Laborn
Blue Belt
How do i make my reflexes sharper? Like sparring, sometimes if im fighting a really fast guy, ill see the hit comming, but i wont react quick enough. How can i train my self to react faster?
Reflexes
- Thread starter Laborn
- Start date
Navarre
Master Black Belt
I would imagine that a lot of reflex activity is hardwired into your brain. To that extent it may not be modifiable.
On the other hand, we can develop our reflexes to their maximum potential. To that end I would think doing reflex drills would be a good idea.
Instead of just sparring, where you have to adjust for many varying factors, try some exercises where you can focus on just one type of movement.
Those double-end striking balls (the kind attached to floor and ceiling by bunjee cord) could work well. It would allow you to work on rhythm as well as head/body movement. Heck, even playing the old "hot hands" kid's game can work on reflexes.
On the other hand, we can develop our reflexes to their maximum potential. To that end I would think doing reflex drills would be a good idea.
Instead of just sparring, where you have to adjust for many varying factors, try some exercises where you can focus on just one type of movement.
Those double-end striking balls (the kind attached to floor and ceiling by bunjee cord) could work well. It would allow you to work on rhythm as well as head/body movement. Heck, even playing the old "hot hands" kid's game can work on reflexes.
Hwoarang_tkd26
Orange Belt
A little exercise that we do sometimes in my school, get a toy bow and arrow set (you know the plastic bow with plastic arrows with the suction cups on the ends) make sure it is a fairly good one that can launch the arrows well.
Have a partner at a reasonable distance shoot the arrows at you, while you try to catch them before getting hit.
You will be suprized at how slow you really are, I was.
-Hwoarang_tkd26
Have a partner at a reasonable distance shoot the arrows at you, while you try to catch them before getting hit.
You will be suprized at how slow you really are, I was.
-Hwoarang_tkd26
Navarre
Master Black Belt
OH! Toy arrows!! I wish you'd said something before!
Navarre said:
hmmm...sounds like more Whammdo to me.
Hwoarang_tkd26 said:
In all honesty, that sounds like a training trick the kids would just love to do. Thanks, Hwoarang
OnlyAnEgg said:
I would be careful doing this with children, IMHO. We never have allowed our children to play with toy guns or toy bows and arrows. We never wanted them to associate a potentially dangerous weapon with a game. Guns and bows and arrows are weapons to be used in competition and hunting. Just my .02 cents
Lisa said:I would be careful doing this with children, IMHO. We never have allowed our children to play with toy guns or toy bows and arrows. We never wanted them to associate a potentially dangerous weapon with a game. Guns and bows and arrows are weapons to be used in competition and hunting. Just my .02 cents
Oh, I definitely meant at home. There's nothing would make my stepkids happier than to shoot stuff at me
Navarre
Master Black Belt
This is another one of those ideas that opens us up to some lawsuit down the road.
"Little Timmy never did anything harmful (except that time he set the dog on fire) until he shot 4 ppl with that bow. It's all that karate school's fault! I'll sue! (while wondering how much money I can get out of this)"
"Little Timmy never did anything harmful (except that time he set the dog on fire) until he shot 4 ppl with that bow. It's all that karate school's fault! I'll sue! (while wondering how much money I can get out of this)"
FearlessFreep
Senior Master
It sounds again, like in the thread about kicking speed, that you are thinking to linear. That mindset sems to be 'if I have a certain characteristic, then I will win...if I get beat, then I am insufficient in that characteristic and so I need an exercise that will increase my ability in that area"
It's not always that direct. If you see the hit coming and you cannot avoid it then you have two issues 1) you are too close, or allowing him to get too close. 2) You are not seeing the strike soon enough.
The first is a matter of judgement. If you know he strikes fast, stay back. Don't let him strike, make him close and strike, which takes a lot more time and you can counter him as he closes or evade the strike and counter. It's a matter of experience, learning the distance you are comfortable, the distance you can strike from and the distance you can evade from. If you can't evade his strike from striking distance, increase the distance and keep it where you can
The second is even moreso experience. Remember that the weapon is the *last* thing that moves, pretty much. Before the hand or foot moves, there is movement in the hips, movement in the shoulders, in the core of the body. So don't be looking at the hands or feet; if the moving weapon in your first sign of trouble, it's probably already too late. People wil l often 'tell' with their eyes before the strike, or shift their feet, or their balance. Keep your eyes 'unfocused on center mass' if you will, in the sense that your attention is at center mass, but your eyes are open to peripheral movement so you can see the foot shift or the shoulder shrug that could signal an attack. Many people bounce when the spar; there are points in the rhytm of the bounce where you can strike (down) and where you cannot (up). Read your opponents rhythm to understand the time of when he can strike and when he cannot; so you will know the potential timing of a strike. Notice his feet as he shifts to know when he is likely to strike or not able to.
There are certain biophysical realities and restrictions to reaction time; the one who is 'fast' is often the one who 'sees first' what the other is about to do
It's not always that direct. If you see the hit coming and you cannot avoid it then you have two issues 1) you are too close, or allowing him to get too close. 2) You are not seeing the strike soon enough.
The first is a matter of judgement. If you know he strikes fast, stay back. Don't let him strike, make him close and strike, which takes a lot more time and you can counter him as he closes or evade the strike and counter. It's a matter of experience, learning the distance you are comfortable, the distance you can strike from and the distance you can evade from. If you can't evade his strike from striking distance, increase the distance and keep it where you can
The second is even moreso experience. Remember that the weapon is the *last* thing that moves, pretty much. Before the hand or foot moves, there is movement in the hips, movement in the shoulders, in the core of the body. So don't be looking at the hands or feet; if the moving weapon in your first sign of trouble, it's probably already too late. People wil l often 'tell' with their eyes before the strike, or shift their feet, or their balance. Keep your eyes 'unfocused on center mass' if you will, in the sense that your attention is at center mass, but your eyes are open to peripheral movement so you can see the foot shift or the shoulder shrug that could signal an attack. Many people bounce when the spar; there are points in the rhytm of the bounce where you can strike (down) and where you cannot (up). Read your opponents rhythm to understand the time of when he can strike and when he cannot; so you will know the potential timing of a strike. Notice his feet as he shifts to know when he is likely to strike or not able to.
There are certain biophysical realities and restrictions to reaction time; the one who is 'fast' is often the one who 'sees first' what the other is about to do
Navarre
Master Black Belt
Good point, oh Lightning Duck.
Flying Crane
Sr. Grandmaster
OnlyAnEgg said:
Heck, that sounds like fun to me! Can't believe I never thought of that. I only thought of using a real bow and real arrows, but couldn't figure out how to do it safely. Blunt arrows from a 74# bow are still gonna hurt!
Hwoarang_tkd26
Orange Belt
Yes it is a lot of fun and it really does IMHO help with the training of your reflexes, and yes it may just be a toy but as I stated above you will be suprised that many times you wont catch the arrow intell it has already hit you.Flying Crane said:
Good thing that it is just a toy, that way you dont suffer any after effects from a real one such as: severe bleeding, pain, and umm ya know like death and stuff.:uhyeah:
-Hwoarang_tkd26
Yes, Mr. Duck. May I call you lightning?
What an great post! Both points are excellent and key to success, but the one that gets you over the top is the second. Your physical ability will only take you so far. Recognizing and reacting to (and believe it or not, eventually initiating) an opponents "tells" (we all have them) is the key to being your absolute best. The only thing better than knowing what your opponent is going to do (because his body tells you) is knowing when he's going to do it (You cause it). To the casual observer, this all makes you look very fast, but in reality, has absolutely nothing to do with speed.
This hardly happens overnight. But when you know what to look for, you'd be amazed at how fast you can pick it up.
What an great post! Both points are excellent and key to success, but the one that gets you over the top is the second. Your physical ability will only take you so far. Recognizing and reacting to (and believe it or not, eventually initiating) an opponents "tells" (we all have them) is the key to being your absolute best. The only thing better than knowing what your opponent is going to do (because his body tells you) is knowing when he's going to do it (You cause it). To the casual observer, this all makes you look very fast, but in reality, has absolutely nothing to do with speed.
This hardly happens overnight. But when you know what to look for, you'd be amazed at how fast you can pick it up.
Laborn said:
Tells are a given in a match one is the position of the foot, as to what kicks can be thrown effectively from that stance the next is body mechanics, let say you are fighting a guy that can only throw is kicks by stepping in all the time or he has to set before getting the kick off these are just a few. In time you will learn to anticipate your opponets move by watching there body mechanics.
Terry
Hwoarang_tkd26
Orange Belt
It is good to think when sparring, but on the other hand I have seen people who have the exact opposite problem, they think way too much and that can get you in a lot of trouble also.Laborn said:
I say use your instinct and your mind equally, also your reaction is not something you want to think about, it should come quickly without hesitation and with little to no thought to it.
-Hwoarang_tkd26
Hwoarang_tkd26 said:
That's a great point, and was my biggest problem. Learning to clear your mind takes ALOT of time and practice.
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