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[Devin_Ken Ryu Kenpo]

okay, whenever i spar, and hit hard, i try to stay on balance, but i fall down... alot... i mean i get up quickly, but its hard for me to keep my balance. Any suggestions?

 

[Flying Crane]

okay, whenever i spar, and hit hard, i try to stay on balance, but i fall down... alot... i mean i get up quickly, but its hard for me to keep my balance. Any suggestions?

sounds like you need to work on your stances, rooting, and balance. I am just guessing, however, since you didn't give a lot of info to go on. If you could describe in more detail what is happening, someone might be better able to help you out.

 

[Michael Billings]

Distribute your weight more on the balls of your feet. If you stay off your heels you will not get caught as easily and knocked over. Look at the width and depth of your stances. Too deep or wide and you can sacrifice stability for mobility. You need a balance (bad pun) of both. Play a little with a boxer's stance then add a little depth to it and see how that works. Rotate on the ball of the back foot and do not lock your knees for now.

-Michael

 

[IWishToLearn]

I was taught to start sparring in your NB, then branch to other fighting postures.

 

[Touch Of Death]

Could be a posture issue; however, you should be falling toward your opponent, but a quick recoil will allow you to guage a more stable landing.
Sean

 

[Jonathan Randall]

Distribute your weight more on the balls of your feet. If you stay off your heels you will not get caught as easily and knocked over. Look at the width and depth of your stances. Too deep or wide and you can sacrifice stability for mobility. You need a balance (bad pun) of both. Play a little with a boxer's stance then add a little depth to it and see how that works. Rotate on the ball of the back foot and do not lock your knees for now.

-Michael

What he said. :asian:

I would also be sure that you don't bob up and down in your movements and transitions. Work on footwork with a mirror and make sure your torso is quiet (doesn't change level or lean backwards, forwards, or to the side). Also, see if you can get a good intro. boxing DVD like Chris Getz's "Ultimate Boxing Fundamentals". It really helped me with my footwork - and I've been doing this (off and on) for over twenty years.

 

[Ping898]

Ditto to what everyone else said.

I would also look at how your are throwing your strikes. If they are uncontrolled movements, which I think happens to a lot of people when they try and add power at the beginning, that could contribute to you loosing your balance.
If your stances are solid and your strikes don't throw off your balance, you might want to try to improve your overall balance you might look into trying something like yoga for a while. I've been told that helps a lot.

 

[bushidomartialarts]

look to your footwork.

when i started (and about half of my students), i spent a lot of time sort of prancing and bobbing up and down -- sort of nervous brownian motion. this meant i was uprooted all the time and fell down a lot.

also check your sparring boots -- they can be slippery on hardwood or tatami.

 

[Kenpobuff]

I found when I keep my head level and moving very little I then don't telegraph my body's intentions thus keeping me more on balance.

What do I know, I'm short and have a hard time against the long arms and legs of the taller opponents. I guess that's reserved for another thread.

 

[lenatoi]

I go to the ground a lot when I "spar" too. Though, I think it's because I feel more comfortable there .

 

[Ross]

okay, whenever i spar, and hit hard, i try to stay on balance, but i fall down... alot... i mean i get up quickly, but its hard for me to keep my balance. Any suggestions?

There are several reasons for this but one point that hasn't been mentioned is over extension on your strikes. If you are following through too much, or stretching to hit someone then you have over extended and as a result have completely lost your balance. You don't need to throw your self into a strike to 'hit hard', believe me!

I would have a word with your instructor first. Some things to consider - the position of your feet, weight distribution, balance, HWD to name but a few.

Also, when you mention sparring do you mean competition point sparring?