My own style of sparring

[Manny]

The way I do sparring is the old fashion way. I am not young anymore, not so flexible and not to strong conditioned so the way I sparr si very linear, using punches and basic kicks and blocks and then if I don't see an opening I wait for a counter.

The young taekwondoings and the ones who trains for competition uses a volley of kicks using speed combos of three kicks or more at once, I am not that way I use my stamina in single or double shots and always try to catch my oponent of guard and kick him or punching him. I know that maybe it's the wrong way to spar cause I am so static and the oponent send me a lot of kicks from diferent ways and I block them with sucess some times but I can't follow the way a young man sparrs .

Wow I don't know when I turned 40!!!

Manny

 

[jthomas1600]

Manny, it sounds to me like you're playing to your strengths. I don's see how there can be anything wrong with that. I'm with you. I'm in my mid 40's and if I try to match speed with speed sparring against some of these youngsters I won't stand a chance. As I get older I realize I can't fight faster, but I can fight smarter.

 

[ralphmcpherson]

Im still afew years off 40 but have alraedy come to the conclusion that throwing a flurry of fancy kicks just wastes energy. I wait till the time is right and try to throw well controlled acurate kicks and punches and try to evade as much as possible and use blocks as a last resort.

 

[dancingalone]

Im still afew years off 40 but have alraedy come to the conclusion that throwing a flurry of fancy kicks just wastes energy. I wait till the time is right and try to throw well controlled acurate kicks and punches and try to evade as much as possible and use blocks as a last resort.

Agreed. I guess it depends on your sparring rule sets. Those kicking flurries don't work so well when you allow leg traps and sweeps.

 

[Manny]

Manny, it sounds to me like you're playing to your strengths. I don's see how there can be anything wrong with that. I'm with you. I'm in my mid 40's and if I try to match speed with speed sparring against some of these youngsters I won't stand a chance. As I get older I realize I can't fight faster, but I can fight smarter.

Ohhhhh yeah you nail it!!! I am 42 years old and even I workout (TKD/Kenpo) I am not as fast as when I was young, so instead to be a cheeta chasing his prey I am more like a siting lion behind the bushes waiting for a prey to come closer.

Manny

 

[ATC]

I guess it is all about doing what you "CAN" do not what you "SHOULD" do. With age CAN and SHOULD become one and the same.

 

[StudentCarl]

In Orlando I attended a coaching class where we discussed this in the context of scouting. The instructors said that you should use your strengths and attempt to shut down your opponent's strengths. It's sounds like you're on the right track. Our strengths won't be the same as the teenagers, needless to say.

Carl