I realized today why I've been so sluggish in sparring

[skribs]

I've been trying to figure out for a while why I can be quick (for my build) in drills, but slow in sparring. Finally realized I'm not finding any rhythm when I'm sparring.

Focused on my rhythm last night and found my moves were more fluid and my combos chained better.

 

[Martial D]

I've been trying to figure out for a while why I can be quick (for my build) in drills, but slow in sparring. Finally realized I'm not finding any rhythm when I'm sparring.

Focused on my rhythm last night and found my moves were more fluid and my combos chained better.

Cadence is everything in my opinion. Next time you throw a combo..like say a 1 2 3 2 1 pay attention to how fast you get off each punch. The second cross will be faster than the first and the exit jab will be faster than the entry jab.Flow builds momentum.

 

[skribs]

Cadence is everything in my opinion. Next time you throw a combo..like say a 1 2 3 2 1 pay attention to how fast you get off each punch. The second cross will be faster than the first and the exit jab will be faster than the entry jab.Flow builds momentum.

Unfortunately jabs and crosses don't come up much in WTF-style sparring! But I get what you mean.

 

[Martial D]

Unfortunately jabs and crosses don't come up much in WTF-style sparring! But I get what you mean.

Lol fair enough. But you do have combos right?

 

[marques]

I've been trying to figure out for a while why I can be quick (for my build) in drills, but slow in sparring. Finally realized I'm not finding any rhythm when I'm sparring.

Focused on my rhythm last night and found my moves were more fluid and my combos chained better.

What do you mean by rhythm? If it is what I think it only makes me predictable and boring to the opponent, even if I am trying to be fast.

What I advise is constantly changing speed (even freezing), direction, angles, distance... Then I can hit and frustrate my opponent.

 

[skribs]

What do you mean by rhythm? If it is what I think it only makes me predictable and boring to the opponent, even if I am trying to be fast.

What I advise is constantly changing speed (even freezing), direction, angles, distance... Then I can hit and frustrate my opponent.

I literally mean rhythm, like you'd have in music. In music you have rhythm, but it's not always the same beat. You may have your beats normalized at quarter notes, but then have faster beats in eighth or sixteenth notes, and have slower portions where there's notes sustained over multiple measures. You have staccato, rests, and all sorts of things in there. But everything is done to the rhythm.

Getting my body moving on rhythm, where I can count to my self "1-and-2-and" where 1 is the kick and 2 is the return for the next kick can help me set up.

I'm not always going to use THAT rhythm or combo. But whatever I'm doing, it has to be rhythmic to the other motions.

 

[skribs]

Lol fair enough. But you do have combos right?

Yes. The roundhouse kick serves like a jab, because the motion plays so well with other techniques. I can follow through on the spin and do a back kick, spin hook kick, or tornado kick. I can switch the direction after the roundhouse kick for double and triple kicks. There's still combos, but mostly with the feet.

 

[jobo]

I've been trying to figure out for a while why I can be quick (for my build) in drills, but slow in sparring. Finally realized I'm not finding any rhythm when I'm sparring.

Focused on my rhythm last night and found my moves were more fluid and my combos chained better.

cant you train to music, then just sing the song to yourself, when your doing it for real?

 

[marques]

I literally mean rhythm, like you'd have in music. In music you have rhythm, but it's not always the same beat. You may have your beats normalized at quarter notes, but then have faster beats in eighth or sixteenth notes, and have slower portions where there's notes sustained over multiple measures. You have staccato, rests, and all sorts of things in there. But everything is done to the rhythm.

Getting my body moving on rhythm, where I can count to my self "1-and-2-and" where 1 is the kick and 2 is the return for the next kick can help me set up.

I'm not always going to use THAT rhythm or combo. But whatever I'm doing, it has to be rhythmic to the other motions.

I got it, I think. Still, a thing I do not use on live opponents. My rhythm is often determined by opponent’s reactions. I don’t deliver preplanned combos. I plan a start or an end and everything else is exploiting the opponent reflexes. So rhythm, or beat, is not a think that bothers me.

Anyway, glad you found a solution. Progression is in steps, isn’t it? We get stuck at a level for a while, then we discover something great and jumbo to the next step, then there again for a while... until the next ‘illumination’.

 

[_Simon_]

I've been trying to figure out for a while why I can be quick (for my build) in drills, but slow in sparring. Finally realized I'm not finding any rhythm when I'm sparring.

Focused on my rhythm last night and found my moves were more fluid and my combos chained better.

Ah that's really cool, never really thought of that .

I guess in terms of combos and drills it would really help trying to feel the rhythm of it, then you can really sink into that rhythm during free sparring. And yeah like you said, the rhythm will constantly change, but I reckon it's about feeling the natural rhythms of live sparring, so it's a more organic and spontaneous process.

Otherwise it could get a little too mathematical and robotic, but I get what you mean for sure

 

[skribs]

I got it, I think. Still, a thing I do not use on live opponents. My rhythm is often determined by opponent’s reactions. I don’t deliver preplanned combos. I plan a start or an end and everything else is exploiting the opponent reflexes. So rhythm, or beat, is not a think that bothers me.

Anyway, glad you found a solution. Progression is in steps, isn’t it? We get stuck at a level for a while, then we discover something great and jumbo to the next step, then there again for a while... until the next ‘illumination’.

Even if you're reacting to what you're opponent is doing, your movements need to be synchronized. What I mean by that is your full body needs to be committed to the movement at the same time. It's not about hitting each hit exactly 0.5 seconds after the last hit. It's about timing the bouncing of your feet, the turning of your hips, and the landing of the blow so they happen at a time harmonious with each other. If your body isn't on rhythm, you lose your balance or speed.

 

[jobo]

Even if you're reacting to what you're opponent is doing, your movements need to be synchronized. What I mean by that is your full body needs to be committed to the movement at the same time. It's not about hitting each hit exactly 0.5 seconds after the last hit. It's about timing the bouncing of your feet, the turning of your hips, and the landing of the blow so they happen at a time harmonious with each other. If your body isn't on rhythm, you lose your balance or speed.

So, that what most people call, co ordination ?

 

[marques]

Even if you're reacting to what you're opponent is doing, your movements need to be synchronized. What I mean by that is your full body needs to be committed to the movement at the same time. It's not about hitting each hit exactly 0.5 seconds after the last hit. It's about timing the bouncing of your feet, the turning of your hips, and the landing of the blow so they happen at a time harmonious with each other. If your body isn't on rhythm, you lose your balance or speed.

Then I need to agree with Jobo...
Coordination and full control of the body is one thing we can learn in training and use in everything else we do. As a naturally clumsy guy, gaining fine control of my body was fascinating.

 

[pdg]

Then I need to agree with Jobo...

Don't you just hate it when that happens?

 

[Derrick waddell]

What I have found during sparring- the more tired I am, i stand higher and not locked down. If I focus more on getting locked down, i am more fluid I am.

I know it's a extremely basic concept, but it seems I'm better when I stick to my basics and not going after my opponent with fancy stuff.

Hope this helps

 

[_Simon_]