sparring stances... to bounce or to not bounce

[AdamKralic]

I will say this: I do not like bouncing straight up n down. That makes no sense to me. Bouncing a inch forward and backward does make sense to me. Better yet? Being bounce-y yet unpredictable. Vary the bounces. Distances. Rhythm. Angle.

IMHO if you get a natural feel for semi-random bouncing...and use that with fakes...you can get 1/2 way into a technique before they react.

[MasterPain]

If you want to touch someone in point sparring to score, bouncing around is helpful. If you want to put someone's nose through their occipital bone, you're going to want a firm connection to the ground.

[brickshooter]

Bouncing can be perceived as masking and fainting to cover your intended technique; but in my Opinion, bouncing can telegraph your technique even more, your thoughts?

It depends on the fighter. Some guys can hide it well. Instead of bouncing directly into an attack, they bounce into an angle before launching their attack. And that angle breaks up my defensive rhythm.

I think that if you fight the same guy over and over, you pick up his body language. But for tournament versus a new fighter, it's really unpredictable unless you've done some pre-fight scouting.

I used to bounce for the first 30 seconds with probes just to see how a fighter will set up his defense. Then stop the bounce before getting to the serious fighting.

[tallgeese]

I used to be rabidly anti-bouncing.

I'm with MP on this point, if you want good drive and solid position to work from, you have to be "seated" if you will in a stance. Grounded. This does not mean that your stance should be immobile, in fact, it should move and be designed for high levels of mobility. But it should be a structurally sound core from which to generate power at just about any point.

That said, I've more recently been modifying my view just a bit. I've had some exposure to JKD methods that utilize a single bounce or multiple bounces to help control angle and distance at kickboxing ranges.

The big difference between what I see most often in previous exposure to bouncing tactics and what I'm seeing with these experiments is the angle and directed movement. It's never bouncing for no reason, it's directed movement for a specific purpose.

That should go without saying, but I'm not certain that it does.

Still, on a whole, I like less rather than more bouncing. For my personal journey, the bounce has let me cut the occasional angle but more often it's let me control distance in while circling. However, the trade off is that I can always generate more power (for attack) or frame (for defense) if I'm more grounded with my stance work.

So I've moved from an "absolutely no bouncing" position to more of a moderately anti-bouncing thought process.

[student_karateka]

I have a couple of vids showing me spar on youtube. What I do in the video comes most naturally to me as far as bouncing is concerned. I'm the one in the red helmet.

sparring with a fellow white belt (point sparring)

sparring with a black belt (free sparring)

So I would make the case that not bouncing does not necessarily translate into less mobility and that it's more of a stylistic difference.

[brickshooter]

I have a couple of vids showing me spar on youtube. What I do in the video comes most naturally to me as far as bouncing is concerned. I'm the one in the red helmet.

sparring with a fellow white belt (point sparring)

sparring with a black belt (free sparring)

So I would make the case that not bouncing does not necessarily translate into less mobility and that it's more of a stylistic difference.

I think that as a white belt, you're sampling things and getting your feet wet. It's too early to come to conclusions on what works and not because you're not sure of what your physical limits are.

Therefore at this time, just keep an open mind and open ears to what your instructor has to say since he can see you better than you can see you.

[DWx]

Bouncing is partly down to personal choice and partly down to what your style teaches and what you are comfortable with. IMHO neither is wrong if utilized correctly.

Bouncing on the balls of your feet gives you better mobility and allows you to move in to attack and out of the way quickly but not bouncing gives you a strong base and lets you transfer the power and absorb blows better.

Personally, my style teaches me to bounce for mobility but at the point of connecting with a blow or taking a shot, to lock the stance and root. This methodology is even reciprocated in our forms that we practice. All the top ITF TKD fighters fight like this.

[student_karateka]

I think that as a white belt, you're sampling things and getting your feet wet. It's too early to come to conclusions on what works and not because you're not sure of what your physical limits are.

Therefore at this time, just keep an open mind and open ears to what your instructor has to say since he can see you better than you can see you.

I have a purple belt in another style, actually, but what you said probably still applies.

Definitely am receptive to what the instructors say as well as what people here are saying. Thanks to everyone here for your feedback.

It kind of sounds like both bouncing and not bouncing each have their own set of pros and cons. My first sensei would not bounce during sparring and so that is what I'm used to.

I definitely also need to figure out how to be more explosive, which I'm hearing that bouncing could help me with.

[Harkon72]

As you say, it's personal preference. I personally don't bounce; I advance and move into range linearly, I make my opponent move the way I want them to, and when I see a target, I hit it. Move back and your opponent has more space for their technique; advance and move forward as much as you can. Make no space for them, when they move forward; meet them, when they retreat; attack, attack, ATTACK!

[student_karateka]

As you say, it's personal preference. I personally don't bounce; I advance and move into range linearly, I make my opponent move the way I want them to, and when I see a target, I hit it. Move back and your opponent has more space for their technique; advance and move forward as much as you can. Make no space for them, when they move forward; meet them, when they retreat; attack, attack, ATTACK!

I still have a long way to go. I'm working on timing my footwork, hand work, hips, breathing, mind and awareness all coming together in the right sequence.

Your advice is really helpful. I will do my best to incorporate that into my technique.