3 Things to Keep in Mind when Sparring
It would be great to have all those shiny tournament trophies there is on display at your martial arts school or at home? Well, you can. Just pick the number of trophies you want and then enter that many tournaments! Ok, that is the end result. How do you get there? To answer this question only takes one word: sparring. You must supply yourself with a great deal of sparring instincts in training to find yourself on the winners podium with a medal or trohpy. You need experience and skill and that is why sparring training is a must. Or, more accurately, proper sparring is a must.
So, here are a few tips to assist you in getting the most out of your sparring classes:
Let’s straighten something out from the right here: sparring is not fighting. Sparring is a drill designed to enhance your fighting skills. Like we have been told since we were kids it is not about win or loss but how you approach it. It is about improvement. That means you need to curb your competitive spirit and approach sparring with an attitude centering on a positive learning experience.
Also, if you are not an upper belt, you shouldn’t be sparring without proper supervision fr om an instructor. In addition to having a knowledgeable eye presenting you with tips and pointers, there will be someone there to ensure the sparring session stays light and friendly.
It is imperative that in now way do you spar without the proper MMA supplies on. Yes, you see professional fighters training without such equipment all the time. They are also professionals and they have the experience to handle such training. If you are training as a hobby or for amateur or tournament competition, you will want to wear as much protective gear as possible. This includes head, chest, feet, hand, and groin protection. Doing this will reduce the likelyhood of injury and this gives you the opportunity to train more and safer.
While sparring to get ready for a competition remember to keep physical contact levels low. There is no need to go 100% while you are practicing to develop your sparring skills. In fact, doing so is often self-defeating. You want to be able to assess your strengths and weaknesses while sparring while refining the areas you excel and enhancing (or avoiding) that are underdeveloped. It is very tough to do this when you are training with excess contact or intensity and such heavy training should be limited. However, limited does NOT mean never. You will need to train hard and with high intensity at some point in order to get used to such an approach which will often come into play in a tournament scenario. So, as a rule, limit the tough sparring sessions to 10% of your training time.
Spar according to the rules of the tournament you wish to enter. In this way you will have the tournament rules work in your advanatage rather than working against you. Also, wear the same apparel in training as you would in the tournament. If you train in shorts for mma and Karate shoes then you are in a tournament that requires a uniform and doesn’t allow shoes, you will feel very off on tournament day. It is important to pick a sparring partner who can control their kicks and punches. You want someone who is safe, controlled, and non-competitive but still knows how to push you to improve. Aggressive sparring partners who are overly competitive should be avoided at all costs!
School Rumble 2nd Semester – 12 – Perfect, Forbidden! Entry, Forbidden! Shorts, Forbidden!