Sprawl - Doing in Correctly in Warm-ups

[DS314]

In warm-ups yesterday the instructor would call out sprawl and the students were suppose to sprawl and then jump up and jump high as we could and clap are hands over our heads. It seems like I was a second or two behind most of the class so today I went searching on the internet to try to find out what I'm doing wrong. I think I found my answer. The way I'm doing the sprawl is squating down placing my hands on the ground and they kicking my legs back and then jumping back up. It looks like the correect way to do a sprawl is when you are going down you should start kicking your legs back before your hands hit the ground (a more fluid motion). I just want to verify that this is correct. I want to correct my mistake before this bad habit becomes worse. I think what I'm doing is something we use to do in the Army but I do not remember what it was called.

DS314

[mara_jade]

Hmm, wonder if you were kinda doing burpies? Think I'm saying this right- you go down on your hands, kick legs back, bring legs back then jump up?

[DS314]

Exactly - they called them something else in the Army but they are burpee's.
DS314

[DS314]

Just watch a burpee video on You-Tube. That is what I'm doing burpees instead of a sprawling. I'll try to find a sprawl on You-Tube or I think Bas is doing them on the DVD that came with the Thai, Boxing, All-Around Work-out CDs.

DS314

[Snake Eyes 88 USMC]

Just I think Bas is doing them on the DVD that came with the Thai, Boxing, All-Around Work-out CDs.
DS314
DEFENSE!!

You should be kicking your legs out before hitting the ground since if someone was shooting for you, you need to get your legs out ASAP and your arms wouldn't touch the ground but instead lock around your enemy, correct?

[T.J.]

Exactly - they called them something else in the Army but they are burpee's.
DS314

Bends and Thrusts or Squat Thrusts in the Marines. Probably the same in the Army. I never understood why "Jumping Jacks" were called "Side Straddle Hops." Gotta love the Corps.

[DS314]

Just rememberd someting. The drill sargents would call out front leaning rest postion - that would me get down in the the upward push-up position. And the way you would get in that position is exactly like the first part of doing a burpee.
DS314

[Oneness]

This will be fairly long and I hope it makes sense.

First do not lock your hands around anyone once you sprawled. This is the other half of the exercise we do the left, right when you do the all around fighting exercise. This is called sitting out/hip heist and it allows you to reverse someone that has grabbed around your waist.


Your hands can go one of two places:

On his head push downing on the head or at least the base of the neck.
Hands grab at his triceps and pull toward you. Keep your elbows in tight to your body or he will hip heist out.

When you sprawl, it’s best to act like you are pushing down on the opponents head. Keep your hands in close to your body and push down, keeping your head high.

‘Head to the mat’ is a statement I use a lot. You want that person shooting driving into the ground. Again control the head, you control the body. If an opponent gets to keep their head up, they may get a takedown, by driving forward and up.

Take your feet back, but do not think so much about taking them out and back, but allow them to give you space to get the hip they are shoot for to the mat.

If it’s your right leg that hip hits the mat, if it’s your left leg that hip hits the mat. If it’s a double both hips hit the mat. The last is the most common and what most people end up doing. Thing is they never take the hips down far enough and the head goes down, looking at the mat. Keep the head up and your hips will go down.

Against an opponent, a good sprawl will not even use hands its all hips. The feet only go back because of the impact and sending your hips forward. We have to simulate this and we do it as described above.

[Bull1189]

Against an opponent, a good sprawl will not even use hands its all hips. The feet only go back because of the impact and sending your hips forward. We have to simulate this and we do it as described above.

+1. Its in your hips, don't think about driving your feet and legs back, think about throwing your hips back explosively, the feet and legs will follow.

One caveat, when doing it without someone to sprawl on for the first time, be ready, you will go down a lot faster than you are used to.