Kumite. Limits?

[sensei8]

Just how one is taught Kumite is vital as it being taught in the first place. Limitations are derived from their Sensei/Instructor's lack of knowledge/experience; the student body is the product of their Sensei/Instructor.

It might seem to be a silly question but do the instructors teach Kumite ?! How they should teach it because in both dojos I have attended they just say Kumite time get your gloves on and start 1 or 2 min rounds .... that's it, is that how it's supposed to be ?!

Yes!! The CI instructs everything, while the instructors support the teachings of the CI!!

If the CI isn't physically teaching Kumite, that doesn't mean that that CI isn't teaching Kumite. Observations of a CI are vitally important element of teaching. Sees things, then corrects things; this is the CI teaching Kumite.

[pers]

We don't do a lot of sparring, but when I attend one of our larger seminars there is a tendency to have a kumite session, where you get 2 mins per opponent and keep rotating. As a low-kyu student I've seen short tempers, badly aimed kicks and very little in the way of proper techniques.

When engaging kumite, it seems most revert to body punches, front and side kicks and not much else. Punch, punch kick, etc. Why not Empi, Uraken, Shuto? Takedowns don't seem common, neither do proper blocking technique - it's all parried away rather than a full powerful block.

Is it because the techniques are too dangerous to use without lots of control? Is there a question I should be asking about what is and isn't acceptable in kumite before the session?

As you mentioned that you are a low kyu grade you should concentrate on building a strong foundation by practicing your basic techniques ,they take a while to master .

Like gaining any skill there are no short cuts ,you have to put in the time to master them and execute them well while you are doing the basics you should also get to put them into practice against a live partner , just scoring a basic chudan zuki or a front kick take a good while but it will happen with time when you put in the months and years of pratice .

techniques like empi and hizageri are too dangerous to be practised in kumite by lower grades , even brown belts can be quite lethal with them as they are still in a stage of mastering control and relaxation .

kumite practice varies from club to club depending on the instructors and their own knowlgede and level so we can't paint them all with the same brush .

In an ideal dojo enviroemtn as someone else said there are no winners or losers but I like to add they are both winners as long as they understand they are both helping each other to imrove their technique .

Even in basic or free ippon kumite where you declare what you are attacking with you attack your opponent with speed and power and try and score on him you are not only improving your own technique but helping your club mate to polish his defences and improve his technique , so no matter who wins they are both gaining .

Afterall ,it is not losing a point in the dojo that matters but not losing the battle outside the dojo that matters !

My own experience we were always watched and guided and corrected in our kumite training , many times with a call of yame by sensei for a quick gather around and demontsration of a point he wanted to make with a live demo .

[Safroot]

Just how one is taught Kumite is vital as it being taught in the first place. Limitations are derived from their Sensei/Instructor's lack of knowledge/experience; the student body is the product of their Sensei/Instructor.

It might seem to be a silly question but do the instructors teach Kumite ?! How they should teach it because in both dojos I have attended they just say Kumite time get your gloves on and start 1 or 2 min rounds .... that's it, is that how it's supposed to be ?!

Yes!! The CI instructs everything, while the instructors support the teachings of the CI!!

If the CI isn't physically teaching Kumite, that doesn't mean that that CI isn't teaching Kumite. Observations of a CI are vitally important element of teaching. Sees things, then corrects things; this is the CI teaching Kumite.

So observing & correcting is the way of teaching kumite ?! But how this happens when you have 4 or 5 partners sparring at the same time ?!

[sensei8]

Just how one is taught Kumite is vital as it being taught in the first place. Limitations are derived from their Sensei/Instructor's lack of knowledge/experience; the student body is the product of their Sensei/Instructor.

It might seem to be a silly question but do the instructors teach Kumite ?! How they should teach it because in both dojos I have attended they just say Kumite time get your gloves on and start 1 or 2 min rounds .... that's it, is that how it's supposed to be ?!

Yes!! The CI instructs everything, while the instructors support the teachings of the CI!!

If the CI isn't physically teaching Kumite, that doesn't mean that that CI isn't teaching Kumite. Observations of a CI are vitally important element of teaching. Sees things, then corrects things; this is the CI teaching Kumite.

So observing & correcting is the way of teaching kumite ?! But how this happens when you have 4 or 5 partners sparring at the same time ?!

Yes, observing and correcting IS the way of teaching Kumite, but by far, not the only way to teach Kumite. Drill after drill are found in a curriculum, and then there's the personal experience that the CI has. To watch...to correct...without those, students have no compass to guide them; that ability is quite evident in any group class with the CI's eyes darting here and there, and when it's necessary to do so, correcting the observed errors. Depending the level of the students, depends on the Kumite drills.

Not all CI's teach Kumite the same way; be thankful for that!!

It's far more easy to do than one might think for a CI to do; it's the steak and eggs of a CI's teaching ability across the board. Teaching is akin to putting out a fire, but only one fire at a time. With a CI, the observing and correcting is as normal as when the CI is tying his/her shoelaces...or brushing his/her teeth...or opening and shutting a door.

[bushido_man96]

I agree with Bob, observing and correcting is a good way of teaching sparring. The practiced eye of a good instructor will be able to see what a student is doing, and be able to call out corrections in-match for them to try to make. Better yet, during in-class sparring, the instructor can let sparring go for a while, observe what students need to address, and then stop the sparring and initiate some drills practice to get the students the idea of what he is seeing and what they can fix.

[Safroot]

Just how one is taught Kumite is vital as it being taught in the first place. Limitations are derived from their Sensei/Instructor's lack of knowledge/experience; the student body is the product of their Sensei/Instructor.

It might seem to be a silly question but do the instructors teach Kumite ?! How they should teach it because in both dojos I have attended they just say Kumite time get your gloves on and start 1 or 2 min rounds .... that's it, is that how it's supposed to be ?!

Yes!! The CI instructs everything, while the instructors support the teachings of the CI!!

If the CI isn't physically teaching Kumite, that doesn't mean that that CI isn't teaching Kumite. Observations of a CI are vitally important element of teaching. Sees things, then corrects things; this is the CI teaching Kumite.

So observing & correcting is the way of teaching kumite ?! But how this happens when you have 4 or 5 partners sparring at the same time ?!

Yes, observing and correcting IS the way of teaching Kumite, but by far, not the only way to teach Kumite. Drill after drill are found in a curriculum, and then there's the personal experience that the CI has. To watch...to correct...without those, students have no compass to guide them; that ability is quite evident in any group class with the CI's eyes darting here and there, and when it's necessary to do so, correcting the observed errors. Depending the level of the students, depends on the Kumite drills.

Not all CI's teach Kumite the same way; be thankful for that!!

It's far more easy to do than one might think for a CI to do; it's the steak and eggs of a CI's teaching ability across the board. Teaching is akin to putting out a fire, but only one fire at a time. With a CI, the observing and correcting is as normal as when the CI is tying his/her shoelaces...or brushing his/her teeth...or opening and shutting a door.

Thanks for the clarification sensei8

[Safroot]

Better yet, during in-class sparring, the instructor can let sparring go for a while, observe what students need to address, and then stop the sparring and initiate some drills practice to get the students the idea of what he is seeing and what they can fix.

That's exactly our Instructor has done last night