Sparring during testing

[Azulx]

A video of a couple rounds of sparring during my 1st dan test. Feel free to comment.

 

[Tez3]

Is it no contact or are you just warming up?

 

[Azulx]

Is it no contact or are you just warming up?

That is the maximum amount of contact we are allowed to use.

 

[Kickboxer101]

Got to throw more punches they use less energy than kicks so if it's 50-50 punches and kicks you'll use less than if you did 100% kicks

 

[Azulx]

Got to throw more punches they use less energy than kicks so if it's 50-50 punches and kicks you'll use less than if you did 100% kicks

I failed to mention this but for this specific segment, our instructor said he wanted to see a heavy emphasis on kicking. So it will be different than the videos of me attempting to incorporate more punches. That is only for this segment specifically. I am still trying to add more punching to my sparring game in general.

 

[Azulx]

My school has an incredibly heavy emphasis on kicks, realistically I'm try to get to 30-70 or even 40-60. There will always be more emphasis on kicks. So I'm trying to be better than 10-90 when it comes to punching and kicking.

 

[Tez3]

That is the maximum amount of contact we are allowed to use.

Ah, I think that would frustrate me immensely.

 

[Kickboxer101]

I failed to mention this but for this specific segment, our instructor said he wanted to see a heavy emphasis on kicking. So it will be different than the videos of me attempting to incorporate more punches. That is only for this segment specifically. I am still trying to add more punching to my sparring game in general.

Ah okay that's fair enough, a couple things I'll say on your kicks that I saw (didn't watch the whole thing nearly over my wifi allowance so can't watch to many videos lol) but at the start it looked kind of like you were jumping on your roundhouse kicks I don't know if that was intentional but yeah that's what I saw and at the end your front kicks were looking quite telegraphed but I think was due to fatigue. But it was good you had good power and speed in some exchanges

 

[JR 137]

Got to throw more punches they use less energy than kicks so if it's 50-50 punches and kicks you'll use less than if you did 100% kicks

It's TKD. Not saying the OP's teacher feels this way, but my uncle's teacher told my uncle several times "Why are you throwing punches? They don't score points." My uncle's response "I'm not here to score points."

 

[JR 137]

Is it no contact or are you just warming up?

I don't know why, but contact always seems to be lighter when watching it on video vs being the guy getting hit.

With that said, the range seems to be too far IMO. Seems like you guys are fighting at a range where you're looking to hit the extended blocking arms instead of the actual target. Get a step closer, and your strikes will end through the intended target instead of at blocking range.

Maybe that's the former full contact guy in me talking.

 

[Kickboxer101]

It's TKD. Not saying the OP's teacher feels this way, but my uncle's teacher told my uncle several times "Why are you throwing punches? They don't score points." My uncle's response "I'm not here to score points."

Yeah I'm not a fan of that at all. I mean taekwondo guys have some amazing kicks, one of my favorties marital actors is Philip Rhee and his kicks are amazing but I hate how they have their hands literally at their side in competitions honestly get one of the boxers from the Olympics to spar with one of those taekwondo guys and with their guard it will not end well. I personally taekwondo mixed with boxing would be a good combo

 

[JR 137]

My school has an incredibly heavy emphasis on kicks, realistically I'm try to get to 30-70 or even 40-60. There will always be more emphasis on kicks. So I'm trying to be better than 10-90 when it comes to punching and kicking.

I'm about 90/10 punches/kicks. Purely because my kicks above thigh height suck so much. I mainly use a front kick as a jab to get inside. Somehow I can consistently hit people in the back of the head with a hook kick if I'm close enough though. Just the way I'm built, I guess.

 

[Tez3]

Olympic TKD is all kicks and arms down by the side but I've seen very good TKD people going full contact with punches and kicks, much more my idea of sparring lol. There is a need I think to differentiate between 'proper' TKD and the Olympic stuff.
I second JR's comment about moving in closer though for sure.

 

[marques]

That is the maximum amount of contact we are allowed to use.

First of all, I like to see sparring and I admire your courage of exposing yourself that way.

Regarding the level of contact (which is not your choice) in my opinion should be on other level for a Black Belt. While I advise light contact, for non competitor, as a general rule, a Black Belt should know what he can do under pressure, with fear (or at least under actual danger) and, eventually, injured. Without that, one can freeze easier under real threat (if it matters).

One can discover quickly our weak and strong points. I discovered I was not fast enough to defend punches, but could quite easily survive to punches that put blood on my face. It was 10 years ago and still a good feeling about that. Also had to spar hardly against a new fresh opponent every minute or so, for a few intense minutes. I think these experiences were the best I had after 10 years training. Besides high rank graduations (and very rare moments), training was physically suitable for old people. I still like that way...

 

[JR 137]

Yeah I'm not a fan of that at all. I mean taekwondo guys have some amazing kicks, one of my favorties marital actors is Philip Rhee and his kicks are amazing but I hate how they have their hands literally at their side in competitions honestly get one of the boxers from the Olympics to spar with one of those taekwondo guys and with their guard it will not end well. I personally taekwondo mixed with boxing would be a good combo

As Tez said, there's a difference between Olympic type TKD and (I guess) more traditional TKD. All the TKD schools around me are Olympic style, and I thought that's what all TKD is like. I met some guys in my college martial arts club who were nothing like that. They were far closer to what I was doing at the time (Kyokushin).

 

[JR 137]

First of all, I like to see sparring and I admire your courage of exposing yourself that way.

Regarding the level of contact (which is not your choice) in my opinion should be on other level for a Black Belt. While I advise light contact, for non competitor, as a general rule, a Black Belt should know what he can do under pressure, with fear (or at least under actual danger) and, eventually, injured. Without that, one can freeze easier under real threat (if it matters).

One can discover quickly our weak and strong points. I discovered I was not fast enough to defend punches, but could quite easily survive to punches that put blood on my face. It was 10 years ago and still a good feeling about that. Also had to spar hardly against a new fresh opponent every minute or so, for a few intense minutes. I think these experiences were the best I had after 10 years training. Besides high rank graduations (and very rare moments), training was physically suitable for old people. I still like that way...

I agree with what you say, but keep in mind he wasn't a black belt yet in the video. He was testing for his 1st dan.

 

[JowGaWolf]

I failed to mention this but for this specific segment, our instructor said he wanted to see a heavy emphasis on kicking. So it will be different than the videos of me attempting to incorporate more punches. That is only for this segment specifically. I am still trying to add more punching to my sparring game in general.

Good to hear. For a moment there I thought you went back to your old ways of just kicking. lol. I wish you guys could grab legs. It would change your perspective on how to kick and when to kick.

 

[Azulx]

I don't know why, but contact always seems to be lighter when watching it on video vs being the guy getting hit.

With that said, the range seems to be too far IMO. Seems like you guys are fighting at a range where you're looking to hit the extended blocking arms instead of the actual target. Get a step closer, and your strikes will end through the intended target instead of at blocking range.

Maybe that's the former full contact guy in me talking.

Thank you for pointing this out. Although this level of contact is moderate, it feels much harder than what it looks on video. The range thing is something taht I think we all struggle with. There are so many missed strikes. We hit the lead hand frequently or wiff and hit nothing. Some of us are better than others and closing in, this is something I am trying to improve on.

 

[Azulx]

Yeah I'm not a fan of that at all. I mean taekwondo guys have some amazing kicks, one of my favorties marital actors is Philip Rhee and his kicks are amazing but I hate how they have their hands literally at their side in competitions honestly get one of the boxers from the Olympics to spar with one of those taekwondo guys and with their guard it will not end well. I personally taekwondo mixed with boxing would be a good combo

I actually had a long talk with an Olympic TKD guy about their sparring. We talked about the guard that they use. Basically what I got from the conversation is that Olympic TKD is just the boxing version of kicks. You can't kick in Olympic Boxing , and you can't really punch in Olympic TKD. As far as the Olympic Boxer destroying the TKD guy it would depend what the match is, a boxing match, sure. A TKD match highly unlikely. A free sparring match , this is where it gets tricky. A boxer won't automatically win because he has better hands than the TKD guy. He still has to worry about lightning fast kicks, coming at him from various angles and directions. That match wouldn't be so black and white. Just because they practice sport sparring with their hands down doesn't mean they are unable to put them up, if the rules of the game change.

 

[Azulx]

Ah, I think that would frustrate me immensely.

\

It can be, but we spar every day and I honestly don't know if I could do that much full contact. Although I wouldn't mind it every once in a while. I won't get any of that full contact stuff at my school though. I would have to go to one of the local MMA gyms, there nothing but sport Karate schools in my area.