imho, people are tensed because they feel inferior to their opponent, and that translates into losing the match.

We can be our worse enemy.

[yamesu]

This is a common issue, and I think if anyone tells you they didnt suffer from it for some time when they first started they are fibbing to you!

I find that after some time, I have learnt to put myself into what I can only describe as a "Zen" state of mind.... Nothing else matters except me and my sparring partner or opponent. Its weird, but its like a state of total concentration, which I achieve with nothing else but meditations.

I agree with the previous posters, to overcome this, the only thing to do is practice more and more. Practice until you are comfortable.

Also - I dont know what sort of tournament it is, but if it is full contact, I would not recommend doing any full contact sparring for the two weeks prior to the day... Dont want to sustain any injury that will carry over to the ring!

GOOD LUCK FOR SEPTEMBER!!!!

Let us know how you go