mazzybear Posted February 11, 2014 Posted February 11, 2014 When it comes to sparring at my club I always try to pair up with a black belt (I'm 5th Kyu) I feel it's easier to learn that way. If I'm sparring with someone around my own grade it's like the two of us make the same mistakes and they're harder to pick up on, whereas with the black belts they'll point out where I can make improvements. I've taken a few sore knocks but it all adds to the experience.M. Be water, my friend.
CredoTe Posted February 11, 2014 Posted February 11, 2014 When it comes to sparring at my club I always try to pair up with a black belt (I'm 5th Kyu) I feel it's easier to learn that way. If I'm sparring with someone around my own grade it's like the two of us make the same mistakes and they're harder to pick up on, whereas with the black belts they'll point out where I can make improvements. I've taken a few sore knocks but it all adds to the experience.M.Absolutely... In our dojo, we rarely allow kyu-grade students to spar each other due to what you've pointed out, but also because a sparring match between them usually becomes a contest of egos and people get hurt (because their egos take them out of control). Not always, but usually...The only kyu-grade students we consider allowing sparring each other are 1st-kyus; rarely, we've allowed 2nd-kyus to spar other kyus, but these are on case-by-case basis.When we do kumite, the instructors are the aggressors/"sparring dummies" almost all the time. Our 1st-kyu students serve as backup to give us a breather once every dozen matches or so. They do their best to do exactly what you mentioned - help point out improvements. Remember the Tii!In Life and Death, there is no tap-out...
mazzybear Posted February 11, 2014 Posted February 11, 2014 Absolutely... In our dojo, we rarely allow kyu-grade students to spar each other due to what you've pointed out, but also because a sparring match between them usually becomes a contest of egos and people get hurt (because their egos take them out of control). Not always, but usually...So true, especially with the younger students. I've witnessed some of the juniors completely lose the plot. What starts off as minimal contact quickly descends into choas because one scored on the other and they can't handle it. My sensei has to step in and reprimand them for total lack of self control. I took a crack to the nose a few weeks ago, while my ego (and my nose) may have been bruised, it taught me to move and counter quicker M. Be water, my friend.
Safroot Posted February 11, 2014 Author Posted February 11, 2014 Seriously do fight more, and then do some more!This is a learning process you never complete..ever!Its not a race, take time to understand why and what you are doing when you are doing it!The fight will teach the mind to react to the movement of the other guy, be this the shoulder or hip etc and over time you will naturally move in response to the movement, long before you realized you actually moved at all!The shoulder dropping might indicate the desire to punch, or how they set up to do a low kick, what you need to learn and remember is that they are all tells, and the things you learn when fighting and then more fighting the more you learn!The great thing about tells is everyone has them you will over time learn to spot them and when you see them react to them.Soon after this moment in your journey you will start to faint/trigger your opponent to give you there tell and when they do you go to work! Tells are none negotiable worth more than diamonds and are never to be given away cheaply!Very solid post as usual, thanks so much:) "The Martial Arts begin with a point and end in a circle." Sosai Mas Oyama founder of Kyokushin Karate.
CredoTe Posted February 11, 2014 Posted February 11, 2014 ...I took a crack to the nose a few weeks ago, while my ego (and my nose) may have been bruised, it taught me to move and counter quicker M. I think this might a universal MA experience... Remember the Tii!In Life and Death, there is no tap-out...
Safroot Posted February 12, 2014 Author Posted February 12, 2014 When it comes to sparring at my club I always try to pair up with a black belt (I'm 5th Kyu) I feel it's easier to learn that way. If I'm sparring with someone around my own grade it's like the two of us make the same mistakes and they're harder to pick up on, whereas with the black belts they'll point out where I can make improvements. I've taken a few sore knocks but it all adds to the experience.M.Yes my sensei asked a 2nd Dan to do it with me "The Martial Arts begin with a point and end in a circle." Sosai Mas Oyama founder of Kyokushin Karate.
Harkon72 Posted February 12, 2014 Posted February 12, 2014 Always stay safe while sparring, trust is something you develop. The high grades are always very good, it's the beginners that can hurt you Look to the far mountain and see all.
Canadian77 Posted March 8, 2014 Posted March 8, 2014 Safroot I completely know what you mean - I felt totally lost (at my first time sparring last night) too. It was overwhelming. There is so much to think about - protecting yourself, finding an opening, trying a technique (and I'm still working on those techniques in the first place), blocking...it was too much and I couldn't do more than one at a time - obviously that doesn't work in sparring. I also felt unprepared in that I didn't understand any of the rules. One of te black belts I sparred with said you aren't supposed to hit the back. I had no idea. My reaction time is slow and my moves are slower. I felt like an elementary student in a university class. So it sounds like you are already doing much better than me! Hopefully we can look back on this thread at some point in the future and see how far we've come! For myself I don think I could do much worse!
Safroot Posted March 8, 2014 Author Posted March 8, 2014 Safroot I completely know what you mean - I felt totally lost (at my first time sparring last night) too. It was overwhelming. There is so much to think about - protecting yourself, finding an opening, trying a technique (and I'm still working on those techniques in the first place), blocking...it was too much and I couldn't do more than one at a time - obviously that doesn't work in sparring. I also felt unprepared in that I didn't understand any of the rules. One of te black belts I sparred with said you aren't supposed to hit the back. I had no idea. My reaction time is slow and my moves are slower. I felt like an elementary student in a university class. So it sounds like you are already doing much better than me! Hopefully we can look back on this thread at some point in the future and see how far we've come! For myself I don think I could do much worse! I think it's normal for the first time ... My advice is practice .. practice... practice .... That's the advice I got from everyone in this forum & completely agree with it ... Good luck in ur next ones "The Martial Arts begin with a point and end in a circle." Sosai Mas Oyama founder of Kyokushin Karate.
sensei8 Posted March 8, 2014 Posted March 8, 2014 Approach sparring like a friend, imho, that's what it is. For some, sparring is a scary thing, and for others, it's not.Listen carefully to your CI to work out the things that are difficult, new, and/or scary. Many styles start their students out with varies step-sparring drills before jiyu for several reasons; none will be the same.Relax, learn your footwork, move around, breath, try not to run, kiai, learn different combinations, learn transitions, etc. The more you spar, the more acclimated you'll be to it across the board. It's not going to be, are you going to get hit during sparring? It's more like, when, because contact happens in jiyu.Hang in there, and RELAX!! Spar different class mates because you'll see different things. Attack the openings, even the smallest of openings. **Proof is on the floor!!!
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