Where is your mind?

[gojukylie]

I am really interested in knowing where peoples minds are when they spar. What do you focus on and what frame of mind do you wish to adopt. Love to hear what you do now and what you aspire too.

 

[KenpoGirl]

Originally posted by gojukylie
I am really interested in knowing where peoples minds are when they spar. What do you focus on and what frame of mind do you wish to adopt. Love to hear what you do now and what you aspire too.

When I spar the same thing keeps going through my head.

:boxing: MOMMY!!! :anic:

Dot

 

[cali_tkdbruin]

Since things are happening so quickly when you're engaged in full out sparring, I normally go on instinct, and act and react automatically to whatever is happening at the moment.
I work on planning my sparring techniques, moves, attacks and counter-attacks during sparring drills. I try and carry that over to the actual sparring sessions since one usually doesn't have the time to be so calculating during the real thing.

 

[cali_tkdbruin]

And, I might add that when sparring my primary thought is DON'T GET KNOCKED OUT!!! :erg:

 

[KenpoMatt]

Funny you should ask this question. I was going to post a poll asking what most people focus on when they spar. Meaning, when you first face off, what do you look at? Head? Hands? Waist? Feet?

I used to look primarily at the waist b/c it seems that most motion begins there. Now, I try to look at a combo of hands & waist.

What do you think?

 

[tkdcanada]

Cali...I wish I could do that. I'm still stuggling with that - letting instinct take over. I'm still at the point where I am trying to mentally keep up with what's going on and trying to force my mind to figure out what best to do in so little time. We do drills and I understand them but have a hard time putting them in practise in sparring. I know I will eventually get there with time and experience but that the most frustrating thing for me right now.

So, that's where my mind is...thinking too much.

 

[clapping_tiger]

Originally posted by Matt_IUP
"Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup."

:rofl: I love it, that is just too funny.

When I spar, I don't know what I am thinking. I go in with a game plan, and come out going....."what did I do." sometimes we videotape our sparring and when I watch it, then I see what I was doing.

 

[D.Cobb]

Originally posted by gojukylie
I am really interested in knowing where peoples minds are when they spar. What do you focus on and what frame of mind do you wish to adopt. Love to hear what you do now and what you aspire too.

I have only one thought, when someone makes a move as if to hurt me. It doesn't matter if it's sparring or real, all I can think about is I AM GOING TO HURT YOU BAD!

I developed this thought process a few years back when I noticed I was going on the back foot, everytime I sparred. I was a bit like Cali, except mine was "don't get hit".

Which is a bit like the story of the coach telling his quaterback, we need this point! Don't drop the ball!
They didn't get the point because the quaterback did drop the ball.

--Dave

:asian:

 

[D.Cobb]

Where in Australia are you situated?

--Dave

:asian:

 

[stickarts]

To me sparring is play time and all about developing skill, not win/lose.
Sometimes it has been HARD play time!!

 

[gojukylie]

Originally posted by D.Cobb
Where in Australia are you situated?

--Dave

:asian:

South East Queensland. And you?

 

[cali_tkdbruin]

BTW, the last time I competed in a tourney, which was last October, I started firing my self up really well, and I worked myself into a frenzy ready to destroy any opponent they put in in front of me... :angry:

Well guess the F___ what, they ran out of competitors in my weight, age and belt category, so, they had to match me up against one of the students from my own damn dojang...

If I'm gonna beat someone up, or they're gonna kick my ***, I don't want them to be from my own dojang! I don't want to see the person I beat up or ever see again the guy who beats my ***.

Anyway, when you scrap in an official tourney, one tends to turn it up a big notch. I came at my training partner all out, and he came at me. I drew first blood and racked some mean abrasions on him, but in the end he won on the refs' decision. WTF rules ya know, he scored the cleanest, most visible shots.
Am I being a bad loser, or sniveler? :idunno: Well, yeah, okay maybe so... :wah:

Anyway, I felt bad afterwards, because I see this guy all the time at the dojang, and we train together, but I was really trying to take his head off at that tourney...




:shrug:

 

[Joe]

Sparring is my time to "play" . So I have fun with it and try to incorporate technique, wether for points or knockout. In my Dojo we wear normal protective gear plus a sheild, which allows to go all out without visiting the hospital if someone doesnt have proper control.


I agree w/cali-t takes away when we have to spar people we train with, i've been asked to compete w/higher belts did better than I thought and probably prepared me better found a few weaknesses I didnt know I had.

 

[jukado1]

Gojokyle: good ? when i trained with Joe Lewis he emphysized keeping your focas on the fight by using a point of view. this means you don't let your mind wonder all over, gee: this guys big, thats a cute girl in the 3rd row, the judges are cheating me, or any other focas that is not related to the fight, i've found the best point of view is to concentrate on control of distance, this keeps you focased on your oppenent, what your trying to do is keep your oppenent just out of range, but as he moves in or by your movement you brake in to range, you get off first, just as a snake has a distance it feels safe, when you cross its imagenary line it will strike, so should you strike as your distance is breeched

 

[gojukylie]

I originally asked this question to see if any of you guys were in the same boat as myself.
I have all of these ideas when I train, that I try and do to make my sparring better. Move angles more, use different block combo's, unpredictability, speed and fluidity. I thought that by thinking about these things my kumite would have to get better. I was so wrong. It seemed, the more I thought about these, the less I performed them. I think the problem was that I was pre-meditating my responses and waiting for certain techniques to be thrown that eventually weren't. I had my self so technique driven that I became a robot whoes internal wiring got stuffed up.

I decided to take a new approach. I would practise the techniques mentioned above so much more than usual and concentrate on technique. I would then go into the Dojo and become natural, relaxed and try and flow more.

When I did this at first, I felt as though I was being sloppy for not thinking enough. So once again I was thinking too much. I can't seem to spar without intention.

I know the road I wish to take whilst involved in Kumite, but don't know how to get there. That is why I posted the original question. I will continue to spar without pre-meditating and try and become thoughtless.

 

[tkdcanada]

gojukylie,

I have the very same problem - I think too much. Seems to be a very tough problem to overcome, but I'll be damned, I will get it someday! I'm sure you will too!

 

[IsshinryuKarateGirl]

When I am sparring, I mostly focus on the chest area. If there is a kick being released, you will slightly lean back and if a punch is being released, the body will twist and move foward a little bit. I learned this tip from a black belt in my dojo and it really works well.

 

[gojukylie]

Karategirl,

Thanks for the tip. Do you think however that when you look into your opponents eyes, you can read their intention? Just a thought. I also would like to know if you spar with intention or wilthout any thought processes. Thanks for the reply. Ta

 

[cas]

try looking at the eyes. Don't focus on them though.
I think this is called looking at the tree but seeing the whole mountain?
I spar best when I'm not thinking. Thinking about the next attack happens to me all the time but these attacks never work unless there is a big diffence in experiencelevel.
Always try to think forward even when defending. Try to keep or regain the initiative. This doesn't mean you should always be attacking.
If you want to work on a particular attack or defence do that, if you want free-spar free spar. Take experiences from one into the other but don't mix the two too much.
Sometimes I do quick a mental check off my stance or the position off my elbows e.g. But thinking about specific techniques usually don't work, for me that is. If I do want to try out something new I know I'm loosing initiative and giving it to my opponent because I will have to wait for a specific opportunity. So practising and thinking about techniques teaches you bettter sparring while not thinking provides the best sparring you can do now.


Just some thoughts

Casper

 

[IsshinryuKarateGirl]

It depends on the situation if I spar with or without intention. Most of the time I do, but if I'm sparring with a kid who's about 6-8, I'll go without intention and teach them a few things about sparring with a person who is much taller than you. Otherwise, I'll just fight with intention unless there are circumstances of which I shouldn't.

Also, I don't think the eyes are a good place to focus on when sparring. They don't give anything. I believe and have experienced that focusing on the chest area is a much better way to predict your opponent's movement.