New Sparring session ... New experiences

[Safroot]

in terms of fighting taller opponents you want to get closer in to fight them. But i do recognise that you do kyokushin so this wouldn't really work all the time as they would be able to strike your head. But like previously mentioned use your angles because the more angles you use on top of going forwards and backwards they won't be able to predict your movement

I will try to do my best to improve my understanding and using angels while sparring ... it will be a tough one though

[Dani_001]

Tai Sabaki can be a difficult concept to grasp at first. Learn your stances and evasion techniques in all directions. Imagine yourself as a compass. So when stepping in or out, evading in or out you will know exactly where you need to be. I know this sounds vague, but I hope it helps.

[sensei8]

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=tai+sabaki&FORM=HDRSC3#view=detail&mid=98B0C9A69A2AFA884C6F98B0C9A69A2AFA884C6F

That video is amazing ... i have to for you sharing it but which karate style is it ???

That's Higaonna Sensei, and he's one of the foremost authorities of Goju-ryu!

[Safroot]

Tai Sabaki can be a difficult concept to grasp at first. Learn your stances and evasion techniques in all directions. Imagine yourself as a compass. So when stepping in or out, evading in or out you will know exactly where you need to be. I know this sounds vague, but I hope it helps.

I will try

[Safroot]

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=tai+sabaki&FORM=HDRSC3#view=detail&mid=98B0C9A69A2AFA884C6F98B0C9A69A2AFA884C6F

That video is amazing ... i have to for you sharing it but which karate style is it ???

That's Higaonna Sensei, and he's one of the foremost authorities of Goju-ryu!

Thanks for clarification Sensei8

[Dani_001]

Tai Sabaki can be a difficult concept to grasp at first. Learn your stances and evasion techniques in all directions. Imagine yourself as a compass. So when stepping in or out, evading in or out you will know exactly where you need to be. I know this sounds vague, but I hope it helps.

I will try

I was texting from my phone this afternoon, I never saw that the tai sabaki vids were added lol. However, I did mention them without no knowledge of the links.

#martial spirit.

OSU!

[bushido_man96]

Today was my 3rd sparring session in the dojo .. it was 7 rounds

2x 30 sec, 3x 1 min & 2x 1.5 min with 20 sec break before each one .... ahhhhh I was dying

I was much more better than previous ones and started to apply combinations as much as I can but still struggling with it.

I have discovered 4 new problems that I need your advice about:

1- I found myself leaning forward to punch and expose my upper chest for punches & if I don't lean, my punches will be weak or even might not reach my opponent.

Even if you are leaning, your punches probably still aren't that strong. Stop leaning, and learn to use your hips to generate power. This will help make your punches stronger. Make sure you get good penetration on the strikes, too.

2- I don't change my stance frequently and this was spotted out by my Sensei, I feel like I forget to change it ... my Sensei told me if we are doing it full force after 3 kicks on the same leg I might not be able to stand and that's why it's important to change stance frequently.

I'm guessing here you mean switching from right leg back to left leg back. I can see his point, but I don't think a lot of Thai fighters switch their stance that frequently. Try to check the kicks by lifting your leg to block them. When the kick comes, circle away from it, perhaps.

If you do want to switch stances, then you really have to force yourself to do so. If you are right handed, start your sparring sessions in the opposite stance, and force yourself to attack from that stance. It will get more comfortable the more you do it.

3- I sparred with a tall guy (190-195 cm) and myself is (172 cm). punches doesn't reach him and kicks might reach but will be weak and I feel like standing far away from him. How can you spar with a taller opponent ??

Learn to cut in angles. If a back leg round kick is coming towards you, blocking while backing up doesn't do you a bit of good. Instead, block, and step at a 45 degree angle towards him, circling in toward him.

Here's the scenario: he is right leg back, you are right leg back. He throws the back leg round kick. Instead of backing away and blocking, get the block up and step at a 45 degree angle forward and to your right with your right leg. This defends the kick, and puts you closer to him, instead of farther away where his range kills you. It should put you in a good position to follow up with punches and kicks. I hope that makes sense. If you guys are in open stance, alter the steps accordingly; you may have to take the step with your front leg to an angle. Experiment.

4- I couldn't take my breath after 30-45 seconds of sparring !!

Conditioning. Spend some time doing some wind sprints or some cardio. More sparring will help, too. It comes with time. I've never had great endurance, either.

Just keep working hard, and it will all come together for you in time.

[Safroot]

Today was my 3rd sparring session in the dojo .. it was 7 rounds

2x 30 sec, 3x 1 min & 2x 1.5 min with 20 sec break before each one .... ahhhhh I was dying

I was much more better than previous ones and started to apply combinations as much as I can but still struggling with it.

I have discovered 4 new problems that I need your advice about:

1- I found myself leaning forward to punch and expose my upper chest for punches & if I don't lean, my punches will be weak or even might not reach my opponent.

Even if you are leaning, your punches probably still aren't that strong. Stop leaning, and learn to use your hips to generate power. This will help make your punches stronger. Make sure you get good penetration on the strikes, too.

2- I don't change my stance frequently and this was spotted out by my Sensei, I feel like I forget to change it ... my Sensei told me if we are doing it full force after 3 kicks on the same leg I might not be able to stand and that's why it's important to change stance frequently.

I'm guessing here you mean switching from right leg back to left leg back. I can see his point, but I don't think a lot of Thai fighters switch their stance that frequently. Try to check the kicks by lifting your leg to block them. When the kick comes, circle away from it, perhaps.

If you do want to switch stances, then you really have to force yourself to do so. If you are right handed, start your sparring sessions in the opposite stance, and force yourself to attack from that stance. It will get more comfortable the more you do it.

3- I sparred with a tall guy (190-195 cm) and myself is (172 cm). punches doesn't reach him and kicks might reach but will be weak and I feel like standing far away from him. How can you spar with a taller opponent ??

Learn to cut in angles. If a back leg round kick is coming towards you, blocking while backing up doesn't do you a bit of good. Instead, block, and step at a 45 degree angle towards him, circling in toward him.

Here's the scenario: he is right leg back, you are right leg back. He throws the back leg round kick. Instead of backing away and blocking, get the block up and step at a 45 degree angle forward and to your right with your right leg. This defends the kick, and puts you closer to him, instead of farther away where his range kills you. It should put you in a good position to follow up with punches and kicks. I hope that makes sense. If you guys are in open stance, alter the steps accordingly; you may have to take the step with your front leg to an angle. Experiment.

4- I couldn't take my breath after 30-45 seconds of sparring !!

Conditioning. Spend some time doing some wind sprints or some cardio. More sparring will help, too. It comes with time. I've never had great endurance, either.

Just keep working hard, and it will all come together for you in time.

Thank you so much for your time and very beneficial advice for sure I will try it in my next session .. It will take time though but I am not in a hurry I want to develop near perfect techniques whatever the rate of progress is

[Safroot]

Today's sparring session was all about using angles which we have been discussing on this thread last week, Lucky me

but it's really very hard to apply it especially when you are new as you find yourself lost with all things that you need to concentrate on during sparring it needs high level of mental coordination I guess & this will take time for sure but pretty confident that one day I can do it

[jaypo]

One thing that helped me (and it may sound silly) is that I try to get myself positioned behind my opponent as frequently as possible. For example, when practicing 1 step drills, say the attacker is stepping and punching chudan. Instead of stepping back and blocking from the outside, step to the side with your block on the outside of his arm. You'll find yourself at his side. If you take a sharper angle, you can position yourself straight behind him. While sparring, I try to circle around a lot, and when I am able to block/deflect a technique (especially when they commit 100%), I am usually in a pretty good position. I was sparring a Nidan the other day, and I must have caught him with about 10 attacks to his back/kidneys.