Punching Exercises for WTF Sparring

[Rumy73]

I throw my share of punches but have trouble encouraging some students to
even consider it an option. One barrier is that they cannot see a tactical application? Has anyone developed any training he or she will share?

 

[WaterGal]

One of the women's gold-medal matches last summer had someone scoring with a punch. I don't remember which weight class it was, but you can find all of them on Youtube. Seeing that might help convince your students that punching can be useful in sparring.

 

[ATC]

Just saw Aaron Cook score 2 punches towards the end of his US Open match with Brazil to close the gap and eventually win the match. Without the punches he would not have won nor opened up things for his kicks. If you are not punching you are only using half a tool box.

 

[Rumy73]

Just saw Aaron Cook score 2 punches towards the end of his US Open match with Brazil to close the gap and eventually win the match. Without the punches he would not have won nor opened up things for his kicks. If you are not punching you are only using half a tool box.

Any training tips you use for this?

 

[Gorilla]

My kids punch regularly in WTF matches...if you can punch hard and are able to close distance quickly on a attacking opponent...it will take ther breath away...Charlie and Kym score regularly in macthes...

If you hit opponent coming in and it stops forward movement and sends the opponent back it will score!

They are Shotokan black belts so that helps allot

 

[Miles]

One drill we use for "cover punch" is to be in a left sparring stance, execute a circular low block while moving forward and punching with the right hand. Do this drill on both a mitt or a partner wearing a hogu.

 

[StudentCarl]

I see many reluctant to punch because they haven't done enough hand and wrist conditioning along with developing power--they just don't know how to punch effectively. Once you get people to where they can punch with their weight behind it and not hurt themselves, refining the tactical use gets easier. Tools before tactics, IMO.

 

[Cyriacus]

Personally, in what little WTF type sparring ive done, wildly barraging punches is a good way of softening someones torso before you try and kick them (not necessarily to the same target). Even if they dont always score, if you go all out theyll hurt, and that can make it easier to score. Just aim for the general area of the collarbones, or anything on the back. If you get a golden opportunity, you can, with some hogu, aim for the upper chest in the collar part of it where its open. If you stay body to body, they might try to kick you. Then just exploit the rules a bit and run in a straight line through them - Your body ought to push them over by their own leg at that distance. Since they cant hit you in the head, they cant exactly compensate. If they dont try to kick you, and they decide to play your game and punch back, kick them.
Its worked for me, anyway. Just close distance, throw punches, rush them if they try to kick you and kick them if they try to punch you. If they stand there doing nothing, just keep it up. The longer you keep going the better. Obviously, the defense thatll work is clinching.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

One of the women's gold-medal matches last summer had someone scoring with a punch. I don't remember which weight class it was, but you can find all of them on Youtube. Seeing that might help convince your students that punching can be useful in sparring.

Better yet, spar some of them and use punches to help beat them..then tell them to practice punches until they can do the same to you

 

[Gorilla]

The proper Sport Tkd punch that will score is a cross between a MMA super man punch and karate reverse punch.

We use it as a counter...to a kicker who is attacking wiith doubles...if you want it to score...it must hit in the sternum area...

The first one you throw almost never scores...it sends a message to the ref's...pay attention I am going to punch..they will usually score on the second punch....

IR' s score punches more often...

 

[ralphmcpherson]

We do a few variations on sparrinng that encourage punching. We do "punching only" rounds where all you can do is throw punches, no kicks allowed. Another is having a minimum number of punches that must be thrown in a round, usually one minute rounds with a minimum of ten punches in the round. Its very hard to teach someone to punch regularly when its not something ingrained in what they do. We encourage punching from day one, when we get new students from forms of tkd that dont encourage punching we find it very hard to break the "no punching habit".

 

[Manny]

We do a few variations on sparrinng that encourage punching. We do "punching only" rounds where all you can do is throw punches, no kicks allowed. Another is having a minimum number of punches that must be thrown in a round, usually one minute rounds with a minimum of ten punches in the round. Its very hard to teach someone to punch regularly when its not something ingrained in what they do. We encourage punching from day one, when we get new students from forms of tkd that dont encourage punching we find it very hard to break the "no punching habit".

Nice advise I will use it.

Many