I had my first "fun" fight yesterday. Any tips are appreciated.

Kung Fu Wang

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Try not to move in, throw a punch (or kick) and move back.

Try to have a "plan" such as

- When to move in.
- What to do after you have moved in.
- ...

A simple plan can be to use kick/kicks to set up punch/punches.



and use punches to set up clinch, and use clinch to ... (not sure if you have integrated throw into your sparring or not).

upload your pictures online
 
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drop bear

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Calm down. It's sparring. The frantic jumping around stuff. Makes the other guy tense up. And you don't get good sparring.

Just start by moving around and getting caught with whatever you get caught with.

 

Tony Dismukes

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The first thing I would work on is your stance. Leaning forward like that it's difficult to throw punches effectively and really difficult to throw good kicks. Your angle relative to your opponent wobbles around from almost squared up to showing him your back, but it's clearly random and not part of an intentional plan. I can't tell what art you might have training in, but I recommend you pick a single fighting stance from that system and practice being able to consistently maintain that posture as you move around and throw strikes.

The next thing to work on is relaxing and controlling your flinch reflex. Your sparring partner is going light and controlled, so there's no need to be afraid of getting tagged. The more you can desensitize yourself to incoming strikes, the better you will be at defending them without excess movement and being able to counter.

Getting past the fear of being hit will also help you with your next objective, which is to manage your distance more effectively. Most of your punches and kicks were coming up about a foot short of your sparring partner, not because he moved back, but because he was already out of range when you threw the strike. I suspect a large part of that is because you were afraid that you would get hit if you came closer.

As for the rest of it, your basic body mechanics for your punches and kicks need a lot of work. I presume you are drilling those in class and so now they should be significantly improved if you had this sparring match 4-5 months ago. That's assuming you are actually training regularly with a qualified instructor. If you aren't, then I suggest that should be your first step if you want to improve.
 

tkdroamer

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Calm down. It's sparring. The frantic jumping around stuff. Makes the other guy tense up. And you don't get good sparring.

Just start by moving around and getting caught with whatever you get caught with.

Good first spar. As @Tony Dismukes said, work on stance & footwork. I think you actually got better toward the end. This may have been because you were gassed and relaxed some.
It was odd to watch your body position. Often you would be bent/crouched forward in a defensive posture but would still be leaning back past center.
 

Oily Dragon

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Calm down. It's sparring. The frantic jumping around stuff. Makes the other guy tense up. And you don't get good sparring.

Just start by moving around and getting caught with whatever you get caught with.


It really is a dance, isn't it. My favorite, next to the tango.
 

Oily Dragon

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Good first spar. As @Tony Dismukes said, work on stance & footwork. I think you actually got better toward the end. This may have been because you were gassed and relaxed some.
It was odd to watch your body position. Often you would be bent/crouched forward in a defensive posture but would still be leaning back past center.

Not his first spar, his first "fun" one.

I totally agree with your feedback on body position, his butt is sticking out.
 

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