improve sparring

stemacker76

Hi i've been training in kenpo for over a year now and i'm happy with every
aspect of my training except my sparring!
I am too one dimensional and seem to be lacking the finishing instinct to beat the other fighter. i had my nose broken in another club a few years ago whilst sparring so maybe its psychological and if so how do i get around it?????
i would appreciate any help or ideas to help me.
thanks

Furious-Dave

stemacker76 wrote: »

Hi i've been training in kenpo for over a year now and i'm happy with every
aspect of my training except my sparring!
I am too one dimensional and seem to be lacking the finishing instinct to beat the other fighter. i had my nose broken in another club a few years ago whilst sparring so maybe its psychological and if so how do i get around it?????
i would appreciate any help or ideas to help me.
thanks

Would you care to divulge where you are training? Sparring in Kenpo tends to be crap to start with. To be good at sparring your coach needs to have good sparring as part of regular training. I trained in Kenpo on and off for over 10 years and the sparring was always light/no contact. My coaches acknowledged that the sparring was just a game of speed and accuracy but there was no proper sparring.
If Kenpo is the style you want to stay with you could consider taking up Kickboxing to satisfy your sparring needs.

Furious-Dave

Sorry. I was a little bit drunk when I posted last night
While I stand by what I said I could have worded it better.
Firstly, stemacker76:

What kind of sparring are you doing in the Kenpo club. Is it the usual point sparring stuff, or is it more like Kickboxing?

Is the sparring just something that the class does toward the end of a training session or is there a proper sparring system being taught, with tactics, strategy, drills?

Can you explain in what way you feel you are one dimensional?

Finishing instinct is something that initially needs to be taught to you, in terms of the basic concept and how it applies to the type of sparring you do, but after that you need to develop it by actually sparring. If you're doing more Kickboxing type sparring then finishing instinct is merely recognizing when you have "hurt" your opponent and increasing the pressure i.e. start driving forward with faster heavier strikes.
If the sparring you're doing is the point sparring then the finishing instinct is spotting openings and having fast tactics to get in and score the point.

Everyone has to get over the fear of being punched in the face at some stage and it can grow back a bit if you slack off from sparring. The only way to get over the fear is to keep sparring.

Hope this helps.

stemacker76

Furious-Dave wrote: »

Sorry. I was a little bit drunk when I posted last night
While I stand by what I said I could have worded it better.
Firstly, stemacker76:

What kind of sparring are you doing in the Kenpo club. Is it the usual point sparring stuff, or is it more like Kickboxing?

Is the sparring just something that the class does toward the end of a training session or is there a proper sparring system being taught, with tactics, strategy, drills?

Can you explain in what way you feel you are one dimensional?

Finishing instinct is something that initially needs to be taught to you, in terms of the basic concept and how it applies to the type of sparring you do, but after that you need to develop it by actually sparring. If you're doing more Kickboxing type sparring then finishing instinct is merely recognizing when you have "hurt" your opponent and increasing the pressure i.e. start driving forward with faster heavier strikes.
If the sparring you're doing is the point sparring then the finishing instinct is spotting openings and having fast tactics to get in and score the point.

Everyone has to get over the fear of being punched in the face at some stage and it can grow back a bit if you slack off from sparring. The only way to get over the fear is to keep sparring.

Hope this helps.

Hi thanks for replying the type of sparring we do would be like kickboxing 4x2 minute spars with our instructors coaching us but i always seem to favour my left side and find it hard switching sides so my partner has me sussed out fairly quickly.I might give the kickboxing a go to improve my overall form I appreciate your feedback thanks

Furious-Dave

Before you do anything have you raised your issues with your coach?
I would say stay on the side you are most comfortable with. Does your coach insist that you try changing sides, or is it just something you are doing on your own?

corkma

you can get stuck in a rut when sparring, it's very to throw the shots you're not comfortable with, or it can be difficult to increase your work rate and speed. You need to have a lot of determination and push yourself to try new techniques etc. this can mean taking some risks, so light sparring when your relaxed can be a help. a chat with your coach should help. it could be worth your while visiting some other clubs, or even go to waatch competitions. It could give you some new ideas. watching good fighters, knowing how they train will improve your game