How to relax for sparring

[student_karateka]

I've been talking to my Sensei about this though I am quite interested in your opinion. My biggest foe when it comes to tournament sparring is failure to RELAX. What are your thoughts on this?

[sensei8]

A quite corner, those can be hard to find, but they're there. Once you find that quite corner, unwind to some soothing music. Some read a book, but for me, reading a book keeps my mind way to active when I'm trying to relax. Some find relaxation amongst friends; quite conversation. Some relax by watching the matches.

Me, I like to relax to some relaxing music.

[Judodad_karateson]

Well, before we go any further, we need to figure out the souse of your relaxation? Are you nervous about losing? Scare to get injuried? Scare of injurying your n opponent? Too pumped up from the thought of fighting? Do you put too much thought into your next move? What is the cause of the lack of relaxation?

[student_karateka]

I'm pushing too hard. I am rushing in. Trying to be more aggressive when it's in my nature to be a counterstriker. Nervous about losing. I haven't won a single sparring match yet at a tournament. It feels like test anxiety in a subject that I'm not strong in. For belt tests I am fine but now every time I spar, I am getting nervous.

[sensei8]

Well, before we go any further, we need to figure out the souse of your relaxation? Are you nervous about losing? Scare to get injuried? Scare of injurying your n opponent? Too pumped up from the thought of fighting? Do you put too much thought into your next move? What is the cause of the lack of relaxation?

SOLID POST!!

[DWx]

I'm pushing too hard. I am rushing in. Trying to be more aggressive when it's in my nature to be a counterstriker. Nervous about losing. I haven't won a single sparring match yet at a tournament. It feels like test anxiety in a subject that I'm not strong in. For belt tests I am fine but now every time I spar, I am getting nervous.

I can totally relate. I spend most of my matches thinking I'm losing and that I need to win more points that I go offensive all the time. When I watch the videos back it's clear I could have relaxed a bit more and conserved some energy.

Do you have a coach on the sideline feeding you info throughout the match? A good coach can make all the difference and I find I am so much more relaxed with one. Having someone to tell you to up it a gear or to back off makes a massive difference.

Also, try not to fixate on the winning. Of course it will be your end goal but I find it more realistic to focus on little goals instead which lead up to that one goal. So for me I try to get someone to video my fights and then win or lose I sit down and watch them and make a point of saying to myself what I did well and one or two focus areas for next time. If in my next tournament I've addressed those weak points, I count it as a "win", then eventually you get to the point where you are winning matches.

[student_karateka]

Thank you for your feedback!

It's actually against the rules to be coached by anyone during a match but I have video'ed most of my matches for later critiquing. Like I mentioned, I haven't won yet so they're all videos of losses. I need to really study how I lost. My Sensei urges me to relax and I have to talk to him more. Again, thank you!

[JR 137]

How many tournaments/matches have you competed in? If it's only a handful, don't be too hard on yourself. There's no shortcut to experience. No matter how much you train in and out of the dojo, there's no way to truly prepare for true competition against fully resisting opponents that you don't know. That doesn't mean your training isn't valuable; on the contrary it's essential. It just means it can't be truly simulated. Football teams run plays countless times, and coaches will even put crowd noise on speakers cranked up to 11 while they're practicing them. Come game time, not every play goes smoothly.

Bas Rutten had a great line - (paraphrasing) dojo training is like walking on a curb. Anyone can walk on a straight and relatively wide curb. Competition is like putting that same exact curb that you've walked on 1000 times 100 feet in the air without a safety net.

All the stuff mentioned previously can definitely help. I'd suggest trying some meditation. But ultimately, there's no substitute for experience. Compete more, and it should get easier.

[student_karateka]

Only six or so matches, maybe eight. I like the idea of meditating; I'm definitely going to try that.

[DWx]

Thank you for your feedback!

It's actually against the rules to be coached by anyone during a match but I have video'ed most of my matches for later critiquing. Like I mentioned, I haven't won yet so they're all videos of losses. I need to really study how I lost. My Sensei urges me to relax and I have to talk to him more. Again, thank you!

Ahh OK. You can have spectators cheer? Coaches don't have to be ringside, just within earshot. Don't feel obliged to but you can always post your videos for us to look at.

Also being a good sparrer is so much more than techniques. Most of it is footwork, positioning and ring craft. Watch some clips on YouTube of winning fighters in your style and watch the set ups and how they position themselves.

JR137's advice is good. You have to stress test yourself and practice over and over again and learn to control the adrenaline dump.