Point sparring

[lotusleaf]

Any tips for a newby? I can't seem to judge distance good enough. I'm pretty short so it's harder against a taller opponent where they can keep me at a distance. How do you spot openings? What do you look for? When kicking, how do you kick without "giving it away"? What type of punches and kicks work? What kind of weight distribution does your stance have? Just any general suggestions and tips would work.

[joedoe]

Never done point sparring so I wouldn't know :)

[Merryprankster]

Yes.

Don't do it. :D

[rogue]

Unlike most here I've done point sparring in the distant past, but I need to know...

1. Are you doing it in class or competition?
2. Is it full force to the body to score or the flicky miss by a mile and get a point kind?
3. Can you do takedowns?
4. How often do you spar in class, how long and how hard?

[lotusleaf]

In answer to your questions rogue

1. I do all in class, but also thinking of competition.
2. No it's not full force, but it's niether that flicky miss by a mile stuff either. I guess, it's more of a controlled hitting. There is contact, you can feel your body jolt, and your ribs hurt after getting nailed by a spinning back kick, and your jaw feels out of place from a punch.
3. In honesty, I have never seen someone do a takedown yet, but I think we are allowed. I've never actually tried, just because I have not reached that skill level where my timing and distance judging is quite accurate.
4. We do point sparring once a week, but spar every class. The tempo ranges, between all out competition style point sparring, to half speed, full control sparring.

It's not normal for a cma practitioner to be in point sparring I know, but that's how my sifu is teaching, and he likes to teach it more of a competition perspective, but we still learn the basics, the executions, and the applications.

[xiong]

The best opening is right after your opponent has kicked or punched. As they are pulling back the arm or leg they will have an opening for a split second.

We used to train a paired drill of immediately follwing up an opponents kick with one of your own.

Another strategy is that of "bridging", at least I think that is how it was described. When you make contact with your opponent in blocking a punch a bridge is formed between the both of you. The idea is you can use your opponents arm as a rail to slide your strike inside their guard.

These are not specifically for point sparring, but should work well.

Good luck with your training.

[apoweyn]

thought i'd chime in with some encouragement, even if i don't have much practical advice for you. my friend and training partner recently fought in charlie lee's big tournament in northern virginia. i watched one division. teenagers. not sure of the precise ages. but it was a bunch of tall, lanky kids. and (at the risk of sounding cruel) one short, dumpy looking kid.

i was in for an education. the short kid TORE UP his opponents and won the division. once he got in on these big, lanky guys, they didn't know how to handle it. i'm not a big fan of point sparring, but this kid was a lot of fun to watch.

the only practical advice i'd offer (given how much i personally suck at point fighting) is your weight distribution. since your success will hinge on being able to close quickly, i think you'd want anywhere from 50/50 to perhaps a little more weight on your front foot, so you don't have to shift forward in your stance before closing.


stuart b.

[Ray Pina]

Every "martial" artist needs to stop and think: Do they want to be a tournament competitor or a fighter.

By a tounrie, I mean: wear the proper chinse silk gear, have and swing a cheap aluminum sword, and perfect the game of tag knows as point sparring.

Hey, to each there own. When I was a kid, I wore the gi, did the forms and point sparred. I always came home with a trophy in sparring and every once in a while for forms -- I was the chubby kid.

Anyway, point sparring and fighting are differebt. Though point sparring will teach you timing and distance judging, you'll never leanr how to fight.

A person attacking you with intent to take your head off delivers a different enrgy then someone trying to touch you from as far away as possible.

One example: look how "sparring" poeple kick. They shift their weight backwards to get a higher kick and move their "lefgal" target away.

In a fight, I'd take one of those kicks because their is no power. A Tai boxer and a TKD roundhouse are two differnt things. One kicks through the target the other at the target.

Punching. So what is you tag me first in my torso, if I can score a power shot to your chin a split second afterwards, having you drop your gurs to go for soemthing which might have purposely been left open to draw you in. From there breaks could be set up.

I personally think point sparring is poison. But maybe you want to start there. Get some gear and just pick up the intensity. Don't have to go so hard but follow through, don't break for the "point!." See where it goes.

People who point spar all have one characteristic when facing off against people who fight: They all break when the pressure comes. Everytime they go into flight mode, turn their heads and cover. This is not something a martial artist should do. YOu should not cowar from that pressure but thrive on it in a calm state. Be used to the attack and dealing with it. The gyuy on the street will not stop when you hit flight mode and duck, they will just begin, and no judges will stop it.

So the question is: Warrior or sport competitor/entertainer (forms).

Though I can see value in studying forms. Don't confuse the two. There are form collectors (Hey, I know 10 katas) and there are form studiers (how would I make this work, let me go test it).

[Ray Pina]

I just thought you might be young and my answer didn't help, so:

How's your double kick (kicking without putting the leg down)? Fake low with the lead leg and then high to the face. You don't need to make contact, actually illegal, and they usually call it a point.

Side kick against round houses. Short line quicker then a circle.

Use your legs more, longer reach.

Step away when doing roundhouse. Takes your target area away while kicking into their. Step out with the right, round house with the left.

These have worked for me when I wa syounger. But, like I said, in a real fight these will be exploited.

Enjoy.