Amateur full contact

[JusticeZero]

Walls can only help structure insofar as you slowly extend the punch into the wall and try to push the wall down to see where your structure is weakest. A makiwara is better suited for it. Punching bags are a more appropriate target to practice throwing punches into at speed.

There are a lot of fiddly details about legs and hips and spine involved in punching, these vary from one art to another for various intercompatibility reasons and so your teacher is best to explain them.

Then, you get better at punching by practicing the form of the punch until it all becomes internalized and natural, while strengthening your structure of your hand and wrist to be able to support the forces of the punch.

[Deshikyle]

I've been training for about a year and my 100lb hanging bag makes a world of difference. It's hanging in a position when i can circle around it to simulate a spar situation. Really does help me get used to sliding in and out of striking distance and get the feel of connecting punches and kicks to a solid target.

Though, in our dojo we NEVER spar at 100%, we spar open hand or with hand/foot/head gear on.

-another thing is if I'm really getting into it i can gauge my power. If I'm kicking and punching hard enough to get this bag swaying good, i know that's MUCH too hard to be connecting with one of my dojo-mates.

[yamesu]

Noone ever became a pro at skydiving by eating watermelons if you catch my drift.

You're right, they take a class, learn a bunch of stuff in the classroom, and then make their first jump. Of course, that jump has them attached to an instructor and is at low altitude.

Sparring that hard that early is like going to skydiving school, and on the first day they tell you to pack your own chute, strap an oxygen mask to you, and tell you to perform HALO jump.

They didnt give me a class (I feel ripped off!) just a quick briefing while putting the gear on... Then i ate watermelons after my feet were back on the ground.

Seriously though - I agree, going all out from the get-go is not going to be totally productive (but then again, it has its place in some contexts - thats another discussion though). My point was more skewed at "if one wants to become proficient in sparring, then the best bet is to do sparring".

[Groinstrike]

Noone ever became a pro at skydiving by eating watermelons if you catch my drift.

You're right, they take a class, learn a bunch of stuff in the classroom, and then make their first jump. Of course, that jump has them attached to an instructor and is at low altitude.

Sparring that hard that early is like going to skydiving school, and on the first day they tell you to pack your own chute, strap an oxygen mask to you, and tell you to perform HALO jump.

They didnt give me a class (I feel ripped off!) just a quick briefing while putting the gear on... Then i ate watermelons after my feet were back on the ground.

Seriously though - I agree, going all out from the get-go is not going to be totally productive (but then again, it has its place in some contexts - thats another discussion though). My point was more skewed at "if one wants to become proficient in sparring, then the best bet is to do sparring".

We tend to spar with our newer students fairly early in the process, however we rarely if ever let these students spar each other. We pair newer students with black belts or higher ranks that can control the action and keep things from getting out of hand.

IMHO having two white belts spar each other without adequate protective gear is asking for a bunch of trouble.

[Kuma]

Contact sparring isn't for everyone. I can understand going 100% for testing but not as part of a regular class. That said it depends on the system and school. To earn a yellow belt in Kyokushin in my organization you spar with knockdown rules for 10 continuous minutes, switching out opponets every few minutes. A different approach than most, but effective I feel.

As for getting better at sparring, work hard on your sparring drills and spar more. Just remember sparring is not competitive, it's a chance to learn. The minute you focus on "winning" in sparring is when you really lose a lot of the benefit.

[Kuma]

thank you everyone for their insights, all points taken,

on another note, how do i improve my punches? apart from practicing, how much does a punching bag actually help?

and i have heard some people talk about hitting on the walls, is that recommended?

To keep these answers simple:

(1) Work on your technique with your instructor and at home until you get it darn near perfect.

(2) Punching heavy bags is an excellent way to develop power in your strikes.

(3) Do not ever punch something more solid than yourself, as it will only damage you in the long run.

[rishimetawala]

Contact sparring isn't for everyone. I can understand going 100% for testing but not as part of a regular class. That said it depends on the system and school. To earn a yellow belt in Kyokushin in my organization you spar with knockdown rules for 10 continuous minutes, switching out opponets every few minutes. A different approach than most, but effective I feel.

As for getting better at sparring, work hard on your sparring drills and spar more. Just remember sparring is not competitive, it's a chance to learn. The minute you focus on "winning" in sparring is when you really lose a lot of the benefit.

we spar only once a month, its indeed not a part of the regular class, then we switch partners and we spar 2 times with a single partner, i would like to point out that, it was completely controlled and not completely what others believe that it was "noobs going full on, on each other"

now the next month we will be sparring jiu-jitsu

and about the punches, my technique is almost perfect, but while sparring i realized that my punches on impact lacked power, while in the air, it seems ok

[Kuma]

we spar only once a month, its indeed not a part of the regular class, then we switch partners and we spar 2 times with a single partner, i would like to point out that, it was completely controlled and not completely what others believe that it was "noobs going full on, on each other"

That sounds much better then.

and about the punches, my technique is almost perfect, but while sparring i realized that my punches on impact lacked power, while in the air, it seems ok

After a month of training I think it's pretty fair to say your punches are definitely not 'almost perfect' at this point. I first learned how to punch about two decades ago and I still don't have perfect technique. If your punch was almost perfect it would also be very powerful as well. Give it some time.

[rishimetawala]

we spar only once a month, its indeed not a part of the regular class, then we switch partners and we spar 2 times with a single partner, i would like to point out that, it was completely controlled and not completely what others believe that it was "noobs going full on, on each other"

That sounds much better then.

and about the punches, my technique is almost perfect, but while sparring i realized that my punches on impact lacked power, while in the air, it seems ok

After a month of training I think it's pretty fair to say your punches are definitely not 'almost perfect' at this point. I first learned how to punch about two decades ago and I still don't have perfect technique. If your punch was almost perfect it would also be very powerful as well. Give it some time.

Alright, my sensei told me the same thing