Sparring - Sink or swim?

[shesulsa]

Another user posted on another thread how hard and disconcerting it was to start sparring with little knowledge.

How did you start sparring at your school? Did you start early? Did you start after a rank or two? Where you weaned into it by practicing technique first?

 

[Andrew Green]

When I started I just got tossed into it...

Now, what I do is I start people off with restrictive, but live drills and build into sparring. So there is no one day where someone spars for the first time, they do it right from day one. The rules just get less restrictive as they go.

 

[Aqua4ever]

We start sparring as soon as our instructor feels you can handle it if you express an early interest (like me) or after your first belt grading (white striped) which is usually within a month or two. I was very nervous at first, but I don't remember traumatic experiances we start every sparring class with basic drills so you learn those while everyone reviews and refines, and then you are allowed to try sparring, always with someone who knows what they are doing. You start slowly and with everyone giving you pointers and then you grow. I love sparring now and love helping "newbies" become accustomed to it.
good thread
Aqua

 

[shesulsa]

Now, what I do is I start people off with restrictive, but live drills and build into sparring. So there is no one day where someone spars for the first time, they do it right from day one. The rules just get less restrictive as they go.

Kewl. Do you start with techniques and go live with them? or do you start with simple sparring drills (punching, weaving, etc.) - I know you mainly grapple now, so did you start on the ground? More info, please ... :ultracool

 

[Loki]

Sparring is much like an internship: you work with higher ranking students who adjust their work to your level instead of pummeling you to the ground. You learn it gradually. Heck, when I attend black belt training (plan to resume in October), they still have to go easy on me.

I was hooked fast, I started sparring a month into training with still only a white belt. Some people had better control and slowed down to help me learn, others had worse and went hard. It's a matter of habit to learn to tell someone to slow down.

 

[Lisa]

I have always been taught a technique first. Had the ability to practice it in a restricted nature with my partner showing little or no resistance to get the "feel" for what we are doing. There is a lot of questions and answers on the floor when we are being taught. Lots of "what if I do this, etc" Once everyone is comfortable with the situation, it will build to live sparring. We have had people uncomfortable at first, they have the option to sit out whenever it has crossed their comfort level. Heck, sometimes I have sat out because I am not sure of the technique I am being taught and it needs to sink in in my brain first. Over time and with practice the technique sinks in. Live sparring is important IMHO even for beginners. It gives them the feel for it and allows them to build on their skill base. Until you feel the resistance of your partner and what they will do to counter, you truly can not understand the technique, at least that is how I see it with grappling and that is just MHO.

 

[Blindside]

Our sparring preparation is something like "So do you have all the yellow belt basics? Got a cup and mouthpiece? Good, gear up and spar..... him (points to a black belt.)"

Of course the instructors job is not to pummel the student, but to fight just above their level. Personally, I would like to see a bit more prep than that, but thats how we do it. Seems to work out fine in the end.

Lamont

 

[Andrew Green]

Kewl. Do you start with techniques and go live with them? or do you start with simple sparring drills (punching, weaving, etc.) - I know you mainly grapple now, so did you start on the ground? More info, please ... :ultracool

Works the same for grappling, striking or weapons.

But I'll stick to striking here.

I'd start with a basic technique, like a jab. Teach it static, hitting a pad. Make sure the structure stays clean and the form is good.

Get the feeder to start moving around, get the footwork in there too.

Drop the mits and grab another set of gloves, work the defence. Couple times real slow to get the form, then start moving around and gradually add speed.

Get both people throwing jabs one at a time at random.

Let them double up on it, try to bring in counter punching, slipping, and other jab related things.

Here they are sparring, but with only a jab. Start building in crosses and hooks, then all the rest of the goodies. Eventually they are doing mma sparring

 

[OnlyAnEgg]

In both disciplines I have experience in, sparring occured first class. In TKD, the black belts sparred along with the rest of us, as well as Samnabim. Same at the Ko Sutemi I am now taking. In TKD we had one sensitive black belt and one brutal one. The KS class has Sensei and a brown belt. Sensei was very instructive. The brown was just happy he had someone his size and gender to tussle with (we have many children and a few adult women). I am told that this time of the year, classes tend to be a little thin d/t vacations.


So, mostly, I swam and sometimes sunk a bit.

egg

 

[karatekid1975]

In TSD, we weren't allowed to start sparring till our first grading. I was excited about it, at first. But I attended a sparring clinic shortly after my first grading. It was suposed to be just drills, and light contact sparring for the newbies, but this girl kicked me hard in the stomach. I about puked all over her. After that, I hated sparring (fear of getting hit). I would avoid it at all cost, which worked most of the time.

When I started TKD (again, couldn't spar till my first grading), I didn't have a choice in the matter. If you were a yellow belt or above, you sparred. So, I went against my fear and got in there and sparred. I actually didn't do too bad I suprised myself.

Now if I don't get hit or a little "ding" it wasn't worth sparring LOL (against BB's that is). With lower ranks, I tone down and help them out. I give them pointers, and combos to work on.

In Jujitsu, my first class was me spending time on the ground after being thrown like a rag doll by my instructor (thank goodness for the previous Judo experience ... The breakfalls came in handy LOL).

 

[jfarnsworth]

I started sparring on the first day of class. Head instructor said grab someone's gloves and spar him.

 

[searcher]

I started on the second class. I did not have my equipment at the first class. I prefer that my students start from the very first class. This does not allow them do build up doubts and get scared. I will not allow for hard or heavy contact their first few times sparring, but after they get the hang of it the contact level goes up. My higher ranking students know that if they hurt a junior student then they will have to go the gauntlet.

As the students rank goes up they need to understand that the contact is going to be very hard. I will not promote a student to 2nd Kyu, 1st KYU, or Sho-dan without being able to fight and defend themselves. I pride myself that my sudents can fight and defend themselves well. We take sparring very seriously, just as many do.

 

[Blindside]

My higher ranking students know that if they hurt a junior student then they will have to go the gauntlet.

What is "the gauntlet?"

Lamont

 

[Shaolinwind]

My first experience with sparring in kung fu was today in my first intermediate class.
It's closely monitored and we wear lots of pads. The do in fact encourage us to use a particular set of techniques, usually ones they taught earlier in the class.

Another user posted on another thread how hard and disconcerting it was to start sparring with little knowledge.

How did you start sparring at your school? Did you start early? Did you start after a rank or two? Where you weaned into it by practicing technique first?

 

[OnlyAnEgg]

What is "the gauntlet?"

Merriam-Webster defines a gauntlet as: a double file of men facing each other and armed with clubs or other weapons with which to strike at an individual who is made to run between them.

Last night, we had a similar exercise: one person, say the defender, stood before a line made of the rest of the class. On 'hajime!', the first person in the line stepped in to spar with the defender. Each consecutive start brought a fresh fighter to that person until, one at a time, the entire class had opposed him. Then the first person became the last person in the line and the first person in the line became the defender.

That's sort of a gauntlet, too.

egg

 

[Blindside]

Thanks Egg.

Actually I know of the historical use of the punishment, I was interested in its use in a modern karate dojo.

Lamont

 

[Adept]

I started sparring on the first night. As a general rule, the instructor pairs beginners with more experienced reliable students.

 

[mj-hi-yah]

Great thread and timely for me as I'm taking responsibility for a sparring class starting tonight! :uhohh: :lol: I'm looking forward to it actually, and I want it to be a productive class so I'm interested in all of your ideas and drills - keep them coming please. :asian: The gauntlet sounds interesting! :uhyeah: It sounds scary in a fun way and I think it's important to put some fun into the mix. In our school we start sparring at blue belt. For me as an instructor the challenge will be to meet the needs of all levels from blue to black.

 

[Eldritch Knight]

We have 10 person gauntlets in kendo, too. Each person entering makes as many attacks against the first person in the gauntlet as possible in 20 seconds. Then they move onto the next person in line, 20 seconds there, and then keep going until they finish off the line. We call it jukkiri, and there are many variations from school to school. Very hardcore, but its usually for our advanced students.

In kendo, it's considered bad form to put on the armor and spar if your basics aren't competent. Even though sparring can be considered the backbone of the art, picking up bad habits shows disrespect to it as a martial art, and doesn't serve to preserve its tradition.

 

[Shaolinwind]

On similar lines to that, we have a sparring thing they jokingly call mortal combat. A person stands in the center of a circle of people, all of whom will attack when their number is called by an instructor. You in turn must block and be ready for the next attack.

We have 10 person gauntlets in kendo, too. Each person entering makes as many attacks against the first person in the gauntlet as possible in 20 seconds. Then they move onto the next person in line, 20 seconds there, and then keep going until they finish off the line. We call it jukkiri, and there are many variations from school to school. Very hardcore, but its usually for our advanced students.

In kendo, it's considered bad form to put on the armor and spar if your basics aren't competent. Even though sparring can be considered the backbone of the art, picking up bad habits shows disrespect to it as a martial art, and doesn't serve to preserve its tradition.