Sparring

[JusticeZero]

One guy actually described my situation exactly. I need to keep moving, cut corners, move on angles.

My problem is this is almost like another art in itself. I don't have the money to pay a boxing gym on top of the dojo fees, and there simply isn't enough dojo time.

A boxing gym would be counterproductive since you'd be drilling completely alien footwork. You need to drill this on your own time.

First, break down your form for all of the footwork in it. Everywhere in your form where you move a foot, drill those in combinations, just roam around using those for speed and accuracy and distance.

Now, get yourself a folding chair. That's your opponent. Using those steps, start running circles around the chair using only those movements, keeping your guard up and relevant to the chair. The chair is throwing punches and kicks and if you give it your back you are sunk.

In conjunction with the steps (not in between, at the same time as), throw out defenses and counterattacks. DO NOT PAUSE OR STOP. Do not repeat ANYTHING. Fade in, fade out, circle circle, left right left right.

Next exercise, put several chairs down. Do the same thing, but now and then shift your focus to an adjacent chair, as if your target had moved there. DO NOT TRIP OVER ANY OF THE OTHER CHAIRS.

Now is a paired drill. Block off a section of floor no more than ten feet across. Get someone else to spar with you and only count "ring out". But don't actually TOUCH each other, and you can't stop moving.

[maisweh]

this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nfe2tqid96k

[Harkon72]

That's a good freestyle drill, looks great when he speeds it up, thanks for sharing

[cheesefrysamurai]

That guy is great in that drill. I wish i could be that light on my feet.

Also it might be important to mention that we don't do point sparring. I am sure Sensei would love to see chudan blocks or jodan blocks, or oy tzukis but it looks a lot more like boxing. His Sensei's grandfather was an old school bareknuckle boxer and father a professional boxer so some of that made it into our training.

Its basically training for a fight, to understand body relation, get used to getting hit, attacking and defending.

[maisweh]

its worth noting, that "blocking" usually wont work very often. the best block is movement. pretty much the only block thats worked on a consisten basis is an open palm brushing block when moving to the back side of someone.

[cheesefrysamurai]

My problem isn't so much blocking, its more entering and not making myself a target

[Hawkmoon]

An old thread, but a good one.

Sparring is the best way to get better, to practice that movement you like that feels good, get that 'explosive' edge and get the win!

Have you considered training at another dojo (as in addition to) as well as your own dojo?

You get the extra sparring, and 'other' targets with different skill sets to work with to enhance your skills etc.

[jrharbar]

Well i think i can help

1. Don't ever shadow box (if you don't have the correct form yet)

It messes with you're distance and you will be punching and kicking air for a long time until your start sparring for real

2. Sand bag drills help a lot (remember to wrap your hands for this you don't what to mes up your wrists)

try this stand in forward stance (zenkutsu dachi) and do the following:

a. left mid punch, right mid punch, right round mid kick

b. right mid punch, left mid punch, left round mid kick

10 sets of each will help you gauge you're distance and try to maintain form always landing back (remember to keep you're defense up while you punch and kick) try to always finish a punch or kick about 2 to 3 inches behind the target.

3. sparring with new fighters is a good way to train, just smile and let him kick you a bit that way you can get used to getting hit, the more you get hit that more you aren't afraid of it

Sounds harsh but you'll learn fast

[Nidan Melbourne]

doing sparring on your own doesn't do much at all.

to get the necessary experience for sparring it has to be done with a partner, as you gain the knowledge and experience on how to combat those who are taller/shorter, heavier/lighter and how to stop their techniques.

I am not that tall yet heavy, and i fight people who are taller and that are lighter yet they often have difficulty to fight me purely because i evade get in close and make their life a living hell. But also helps them to learn how to stop that from occuring if that was ever going to happen in a real life situation

[AdamKralic]

Can you learn how to swim without water?

The question is the same. You could practice the strokes while perhaps lying on your belly, you could read a lot of articles online...etc.

But until you get in the water...no real progress.