blindsage
Master of Arts
Coming from a Kyokushin background and having sparred a few chunners, let me give you some advice. First, if you're playing by his rules you are at a severe disadvantage, talk to him about at least using headgear so there can be some head contact. This might be difficult, Kyokushin guys are stubborn about their way of sparring being the 'best'. But push the issue. Just remember, if you can hit to the head, so can he (and Kyokushin people hit hard), don't assume you'll just be better.
Secondly, the reason, imho, your hits aren't that effective is not just because Kyokushin guys are conditioned to take hits (and really it's just having gotten use to it, nothing special), but because Wing Chun style hits are most effective to vulnerable parts of the body, and not so much to places like the chest (where most Kyokushin punching goes), unless you really know how to root in a fight and really use your structure. This isn't to say vertical punches aren't strong, but most chunners I've known aren't great at using them properly under pressure.
Thirdly, don't just use your kicks as distance makers. This is a great opportunity to explore the potent use of Wing Chung straight kicks as stop technique. Hit his thighs when he throw kicks, off setting his balance this way will discourage the crap out of him. And hit his legs when you're inside and he's not expecting it as well.
Fourth, Enshin Karate is an off-shoot of Kyokushin. It incorporated a lot of side stepping, circular stepping, and 45 degree angle movement because of how linear most Kyokushin fighters move. Use this to your advantage. If they haven't incorporated any Enshin technique this guy should be pretty easy to move around. He will probably be pretty committed to moving straight foward, keep changing your angle.
And think outside the box: if your bon sau happen to put your elbow into his round house kick- 'oops'.
But don't forget Wing Chun targets the centerline, Kyokushin fighters invite their opponent into their centerline because they don't allow shots to the groin, throat or face in their sparring so they are only minimally concerned about protecting those (though you do get hit in them more than is fun). A kyokushin fighter think "go ahead hit me in my torso, I'll take the shot and then knock you the f*** out". So you may need to think differently and approach the whole sparring scenario differently, especially if you're going to let him dictate the terms.
Secondly, the reason, imho, your hits aren't that effective is not just because Kyokushin guys are conditioned to take hits (and really it's just having gotten use to it, nothing special), but because Wing Chun style hits are most effective to vulnerable parts of the body, and not so much to places like the chest (where most Kyokushin punching goes), unless you really know how to root in a fight and really use your structure. This isn't to say vertical punches aren't strong, but most chunners I've known aren't great at using them properly under pressure.
Thirdly, don't just use your kicks as distance makers. This is a great opportunity to explore the potent use of Wing Chung straight kicks as stop technique. Hit his thighs when he throw kicks, off setting his balance this way will discourage the crap out of him. And hit his legs when you're inside and he's not expecting it as well.
Fourth, Enshin Karate is an off-shoot of Kyokushin. It incorporated a lot of side stepping, circular stepping, and 45 degree angle movement because of how linear most Kyokushin fighters move. Use this to your advantage. If they haven't incorporated any Enshin technique this guy should be pretty easy to move around. He will probably be pretty committed to moving straight foward, keep changing your angle.
And think outside the box: if your bon sau happen to put your elbow into his round house kick- 'oops'.
But don't forget Wing Chun targets the centerline, Kyokushin fighters invite their opponent into their centerline because they don't allow shots to the groin, throat or face in their sparring so they are only minimally concerned about protecting those (though you do get hit in them more than is fun). A kyokushin fighter think "go ahead hit me in my torso, I'll take the shot and then knock you the f*** out". So you may need to think differently and approach the whole sparring scenario differently, especially if you're going to let him dictate the terms.
