Sparring with raised guard: how firmly close hands?

[sopraisso]

Hello everyone.

I would like to have your opinions on how close should one's hands stay when fighting with raised guard.
I usually spar with hands up, raised guard, most of the time (I don't mean all the time,but in a great part of sparring time). This has been my choice, mainly because I'm more concerned about some kind of self-defense-oriented sparring training more than a sport-oriented one. But one issue I don't feel sure about is: how closed should be my hands?

In classes my GM always tell us, when training punch/block drills (son kisul / kibon don jak), to have our hands wide closed, protecting our fingers. It seems ok to me, because this way I could easily prevent hurting the fingers when punching a target, and have the knuckle more readly prepared to use a technique. I know there's some kind of "standard close hand" in taekwondo, and that's what is teached in my school (despite of sport variations that are used today, wich don't interest me now).

But I feel uncomfortable with letting hands firmly closed all the time when sparring with raised guard. It feels like I'm putting so much tension on the hands, and I just find it very hard to take out the tension if the hands remain closed. So lately I've been choosing to let hands only partially or loosely closed, or even open sometimes (but guard up), in this particular case to "draw the opponent's attention" (what I couldn't prove to be efficient up to now, anyway). So today I close my hand firmly only in case of the exact momment of using a closed hand technique (punch, blocking, etc.).

If someone's concerned, I train at a kukkiwon taekwondo school. But I feel ready to hear about all styles, anything people believe is useful in a "real fight", self-defense oriented approach.

Only to summarize, I think here there's at least three options:
1) hands firmly wide closed;
2) hands loosely closed;
3) hands somehow open.

I believe there must other oprtions I just don't know about.
I would like to know people's opinions on this.
Thanks in advance, and everyone have a nice week.

Sérgio

 

[MAist25]

You should not keep your fists clenched the entire time. It causes you to be tense and wastes way too much energy. My dad boxed for the NYPD boxing team and his first fight he said that that was his biggest mistake. He was nervous since it was his first fight and he said after a couple rounds his arms already felt like jello because he kept his fists clenched the entire time. Bruce Lee said that a fighter should fight with his hands relaxed and slightly cupped, clenching the fist just before the point of impact. Having your hands slightly open will help you to stay relaxed, utilize your punches and other open-handed techniques quickly, and the ability to parry punches and kicks on the defense.

 

[dancingalone]

Sergio,

I generally spar with my hands open, the four lower fingers somewhat curled in (though separated from each other) to protect them from stray shots or bumps from the opponent. The primary reason for this is because we permit grabbing, clinching, and take downs in our sparring, so the open hands lead into one of those objectives. When we practice strictly striking-based sparring, it's probably a good idea to close up the fists, although they should only be clenched tightly a split-second before and during impact.

It really depends on what you are trying to practice. Kakie (pushing hands in karate, a drill with somewhat resistant partners) generally is practiced with open hands too.

 

[Dirty Dog]

+1 for loose hands. Tight muscles are slow muscles. My hands are loose and relaxed until just before impact. As DancingAlone said, it also makes it easier to do any grappling techniques.

 

[Cyriacus]

Personally, when Neutral, I like to keep My hands Relaxed, but closed. When Defensive, I like to tense them a bit, but I keep them loose enough to switch to a Palm for Blocking if needed. When Offensive, as Tense as I can get them.

 

[oftheherd1]

Many long years ago, when I studied TKD, I once tried to block a low kick by an open-handed block. Nearly broke three fingers. I didn't do that again. In that school we sparred with clinched fists. After a while, it got to be quite natural, and didn't cause tensed muscles. YMMV, and one should try as much as possible within the school one learns in, to do what feels better/natura. But if you are taught to keep your fists clenched, I would suggest you do that, unless you can discuss it with your teacher, and your teacher agrees.

I now study Hapkido. We normally spar (when we do), with open hands. We can strike however we wish from such a stance, and can also grapple. Again, YMMV.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Many long years ago, when I studied TKD, I once tried to block a low kick by an open-handed block. Nearly broke three fingers. I didn't do that again.

I've got a nice video of myself point-sparring in a tournament where I did just exactly that. You can see me slinging my glove off and dropping to my knees in pain. It's been more than six months and I still can't make a proper fist with that hand. Jammed fingers take even longer to heal than broken fingers, I'm told. Sure do hurt, even now. Yeah, good lesson.

[video=youtube_share;0fl02GKhEZc]http://youtu.be/0fl02GKhEZc[/video]

Terrible video quality, sorry. My open-hand block is at 4:40, feel free to just go right to that. Blocking kicks with open hand = bad. FYI, I continued the fight and won (my opponent DQ'd).

 

[Dirty Dog]

That's certainly one way to learn how to do a knifehand block properly... but probably not the best way. Ouch.

 

[sopraisso]

I come to the conclusion that open hands is an option (like oftheherd1 said about his hapkido sparrings), and that loosely close hands is a frequent alternative. Fortunately it was according to my feelings. I did have the impression of excessive tension and waste of energy with hands firmly closed. Now I know there's nothing wrong with the way I keep my hands, and I even feel better about opening them sometimes.
Anyway, I will hardly forget the about trying to block kicks with open hands. Important lesson I don't need to learn the hard way now.
Thank you everyone again.

 

[Cyriacus]

I come to the conclusion that open hands is an option (like oftheherd1 said about his hapkido sparrings), and that loosely close hands is a frequent alternative. Fortunately it was according to my feelings. I did have the impression of excessive tension and waste of energy with hands firmly closed. Now I know there's nothing wrong with the way I keep my hands, and I even feel better about opening them sometimes.
Anyway, I will hardly forget the about trying to block kicks with open hands. Important lesson I don't need to learn the hard way now.
Thank you everyone again.

Yeah - You CAN block Kicks with an Open Hand, just keep that as something for when its just the most sensible thing at the time. The Forearms generally work better.

 

[texas_rebel_1980]

we sparred tonight. i paid attention to my hands. they were open. this allowed me to grab my instructors wrist when he punched at me. we were both shocked. i have tried to take him down since we started sparring. all i needed to do was reverse his arm and he would've gone down. i was too shocked that i actually grabbed him that i was like the coyote if he had ever caught the road runner......

in sparring we are allowed/encouraged to use sweeps, take downs, groin kicks, pretty much anything but grappling....being a hapkido and tae kwon do student, i try to take down everyone i spar if they leave themselves open.

 

[sopraisso]

we sparred tonight. i paid attention to my hands. they were open. this allowed me to grab my instructors wrist when he punched at me. we were both shocked. i have tried to take him down since we started sparring. all i needed to do was reverse his arm and he would've gone down. i was too shocked that i actually grabbed him that i was like the coyote if he had ever caught the road runner......

in sparring we are allowed/encouraged to use sweeps, take downs, groin kicks, pretty much anything but grappling....being a hapkido and tae kwon do student, i try to take down everyone i spar if they leave themselves open.

Thank you, texas_rebel_1980.
To me this is a nice lesson and example about the question I've brought. I think you're fortunate once the sparrings at your school allow you to grab and take down your opponent. Once in my we usually spar under olympic style rules, unfortunately we're not allowed to do so, but I won't forget the lesson, and I'll try to learn and have it under my martial art knowledge.

 

[Josh Oakley]

Yeah - You CAN block Kicks with an Open Hand, just keep that as something for when its just the most sensible thing at the time. The Forearms generally work better.

Or the knees or shins.

 

[Cyriacus]

Or the knees or shins.

Yeah, but thats a whole other deal unto itself - And a whole different dynamic. Leg Checks and Leg Blocks/Parries are a bit tricky for Beginners