How to develop sparring?

[xo-karate]

What kind of system do you have for teaching sparring?

We use restricted techniques and contacts areas. First you are only allowed to use kicks like front kick, round house kick and side kick and punches, but only to core ( no head contact). Next step is all kicks and also head and final step is also bindings and locks.

[joesteph]

I don't teach, but when I studied for a couple of months in a fighting school, Shihan was strict about no facial contact. We wore helmets and could get a backfist to a helmet area, which might even be right over your forehead, so we did keep our guard up, and even head contact was expected to be light. And it wasn't point sparring; it was continuous and fun.

What's funny is that he let people like me, who are low kickers and will wind up kicking below the waistline, exchange Muay Thai kicks to the upper legs. We wore gear, so nobody was hurt. If someone studied there for awhile, he permitted takedowns, although they were in such a manner that you didn't actually seize you sparring partner. It was all nongrabbing leverage.

I left the school due to health reasons, so I left on good terms. One thing's for sure, I learned how to fight better in two months than in two years in a noncontact school I'd attended previously.

[xo-karate]

thank's joesteph for sharing,

I did semicontact karate earlier - 25 years a go:-) and joined Han Moo Do school just a month a go. In Han Moo Do sparring there is no breaks, it's continues fighting. It really takes your wind, as I was used to karate, where you are interrupted all the time by the referee.

I noticed that continues sparring is better for a senior how reactions are not the same as 30 years a go. If you miss the first conterattact, you can still continue. In point sparring referee would have stopped and called the point.

About developing sparring I remember we used a drill where you had to keep your arm strait ( extended) all the time. It was like sword play - punching with a strait arm - idea was to develop a sense of distance and learn to move with your legs.

[ninjanurse]

I know this is an old thread but a recent post on a related subject brought me back here and I thought it warranted a second look.

I have definite progression for teaching sparring to my students. White belts are never allowed contact but learn footwork and drills along with the other students. We have pre-set kicking combinations and sparring tactics-much like step sparring-to start patterning them to move and react to a partner. By the time they are promoted and are allowed to spar they have a few solid tactics & techniques they can use.

New drills & sets are introduced at each level and we spend a lot of time working those drills with contact so they become comfortable hitting and being hit. We have a Free Sparring Day at least once every 2 weeks but most of the time we drill, drill, drill!

We use four levels of contact to teach control: No contact, Touch Contact, Light Contact, and Full Contact

Looking forward to reading what others do in their school!

[Kuma]

In my Kyokushin training I've seen some pretty reasonable approaches to sparring. For the beginner, they often partake in both sanbon kumite (three step sparring) and light contact sparring with another student with limited techniques (i.e. all punches to body are allowed, but only one kick is allowed, usually whatever was worked on that day). As the student progresses they include ippon kumite and the sparring becomes more open and/or harder, depending on the student and how they want to train. From there the usual knockdown sparring is then practiced the most, but often progresses to other types of sparring (i.e. permitting gloves for head strikes, or "body conditioning" sparring where it's all body punches and low kicks to condition yourself).

[DWx]

We work up to free sparring by getting students to do one-for-one sparring (taking it in turns to do one technique), then expanding this up to semi-free sparring (where they are taking it in turns to do combinations), before letting them free spar. Contact levels also increase over time, starting from no contact/touch contact and building up to heavy contact for the more advanced students.

[BladeSmartNY]

You have to learn techniques before any sparring. Otherwise it's the blind fighting the blind.

[Lee M]

First drillls that isolate skills i.e - Specific Attack and Counter.

Then integrate with other attacks and counters in freeplay.

Building to limited sparring to the body only.

[Montana]

I toss my new students into the wolves usually within the first few classes. They always spar with me first, then are paired against an advanced student and allowed to throw some techniques while the advanced students coaches and encourages them.

It's the way I was taught way back when, and it's worked well for the last 30 years.

[sensei8]

I toss my new students into the wolves usually within the first few classes. They always spar with me first, then are paired against an advanced student and allowed to throw some techniques while the advanced students coaches and encourages them.

It's the way I was taught way back when, and it's worked well for the last 30 years.

Ditto!! Yes, we also do many different Kumite drills, 1-step/2-step etc, to sharpen other many facilities.