Special tricks used in sparring

[Kung Fu Wang]

Have you ever tried to keep few special tricks in your pocket? In sparring, if everything that you have tried just won't work on your opponent, you then pull out your special tricks and give your opponent a surprise.

One special trick can be "jab, cross, jab, cross, jab, cross, ...". You just charge in as a mad man.

What's your favor special tricks that you don't mind to share and discuss here?

 

[Danny T]

pull the opponents hand down and punch.

 

[dvcochran]

Have you ever tried to keep few special tricks in your pocket? In sparring, if everything that you have tried just won't work on your opponent, you then pull out your special tricks and give your opponent a surprise.

One special trick can be "jab, cross, jab, cross, jab, cross, ...". You just charge in as a mad man.

What's your favor special tricks that you don't mind to share and discuss here?

Yes, but of course I cannot tell you what they are!

 

[drop bear]

I move sideways.

 

[DocWard]

I move sideways.

When I was training years ago, there was a guy that studied at the dojo, prior football player, who had ridiculous lateral moves. He attributed it to all the side to side motion playing football in high school and college, but I think there was some natural ability as well.

 

[JR 137]

pull the opponents hand down and punch.

I love that one.

 

[skribs]

I like to kick against my momentum. I've had people ask "what did you even hit me with?" For example, I'll go like I'm going to do a back kick, spin a little bit past it and throw a roundhouse against my spin. It's like a practical version of the Guyver kick (Scott Adkins signature kick).

I also like to stutter my attacks against people who block too much. Chamber a kick, pause until they start to block, and then kick. Their block will go past my attack and I'll usually get 'em. It's not exactly a fake because I do what it looked like I was gonna do, but it throws their timing off.

A kiyhap can throw off someone's concentration. Kiyhap really loud and they look for the attack, then when they realize there is no attack, you attack! I've actually gotten a few no-touch takedowns with well-timed kiyhaps, when it startles someone onto their heels and their weight gets behind their momentum.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I move sideways.

Like a colorful fiddler crab?

 

[Gerry Seymour]

For me, changing timing often works. Most of us have a rhythm we're comfortable with and will naturally fall into. If I purposely change it up mid-sparring, it has a similar effect to Skribs' stutter-kick. So a three-punch combo starts to get off-rhythm, maybe becoming two fast, then one a half-beat "late". This works when both I and my opponent notice I'm being predictable with a specific combo. The most common effect is I catch them starting to counter too early.

 

[JR 137]

Like a colorful fiddler crab?

Sounds like a new CMA animal style to me.

 

[JR 137]

One of the many crazy tactics that one of our instructors uses that works - step on your opponent’s front foot and keep it there while you hit hit. It’s distracting enough for a second, especially if they’re not expecting it, and they can get tripped up trying to get away.

I like chambering/winding up for a kick, watching them block the air, then throwing a combo of punches when they’re practically defenseless. I did it a bunch of times during one round yesterday against a kid who just sparring in the adults class. After a few of those, he didn’t know when and what to try to block anymore and basically became a punching bag. Good thing I’m not a nice guy and didn’t light him up It works against experienced guys too, only not nearly as often and they recover far better after their mistake. You’ve really got to sell the kick though, and it doesn’t work when they’re already countering your “kick” once they see the signs that you’re going to kick. I’ve had people counter my fake kick before I could even sufficiently pull off the chamber. It sucks when they do that stuff to you and you’ve got zero offense.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Sounds like a new CMA animal style to me.

I want to see that form. Preferably being performed in sync by a large group of students.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

One of the many crazy tactics that one of our instructors uses that works - step on your opponent’s front foot and keep it there while you hit hit. It’s distracting enough for a second, especially if they’re not expecting it, and they can get tripped up trying to get away.

I like chambering/winding up for a kick, watching them block the air, then throwing a combo of punches when they’re practically defenseless. I did it a bunch of times during one round yesterday against a kid who just sparring in the adults class. After a few of those, he didn’t know when and what to try to block anymore and basically became a punching bag. Good thing I’m not a nice guy and didn’t light him up It works against experienced guys too, only not nearly as often and they recover far better after their mistake. You’ve really got to sell the kick though, and it doesn’t work when they’re already countering your “kick” once they see the signs that you’re going to kick. I’ve had people counter my fake kick before I could even sufficiently pull off the chamber. It sucks when they do that stuff to you and you’ve got zero offense.

I step on people's feet a lot, even during normal drills (apparently, I really like getting close in transitions), so stepping on a foot during sparring is just something that happens. Maybe I need to make better use of that.

 

[skribs]

I step on people's feet a lot, even during normal drills (apparently, I really like getting close in transitions), so stepping on a foot during sparring is just something that happens. Maybe I need to make better use of that.

I step on people's feet a lot, too. They say things like "I'm never going dancing with you again".

 

[skribs]

There's a girl at my dojang who absolutely dominates every tournament she goes to. She's athletic, very naturally talented, and has a high fight IQ. She would use the same counter a couple of times, and then set up for the counter again, but hit them from the other side.

She had a mean back kick, and as soon as you were looking for it, BAM! Roundhouse kick going the other way.

 

[JR 137]

There's a girl at my dojang who absolutely dominates every tournament she goes to. She's athletic, very naturally talented, and has a high fight IQ. She would use the same counter a couple of times, and then set up for the counter again, but hit them from the other side.

She had a mean back kick, and as soon as you were looking for it, BAM! Roundhouse kick going the other way.

There was a woman at our dojo with a ridiculous back kick. Didn’t telegraph it, and by the time you saw it coming it was way too late. I always wondered how she did it. She could hit just about anyone with it whenever she was in a position to throw it. She was very average with everything else though.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I step on people's feet a lot, too. They say things like "I'm never going dancing with you again".

I just tell people their feet were clearly in the wrong place. If they'd put their feet where they were supposed to be, I wouldn't be stepping on them. They never seem to be able to make that correction.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

There was a woman at our dojo with a ridiculous back kick. Didn’t telegraph it, and by the time you saw it coming it was way too late. I always wondered how she did it. She could hit just about anyone with it whenever she was in a position to throw it. She was very average with everything else though.

When you've got one tool that works that well, you can afford to be average at a bunch of other stuff.

 

[drop bear]

Like a colorful fiddler crab?

Precisely.

 

[JR 137]

When you've got one tool that works that well, you can afford to be average at a bunch of other stuff.

Normally yes, but the back kick isn’t a thing you can use pretty much whenever you want, like a punch or front kick is.