Sparing win by 1 technique only

[Kung Fu Wang]

Have you even sparred that you can only win by a particular technique? Any other technique that you use in sparring will be ignored and fight will continue? The advantage of this kind of sparring is it will force you to develop a new technique.

For example, that technique can be a "spin back kick". This will force your students to use that technique over and over no matter they may like it or not.

What's your opinion on this?

 

[Cynik75]

Quite often during BJJ classes.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

I like it. Though my preference is either
1. Give 2-3 options that go together. ie: You can win by a spinning back kick, a round house kick, or a spinning back fist. This means that the sparring partner will have to look out for/defend against three techniques, not just one.
2. Have the technique be used at some point in the 'win'. ie: if the technique is a hook, and I use the hook as a feint and wind up for the spin back kick, that counts. This would prevent them from over-defending the technique, and/or using that to your advantage.
3. Give an incentive to aim for one specific technique, but not make it a win condition. ie: If you throw a spinning back kick successfully, and that's the technique of the day, you get a shout out at the end of class. My old bjj school would do this with the submission of the day. It gives both sides motivation to try out what they're drilling, and being able to work it into general sparring.

 

[JowGaWolf]

Have you even sparred that you can only win by a particular technique?

When you say this, you mean that other techniques can be used but only one technique will count as a win. If this is what you mean then I like this.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

When you say this, you mean that other techniques can be used but only one technique will count as a win. If this is what you mean then I like this.

That's exactly what I mean. Sometimes people like to use techniques that they are good at. They may afraid to use a new technique that they don't have confidence in.

For example, this approach will force a single leg wrestler to develop hip throw. IMO, this is a good teaching method.

 

[Hellabyss]

Have you even sparred that you can only win by a particular technique? Any other technique that you use in sparring will be ignored and fight will continue? The advantage of this kind of sparring is it will force you to develop a new technique.

For example, that technique can be a "spin back kick". This will force your students to use that technique over and over no matter they may like it or not.

What's your opinion on this?

I did, I think It is a simple but good method, if you are new this would help you to develop the technique and linking other movement to be able to win, you can acquire fast experience fighting an opponent, you can put it like a small game.

However from my point of view I dont recomend it for advanced martial artists, because in a fight you cant use only a technique, you need to be more flexible and have numerous answers for different situations.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

1. Give 2-3 options that go together. ie: You can win by a spinning back kick, a round house kick, or a spinning back fist.

I like to use this approach too as long as the number is 1, 2, or 3.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

I dont recomend it for advanced martial artists, because in a fight you cant use only a technique, you need to be more flexible and have numerous answers for different situations.

If we look at the following toolbox, it may take someone entire lifetime to develop all those tools. So, when should one stop developing new tools (move from beginner level into advance level) can be hard to decide.

1. Punch - jab, cross, hook, uppercut, overhand, back fist, hammer fist, side punch, spiral punch, hay-maker, ...
2. Kick - front toe kick, front heel kick, side kick, roundhouse kick, hook kick, back kick, inside crescent kick, outside crescent kick, tornado kick, jumping double front kick, jumping crescent kick, ...
3. Knee - upward knee, horizontal knee, 45 degree knee, flying knee, ...
4. Elbow - horizontal elbow, upward elbow, downward elbow, forward elbow, backward elbow, ...
5. Lock - finger lock, wrist lock, elbow lock, shoulder lock, head lock, spine lock, knee lock, ankle lock, ...
6. Throw - single leg, double legs, hip throw, leg twist, leg spring, leg lift, leg block, foot sweep, ...
7. Ground game - full mount, side mount, arm bar, leg bar, choke, ...

 

[Dirty Dog]

It's a good way to level the playing field when there is a large skill difference.

 

[Hellabyss]

If we look at the following toolbox, it may take someone entire lifetime to develop all those tools. So, when should one stop developing new tools (move from beginner level into advance level) can be hard to decide.

The Poomsaes or Katas are made for this reason, the same way for Kung Fu, you have a small set of abilities that you can use in different forms with different path, they are focused with the reason to use it for all fights, this is beacuse you repeat the same movements in your training, they are the skills your martial art choose for fights, how you use it will depend of you.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

It's a good way to level the playing field when there is a large skill difference.

- An advance guy may be good in technique A.
- A beginner may be good in technique B.

But when C is the technique to win, the difference between the advance and the beginner may not be that much different.

 

[Buka]

We used to do something called “The subtraction game.”

Two people spar, winner stays up.

The new person up gets to chose a limb the former winner can’t use. They might choose his right arm if the fighter has a great right hand counter, or he might choose his left leg if the person’s kicking skills are killer on that side.

Again, winner stays up. But here’s where it gets fun. If the winner stays up, he still can’t use the chosen limb in his next fight. The new guy gets to choose another limb he can’t use as well.

So, if he was a seasoned puncher you might subtract his second arm, now all he can do is kick. And vice versa.

It’s fun, the students loved playing it. It helped them develop strategies.

It also forced people to develop more skills they might have been overlooking. Breaks up the regular sparring routine, too. We sparred a lot of different ways, but the students seemed to like that one a lot.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

We used to do something called “The subtraction game.”

Two people spar, winner stays up.

The new person up gets to chose a limb the former winner can’t use. They might choose his right arm if the fighter has a great right hand counter, or he might choose his left leg if the person’s kicking skills are killer on that side.

Again, winner stays up. But here’s where it gets fun. If the winner stays up, he still can’t use the chosen limb in his next fight. The new guy gets to choose another limb he can’t use as well.

So, if he was a seasoned puncher you might subtract his second arm, now all he can do is kick. And vice versa.

It’s fun, the students loved playing it. It helped them develop strategies.

It also forced people to develop more skills they might have been overlooking. Breaks up the regular sparring routine, too. We sparred a lot of different ways, but the students seemed to like that one a lot.

So if someone can't use their leg, does that mean footwork is out of the question, or they just aren't able to kick?
And if someone wins 3 matches, are they just a punching bag for the fourth partner/

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

The most value for this training is to force you to train all different kind of set-up. If "spin back kick" is the technique, how do you set it up?

For example, if "head lock" is the winning technique, you will find out that "rhino guard" can be a good set up.

 

[_Simon_]

All of my techniques win all the time.

Always.

 

[_Simon_]

No but seriously, that's actually a really great drill, KFW, I like that very much. It really forces you not only to hone that technique, but it takes all the thinking out of it (which technique to use, at what range am I to use certain techniques etc), and gets you to focus solely on other important aspects, getting better at distance and timing, footwork etc. Don't have to worry about what technique to throw.

I dig! Think I'll steal this drill for our next sparring session

 

[Fungus]

Have you even sparred that you can only win by a particular technique? Any other technique that you use in sparring will be ignored and fight will continue? The advantage of this kind of sparring is it will force you to develop a new technique.

For example, that technique can be a "spin back kick". This will force your students to use that technique over and over no matter they may like it or not.

What's your opinion on this?

Great idea!

What we do in our class at times are something similar. As a beginner it is sometimes complex to make everything well. Footwork, proper hand striking as oppose to just hand waving and sloppy strikes, kicking etc. I really enjoy those kind of exercises.

We are sometimes told to use only hand techniques.
Sometimes only low kicks etc.
Sometimes we are told to only use one hand, or one leg.

It makes it easier to focus on and develop one technique, but still in the context of a fight.

Another game we do is instructor secretly tells one fighter a technique to land (the other figher does not know). Could be for example, try to sweep his legs, or try to kick inside the thighs, control/jam his arms, or get in close range and punch. And at the same time the other person gets another secret technique. After the fight we get to guess what the secret mission of the opponent was (sometimes it's obvious, sometimes not)

 

[Buka]

So if someone can't use their leg, does that mean footwork is out of the question, or they just aren't able to kick?
And if someone wins 3 matches, are they just a punching bag for the fourth partner/

Footwork is fine. And even if I leg is ruled out it’s only ruled out for kicks, they were still allowed to sweep or bring the knee up to jam.

If someone wins three matches they stay up and there’s no more subtraction. But very few won three matches. You know how it is in a dojo, after a while everyone knows what everyone is good at. Makes it easy to take advantage.

 

[silent killer]

my punch is a K.O. punch

 

[dunc]

Have you even sparred that you can only win by a particular technique? Any other technique that you use in sparring will be ignored and fight will continue? The advantage of this kind of sparring is it will force you to develop a new technique.

For example, that technique can be a "spin back kick". This will force your students to use that technique over and over no matter they may like it or not.

What's your opinion on this?

I find this is quite a good way to train with less experienced folk
It creates a more challenging training situation for you and teaches you to funnel the match into a situation of your choosing