Starting out in Kumite

[bushido_man96]

When you say you haven't done any kumite, do you mean at all, or just in competition?

[grenage]

Hi there,

I mean at all, unfortunately.

[sensei8]

Hi there,

I mean at all, unfortunately.

Speak to your CI [Chief Instructor] to ask for MORE kumite time, starting with the most basics of kumite within your style. Imho, a style that steers away from kumite is so out to touch to any reality.

Spar...spar...spar...spar...spar...spar...ALL OF THE TIME!!

[bushido_man96]

Hi there,

I mean at all, unfortunately.

Speak to your CI [Chief Instructor] to ask for MORE kumite time, starting with the most basics of kumite within your style. Imho, a style that steers away from kumite is so out to touch to any reality.

Spar...spar...spar...spar...spar...spar...ALL OF THE TIME!!

I agree. At the rank you are at, I should think you should have done some form of sparring by now. Especially if you plan on attending tournaments. Why don't you spar in class?

[sensei8]

Hi there,

I mean at all, unfortunately.

Speak to your CI [Chief Instructor] to ask for MORE kumite time, starting with the most basics of kumite within your style. Imho, a style that steers away from kumite is so out to touch to any reality.

Spar...spar...spar...spar...spar...spar...ALL OF THE TIME!!

I agree. At the rank you are at, I should think you should have done some form of sparring by now. Especially if you plan on attending tournaments. Why don't you spar in class?

If you don't ever spar/kumite, then how are you going to be able to defend yourself? Things like timing and distancing, for example; everything needed will escape you when the critical moment is upon you.

Tournaments are as close as one can get to a real fight under rules and regulations. FAMILIARITY! That will be lost if one never spars/kumite much or ever!!

Imho!!

[username19853]

When I was training for my first tournament, my Sensei had me practice one move in particular. A sliding lead leg round kick, followed by a lead hand strike to the face (faking it), followed by a rear hand chest punch. The kick was to close some distance, the lead hand lunch was to baffle the opponent because nobody wants to get hit in the face, or at least get them to lean back a bit, and the rear hand punch was to score the point. Otherwise, he had me get use to moving around on my feet a lot, moving on angles instead of straight back.

Practicing that combo a lot kind of gave me a building block for other combinations, or at least give me something to go off of. I recommend practicing combinations on a bag, in the air and on a sparring partner! The hardest part was just getting used to moving around with an opponent.

I came in first place for Kata and second place for Kumite 😁

[Johnbo]

I would be worried if I had been training for a year and hadn't done any sparring, we spar pretty much every class, first hour kata and kihon, second kumite, always for a score.

I wouldn't suggest entering a tournament if you have done zero sparring, that's just asking for a 9-0,

[JR 137]

Keep in mind that there's many different ways of sparring. Free sparring (which I think everyone's getting at here), one step, coreographed, etc. If you're standing in front of (behind, etc.) a person and techniques are being exchanged, no matter how fast, slow, predetermined or not, it's a form of sparring.

So unless the OP has never practiced any techniques against a partner in any way, basically doing 100% of his material against the air with no partner, he's sparred.

I completely agree with the feelings of the thread though - why would you enter a tournament unprepared? Never doing the type of sparring beforehand makes about as much sense as performing a kata in a tournament you've never done before.

I can picture it now...

Sensei: Here's your gear, now get out there!

Student: What am I supposed to do?

Sensei: You'll figure it out.

Kata time...

Sensei: Do Kanku

Student: What's that?

Sensei: Don't think, just do!