Does bouncing increase speed?

[Tae Kwon Doughboy]

My instructor keeps having us bounce on our toes in line drills and sparring. He is really into tournaments and says bouncing makes a person faster. Does it really make a person faster?

I'm having all kinds of problems with bouncing though. It really slows me down and technique goes out the window. It slows me down because I have to wait until I'm on the ground before I can kick. Technique goes out the window because bouncing is so unnatural for me that I have to concentrate so much on it that the quality of the other moves suffers.

I think that is also what is bothering my back and right leg. I don't jog or run because the jarring messes up my back.

 

[MichiganTKD]

While I know fighter who do rhythmically move their bodies up and down, bouncing does not increase speed. In fact, it actually makes you slower because you because you have to allow yourself an extra second to rebound from the increased height before you can execute a technique. Not only does it slow down your technique, it makes it much easier for you to walk into a counter attack.
And yes, bouncing adds a great deal of stress to the joints. This is one of the reasons why tournament fighters tend to have short careers.

 

[kenpo2dabone]

I love sparring bouncers. They bounce with a rythm that is very exploitable. What goes up must come down and once your up there is not a whole lot you can do about me advancing on you until you hit the ground again. By that time it is too late. Point to me. (LOL) The higher the bounce the more time I have to close the gap on you and score. I think you would be better off staying on the balls of your feet and being nuetral so that you can move in any direction instantly.

Salute,
Mike Miller UKF

 

[terryl965]

Bouncing will increase speed only if you are learning to kick while you are bouncing,(as for being able to move in on people you must have someone that is leaving the floor more then a third of an inch, if you stay on the ball and bounce with little air between your foot and the ground you cannot get cought like that) some people just like to leave the ground to much.... God Bless America

 

[TigerWoman]

My daughter and I both got huge calves from bouncing. Since we have a mat, the physiological problems were eased -not so jarring. We bounce in line and also when sparring. But during sparring, we just don't bounce in one spot and not all the time. We move around alot. A moving target is a harder target to hit. I developed a lot of endurance that way because of the bouncing and moving which was good for sparring later in my black belt test. It may be true that a really good sparring partner could estimate the up bounce to attack. But that is only easy when the opponent is staying in the same position. We do bouncing only occasionally now as we all are pretty much bouncers in sparring.

 

[loki09789]

Bouncing does not increase your physical ability to create speed. It MAY, if used properly (in other words, don't just bounce to bounce but to hide intention) conceal an attack because it can be blended into a bouncing pattern. Since the opponent has been watching the bouncing he/she may take a little longer to register an attack, which slows down reaction time - which might make you seem faster.

Like any tool though, it has to be mastered to be effective. In my more trad art past, I loved to steady bouncers because you could time an attack or read an incoming attack pretty easily. Mix bouncing with shoulder twitches, stomps, sniffs, mock attack faces.... to through a player off his timing and make him nervous and you have a good tool.

 

[ShaolinWolf]

Well, I think Bouncing is great for covering up a technique, like Paul said. I also think its great for getting more of a work out like cardio during sparring. I don't bounce alot anymore, used to when I was lower rank. I think its great, but yes, it has limitations. You get get to far in any direction once you are in the air until you land. I use bouncing to get closer to my opponent. Also, Bouncing being able to cover up techniques, I use feet switching mixed with bouncing.

I don't really think bouncing increases speed, not with sparring. I don't do it for that anyway. Bouncing really slows you down because people can hit you on the rebound. The only bouncing I find that increases speed, is jump roping. LOL.

I use alot of feet switching, and side stepping, with limited hopping(bouncing) to get somewhere alot quicker. The only other thing I can think of for hopping being a speedier way is for a fake out technique. And also we just do hopping in class as a workout and added into our sparring and pad drills. Bouncing for me is nothing more than a workout and really does not affect my sparring drills much.

:asian:

 

[Rick Wade]

I love sparring bouncers. They bounce with a rythm that is very exploitable. What goes up must come down and once your up there is not a whole lot you can do about me advancing on you until you hit the ground again. By that time it is too late. Point to me. (LOL) The higher the bounce the more time I have to close the gap on you and score. I think you would be better off staying on the balls of your feet and being nuetral so that you can move in any direction instantly.

Salute,
Mike Miller UKF

Totally agree Also before a bouncer can throw a kick he has to stop boncing that clues me in to a preemptive strike to his hip. It is hard to throw and effective punch while bouncing. unless it is something along the lines of a backfist.

Respectfully

 

[c2kenpo]

Everyone here has great posts on this topic.

Coming from an old TKD system and now Kenpo I look at it 2 ways.

1) Bouncing or what I call "Boxers Shuffle" Dont make it rythmic or it is easy to see and you will get nailed every time. Create timing paterns that work around a combination or techniq that allows you to change the timing.
For examples of what I am trying to say look at Sugar Ray Leonard and how we would "bob and weave" then unleash an array of combos on his opponent. Professional boxers are the best example of good and bad "bouncing".

2) This is my Kenpo training talking, - Bounce= Timing. When you bounce you create a pattern or even worse you remove your base of support even for a brief moment. Your base of support is the one thing you dont want to lose because that will grossly effect your posture. When in a conflict, the three things I think that determine the outcome more than anything are posture, attitude, and relaxation.
Remember your opponent can "read and feel" timing too the trick is to be able to read his faster.
Learning to stay lose and relaxed in your shoulders and hips will make you faster because you will not have the same muscle tension.
And simply thinking (or not) about the outcome meaning setting your goal before the conflict comes to its apex will allow you to set the timing and to control the rythm or lack there of.

David Gunzburg

 

[Marginal]

My instructor keeps having us bounce on our toes in line drills and sparring. He is really into tournaments and says bouncing makes a person faster. Does it really make a person faster?

The bouncing types I've sparred do tend to be faster in one respect. They're usually very good at running away from me. I spend most of my time in a match chasing them. Not a terrible strategy as far as it goes, since it takes a fair amount of energy to actually pin them down.

 

[Jion]

Bouncing /can/ increase your speed - if you know how to use it, and use it properly. Bouncing - and I'm not talking 3 inches off the ground here - keeps you light on your toes, allowing easier balance shifts for attacks, expecially kicks.

I don't advocate bouncing - it's much easier to do wrong than to do right. I usually use it as a distraction. Start the match steady, bounce for a bit, make them watch your body instead of your weapons.

 

[MichiganTKD]

As I stated before, many of the fighters I know bounce slightly to keep themselves light on their feet. I am much more likely to see them practice alternating their body and legs left and right to sucker someone in and defend against an attack. For example, they might switch stances to get you to attack with a roundhouse, then whip out a back spinning kick as soon as you commit to that roundhouse.

 

[DragonFooter]

i was a blue belt when 'bouncing' is introduced into our sparring sessions.
I was slow to pick it up too.In fact i was the last in my belt group to pick it up. Like someone in this forum, i find difficulty in executing techniques with 'bouncing' . As i sparred others who adopted the bouncing stance i feel as though they become faster, and their techniques harder to preceive.
My static stance against them is only good with blocking and counterattack.
Offensive strategies aren't as effective as them . I agree that in static stance u can move left right forwards backwards however movement in static stance is easier to spot, in my opinion. And believe me u won't want to get in that situation against sparrers with very precise timing who nail u everytime u move to attack!
'Bouncing' stance to me is never lifting both ur feet in the air for few microseconds but bouncing just enough to keep the balls of the feet on the ground very lightly or easier to change left to right stance at anytime during a sparring.
Although it's great for sparring, i prefer to use a static stance in self defense situations . Feels more secure to me that way and easier to defend/counterattack. Moreover, it's tiring in the long run.
In competitions i tend to alternate between bouncing and static stance in a match. This is to disrupt the opponents rhythm and keep me from tiring out
hehe

 

[Shu2jack]

I find bouncing to be helpful, though I do not believe it increases speed. My instructor always tells the jr. ranks to bounce a little (not big bounces) because it helps them focus on not being flat footed. (Thus a sitting duck)

Personally I only bounce in a sparring match when my opponent and myself are circling each other and are a distance away. I feel this helps me focus, loosens me up, and keeps me from becoming flat footed by encouraging me to move. But when I get into striking range I stop "bouncing" and lower myself into solid footing to attack and to be able to better withstand blows. I am a puncher though, so that is what works for me.

 

[ShaolinWolf]

Yeah, I use bouncing nowadays for more of hiding my true intentions and getting for place to place alot quicker when sparring. Nice fake outs too!


:asian:

 

[Tae Kwon Doughboy]

Thanks for all the great info. I'm not in it for tournies so I'll try to do enough bouncing to be comfortable with it when I need it but not enough to jar my back so much. I'd rather have good technique right now anyway.

Our mat is about two inches of foam (for Judo) with a vinyl tarp over it. It is hard for the instructor to tell if I am slightly on my toes or flat footed when standing. This means we pretty much have to bounce three inches in order for it to be clear we are actually coming off the ground as opposed to acting like we're bouncing.

 

[Bushi40]

you have amswered your own question. The more time your feet are on the ground along with balance the faster you can respond or defend

Grand Master Gene Perceval

 

[ATC]

When you bounce you should never leave the ground. Your heals do but your toes are still on the ground. Never bounce in place. Bounce with movement. This mean you should be checking or fainting your opponet with sharp movements.

The alternitive to bouncing is standing still. You will never attack affectively standing still as any movement you make indicates an attack and easily countered.

Bouncing introduces confusion if done correctly. Plus your calfs will become strong and your kicks will be faster as you learn to push off with your calfs to initiate your attacks.

Those that don't bounce can't or never learned properly and do not understand the why, what, and how of bouncing.

Listen to your instructor and keep bouncing. Once you get it you will be much better for it.

 

[Earl Weiss]

do a web search for Plyometrics and see how this is a form of exercise that might be viewed as a bounce if done properly.

Also, if doen properly it can take advantage of the naturla rebound tendancy of a muscle and decrease the total elapsed time of the attack.

 

[TX_BB]

The bouncing is a form of preloading the leg muscles prior to kicking.