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Our Instructor told us tonight that we will be having a sparring class on friday nights, starting around Dec. 1st.
I would like to know how aggressive some of your sparring classes get?
:box2::combat:chairI know ours gets pretty good sometimes and some of the individuals feel they have to defend any mistakes or losses, ego an stuff.
I just looking for some overview of what to expect. razz
I figure 45 minutes to a hour of sparring and I won’t feel much like moving after a while.
Re: sparring class
I usually base the aggression on the skill level of the opponent. If it’s a new guy I’ll keep it light so it will be a good learning experience. If it is someone that is comfortable and at the same skill level, I’ll hit back just a little harder than I get hit. I have to say that even though it’s not a great way to learn, I do love a good wild brawl every now and then.:)
Re: sparring class
we spar generally around 50-75%, depending on the class make up. as posted above, you also need to throttle your speed and strength appropriately to each opponent. people that have never sparred, from my experience, are gun shy. they are intimidated even if they are a larger, stronger person. the fact that someone is actually trying to hit or kick them is really a foreign concept. even doing all the focus mitt, thai pad, kicking drills in the world, doesn’t prepare you for someone actually firing back at you. in my opinion, the instructor(s) play an integral role in controlling the sparring session. they are always on the lookout for something that could be harmful to the students sparring. it’s natural to get pissed off if someone catches you with a good shot. it’s also natural to want to hit your opponent back just as hard, if not harder. this is where problems could develop. once you gain experience, you’ll learn to control your aggression, and it will become a great session and learning tool. we even do motion sparring to get people used to seeing the punches and kicks develop, and how to counter them. i’ve seen many students that never want to spar. it’s just not their game. when i first started sparring i was guilty of over aggression. people were complaining to my instructor that i needed to back it off a bit. he then had me spar with some women(with sparring experience), to learn how to not over do it. imo, most guys i know don’t like to “hit” women, so you naturally ramp it down, because you don’t want to hurt them. It got to a point, where some of the women i sparred would say,”will you f*cking hit me. this worked for me. now even if i get popped good, i’m mad at myself for not defending it, vs mad at my opponent for doing it. It definitely adds another dimension to your training. good luck with it, and have fun.
Re: sparring class
I have always been taught that communication with your partner is key. Before each round, especially if it is a partner I have not worked with before, I establish the ground rules. “How about we start at 50 percent speed, 50 percent power?” or something like that. Then, during the round, if it is apparent that things are moving too slowly, we can bring it up a notch.
But if you’re looking for some aggressive training, pick a partner that you know is better than you. For me, that is the best way to improve sparring skills, especially defenses.
Re: sparring class
I’m not to concerned with the class as much as the participants. I won’t have too much problems. I do fell though that some of the people may get “gun shy” and not want to come to classes or just become embarrassed.
I’m probably thinking to far into things, as well.
The instructor is fairly new and doesn’t have as much control as some of the others in the past. Which is why I’m trying to see what should be expected for my own piece of mind.
Re: sparring class
If everyone is new, maybe you should all start out slowly. Do vision drills, one attacks, one defends for example. Then maybe spar with hands only, slow speed for the first round, a bit faster for the second etc. Later add in legs. It should be the teacher’s job to make sure that people won’t go overboard as well as don’t hold back too much.
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GiantkillerRe: sparring class
i agree with giantkiller. your instructor should, and probably will take it very slow. no one should be put into an embarrassing or harmful situation. if it is new for everyone then it should start at a basic and minimal level. motion sparring(slow motion), hands only rounds, feet only rounds, and a mixture of both. all should be done with slow and controlled speed and power. my guess would be 50% *at the most* to begin with. i’d even start off a little less than that. all you need is for someone to get nailed good the first time out of the gate, and you could lose that person for good in that class. sparring needs to be controlled by your instructor. he/she should only let someone spar who they deem as ready(not only physically, but more important, mentally). if there’s some ufc wannabe in there that wants to take someones head off, your instructor might want to be sure that this person is put on a short leash. after about 2 years of sparring, i had a guy(he outweighed me by at least 50lbs) start to throw “superman” punches at me, and flying knees. i defended myself, then had to verbally(OK I yelled at him) to ask WTF he was doing. He said he was training for an mma bout he had coming up. that’s the type of person you’d want to avoid your first time out. no one in this new class should in any way feel threatened or embarassed. it should only be a positive experience for all who decide they want to spar. once students are at a more proficient level, then you could certainly kick it up a few notches.
Re: sparring class
I have a tough time gearing down, particularly when working with a bigger partner who lumbers in on me. I know that in a real match (not a street fight), I’d be looking to put a big one on the guy early on to send a little message. I don’t find it useful to stand in a spot that I wouldn’t normally stand (right in front of the big guy) and do something that I certainly wouldn’t do (trade punches inside of his punching range). That’s not teaching me anything.
On the other hand, if I go out and start throwing bombs, then I should be targeted with the same kind of punches / kicks. The problem is that we all have to go to work the next day.
It’s hard to find the balance. I’m hoping that members will continue to discuss this matter. BTW, I find it easier if I’m in with someone that is way better than me as they can control the pace with ease. If I get out of line, they can quickly tighten me up to help set the proper speed. It’s the same if I’m the way better fighter (although not usually the case, I assure you!).
Re: sparring class
There are a few of us who spar almost every class, but at the same time there are those people who never spar. If they decide to spar and get the wrong partner, hopefully the instructor will make sure there are slow progressions to the exercises.
We, luckily, have some people who have been doing KM for quite a while.
Re: sparring class
I’m afraid of sparring. I am given to understand that our school does its sparring on Saturdays. I work weekends so I don’t go. I don’t have a training partner, so I don’t get much practice defending or trying out moves. I think if I did, I would not be so afraid.
I also don’t want to hold someone back.
Re: sparring class
Maybe it is just my class, but I have no concerns about sparring when we start our class. Most of the “big” guys in my class with whom I would be matched up are pretty laid back and we tend to have a good time.
If you’re not having a good time, I wouldn’t spar. Sparring angry is… Fighting. And I don’t need gloves and a gym membership for that.
Re: sparring class
Talking about people doing weird moves during sparring, I once went with a guy who kept doing cartwheels in the middle of the fight. Pretty irritating and I didn’t know if I could kick him while he was rolling over, so I just waited ’til he was done with the cartwheel and jumped on him then. 🙂
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GiantkillerRe: sparring class
quote Giant Killer:Talking about people doing weird moves during sparring, I once went with a guy who kept doing cartwheels in the middle of the fight. Pretty irritating and I didn’t know if I could kick him while he was rolling over, so I just waited ’til he was done with the cartwheel and jumped on him then. 🙂_________________
GiantkillerCartwheels?? Oh, now you’re just making stuff up! 😉 Was that the Ninja class or what? 🙂
Re: sparring class
No, long, looooong time ago Amir was teaching an advanced fight class. Sometimes people would visit (he might bring them, or they just checked out the advanced class). The cartwheel guy was only there once. Not sure what kind of style that was supposed to be, but Ninja stuff was probably right… 🙂
Oh, also reminds me of that capoeira demonstration I saw once, where that one guy would run up a wall and do a backflip from there, ready to keep on fighting…
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Giantkiller
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