Beginner Sparring
- Thread starter Azulx
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I tell them to try to use the techniques that they have been training. I don't make it about winning. I make it about striking, blocking, grappling, countering, and evading. Then I remind them about the basics, keep the hands up, and at the very least use the basic techniques of Jow Ga. In your case I guess it would be the basic techniques of Taekwondo.
Sparring should be seen as an opportunity to use techniques that the student has been training. If you are going to win, win with the system you train.
You don't even have them hit each other. Make them control the distance.
We try never to make sparring about winning. We stress the importance of trying to apply the specific things they're currently learning in class. We stress the importance of control and precision.
1. Safety first (protections, light contact, better "loose" than any injury...)
2. Relaxation, vision and thinking. Sparring is useless, in particular for a beginner, if he does not understand what is happening. If, at least, he sees how he is touched, at some point he will find a solution. If he does not see (understand) anything, he will freeze or have panic reactions forever...
3. The defence as a priority.
(While the points 2 & 3 may be relative, the 1st usually is consensual)
This is training to fail. Sparring is for striking... and striking without striking... is a bit of nonsense. Especially in close distance styles or situations. I know it is a quite common practice, but I would prefer very low speed. Sorry, I am repeating this again and again. But I truly believe it is the best way to start. Especially if there are dangerous or complex moves involved.
So, position is not important? What style are you in?
When did sparring become about striking? I missed the meeting.
Yep, there is much more than striking, in fact.When did sparring become about striking? I missed the meeting.
My point is I that prefer reducing the speed (as a flaw) than increasing the distances (as a flaw). Now the readers have 2 different opinions.
Let's keep the thread going well.
The idea is to teach what getting into position to strike, even is before you start punching them in the nose, for their trouble, but I will consider this approach.
The position is more important than the strike itself. I agree.The idea is to teach what getting into position to strike, even is before you start punching them in the nose, for their trouble, but I will consider this approach.
But how do you (or the beginner) know your position is right without the strike? An example: Last training I was 'miles' distance from a big guy (2+ metres?). I was thinking I was safe, but he still could jab me!! Without step in!
But again, let the thread go. I like this one and surely are more good advices to come.
That's cool. I'm letting it go, but it is about you and your striking distance, first.
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RTKDCMB
Senior Master
Why would absolute beginners be doing anything complex?
I should not comments the threads I like... But you caught me.
As for self defence (my focus) I like to allow every technique. Beginners should not be doing anything complex, in fact. But dangerous things, if done slowly, are not so dangerous, and the fight dynamics are 'as close to real' as possible in safety.
Anyone trying complex things should start slowly, after me. And basics may be already complex for beginners.... Semantics.
well, in our gym, unfortunately we do not sparr a lot, once in 2 or 3 weeks, even then not all of us sparr, our shifu will choose who are ready for sparring. and "some times" we only allowed to strike with certain moves. for example just kicking, takedowns and wrestling Or kicks, takedowns and punches but not punch in face etc etc. and we do it full contact, even beginners like me. but the thing is we are prepared for this. first we'll learn a technique, strike or whatever, slowly, but once we learned it we'll practice it full contact with our partners. for example, i throw a certain kick witch we learned before, and my partner try to counter it and take me down with a certain takedown witch we learned before, then my partner will kick and etc, and we do all of this with power. Or when we wanted to practice punching and blocking, we did it full contact, with teeth protection and stuff on (both persons allowed to throw punches). and beginners will try and focus so hard to learn how to block punches and throw punches ofc in very first practice, because they know, that punch going to hit them in the face if they dont block it, Or if they dont throw effective punches, their partner will continue punching. and yes i did take 3 or 4 punches, but i learned.
Edit: but the ones who do sparring, they have at least trained for something like 1.5 month.
Edit: but the ones who do sparring, they have at least trained for something like 1.5 month.
For the first few sparring sessions, their job is simple - to move, protect themselves, and only deliver strikes where they have a chance of landing. At all levels, good control is called for, so I start it here. We keep the first few sessions very calm and relatively slow and soft to give them a chance to get used to it and learn the rules of engagement:
- No face contact for beginners (they have lousy control, so this ensures they don't accidentally bloody a nose).
- Anything above the shoulders should be crisp but powerless (power can be added later once the control is in evidence).
- No punches to groins or women's breasts.
- No hard shots to the knee.
- Move at the same speed and intensity as your partner - the lower level determines everyone's level.
- Stay in control at all times. No apologies are needed unless you lose control.
- Watch your environment - stay on the mats. (This is training for later randori, where throws are used, and advanced randori where both throws and strikes are included.)
- Challenge yourself and your partner as much as you safely can.
- Either partner can request any additional restrictions, either for safety (existing injuries, etc.) or to work on a specific area (no kicks, perhaps).
Balrog
Master of Arts
By the time my students start sparring, they've been doing one-steps for six months or so and have learned timing, distancing and control. For their first sparring class, we have our "fresh meat" ceremony - their first matches are against the Black Belts. We won't kill them, they get a feel for the dynamics of the relative action, and if they accidentally hit us....well, we've been hit before and we can caution them about their control.
RTKDCMB
Senior Master
That's a bold answer.well, in our gym, unfortunately we do not sparr a lot, once in 2 or 3 weeks, even then not all of us sparr, our shifu will choose who are ready for sparring. and "some times" we only allowed to strike with certain moves. for example just kicking, takedowns and wrestling Or kicks, takedowns and punches but not punch in face etc etc. and we do it full contact, even beginners like me. but the thing is we are prepared for this. first we'll learn a technique, strike or whatever, slowly, but once we learned it we'll practice it full contact with our partners. for example, i throw a certain kick witch we learned before, and my partner try to counter it and take me down with a certain takedown witch we learned before, then my partner will kick and etc, and we do all of this with power. Or when we wanted to practice punching and blocking, we did it full contact, with teeth protection and stuff on (both persons allowed to throw punches). and beginners will try and focus so hard to learn how to block punches and throw punches ofc in very first practice, because they know, that punch going to hit them in the face if they dont block it, Or if they dont throw effective punches, their partner will continue punching. and yes i did take 3 or 4 punches, but i learned.
Edit: but the ones who do sparring, they have at least trained for something like 1.5 month.
Sparring isn't about winning or losing, it's about sparring, it's a process that eventually led to learning how to fight. We all won or lost every day we sparred. We did different forms of sparring, Karate style, boxing, kickboxing, a variation on point sparring, a mix and match sort, and eventually (nineties) grappling.
The first time any of my students sparred it would be with me. Usually after a class, off to the side. I'd talk them though it, explaining rules, target areas, control, how everyone would go just as hard as they did - and subsequently how they could go as hard as their opponent did. I'd gear up, because I hate sparring with white belts. I'd usually spend a half hour with them, maybe more, maybe less, depending on their natural inclination for it.
I'd explain why they have to keep their hands up at all times and lightly show them that getting hit in the face would not kill them. I believe getting hit in the face is the biggest fear a new student has, closely followed by being embarrassed in front of others. I also found it quite common that a lot of students were just as uncomfortable hitting another person in the face as they were getting hit. I believe I understand that, believe it's a good thing, and believe it's easy to deal with and overcome.
I'd explain openings, blocking, countering, distance, jamming, evading, footwork etc. Sounds like a lot when you write it down, but it's pretty easy when you're moving around with them. They won't understand all the concepts at first, I just want them to be aware they exist. I'd explain why a cup and mouthpiece were the first thing they were required to have after a gi. (Everyone in my classes wore a cup in class every single day). Groin was an acceptable target area with us.(not in boxing, obviously) (And, yes, there were occasional cup checks, usually a snap kick)
I liked to get a feel for how students moved and hit when they were new. Some young guys were "fear biters", like with dogs (not trying to be insulting) who bit people out of fear more than aggression. These guys were scared of sparring, usually pretending they weren't, and tended to strike way too hard coming out of the gate. The only way for me to have a good handle on that was by teaching them sparring myself. It made it easier to match them up with other students later on during an actual sparring class. I wouldn't match them up with another white belt who I felt was somewhat shy. It was usually pretty easy to teach good control. If not, which was rare, you just fed them to the dogs. (Green belts. All green belts were fricken' nuts. It was an actual requirement. Seriously)
The reason I spent so much time with each student, especially kids, was I felt that sparring was an integral part of the Martial process. (just my opinion) and we were a contact fighting school. In that type of gym people can be intimidated or frightened away altogether if not taught properly. Also, before anyone could join they had to watch at least two classes, one of which had to be a sparring class. And with kids, at least one of their folks had to watch the kids sparring class. I'd get parents who said, "I don't think my child could do that." I'd tell them to come back again when I taught a new child how to spar for the first time. They usually signed them up right then and there.
Anyway, that's how I did it.
The first time any of my students sparred it would be with me. Usually after a class, off to the side. I'd talk them though it, explaining rules, target areas, control, how everyone would go just as hard as they did - and subsequently how they could go as hard as their opponent did. I'd gear up, because I hate sparring with white belts. I'd usually spend a half hour with them, maybe more, maybe less, depending on their natural inclination for it.
I'd explain why they have to keep their hands up at all times and lightly show them that getting hit in the face would not kill them. I believe getting hit in the face is the biggest fear a new student has, closely followed by being embarrassed in front of others. I also found it quite common that a lot of students were just as uncomfortable hitting another person in the face as they were getting hit. I believe I understand that, believe it's a good thing, and believe it's easy to deal with and overcome.
I'd explain openings, blocking, countering, distance, jamming, evading, footwork etc. Sounds like a lot when you write it down, but it's pretty easy when you're moving around with them. They won't understand all the concepts at first, I just want them to be aware they exist. I'd explain why a cup and mouthpiece were the first thing they were required to have after a gi. (Everyone in my classes wore a cup in class every single day). Groin was an acceptable target area with us.(not in boxing, obviously) (And, yes, there were occasional cup checks, usually a snap kick)
I liked to get a feel for how students moved and hit when they were new. Some young guys were "fear biters", like with dogs (not trying to be insulting) who bit people out of fear more than aggression. These guys were scared of sparring, usually pretending they weren't, and tended to strike way too hard coming out of the gate. The only way for me to have a good handle on that was by teaching them sparring myself. It made it easier to match them up with other students later on during an actual sparring class. I wouldn't match them up with another white belt who I felt was somewhat shy. It was usually pretty easy to teach good control. If not, which was rare, you just fed them to the dogs. (Green belts. All green belts were fricken' nuts. It was an actual requirement. Seriously)
The reason I spent so much time with each student, especially kids, was I felt that sparring was an integral part of the Martial process. (just my opinion) and we were a contact fighting school. In that type of gym people can be intimidated or frightened away altogether if not taught properly. Also, before anyone could join they had to watch at least two classes, one of which had to be a sparring class. And with kids, at least one of their folks had to watch the kids sparring class. I'd get parents who said, "I don't think my child could do that." I'd tell them to come back again when I taught a new child how to spar for the first time. They usually signed them up right then and there.
Anyway, that's how I did it.
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