It would be great to have all those shiny tournament plaques you see on display at your martial arts school or on your own shelves? Well, you can. Just choose the number of trophies you want and then sign up for that many tournaments! So, we got a little ahead of ourselves because you may be asking yourself. How do you get there? The answer to this is simple: sparring. You must work very hard to geat a great deal of sparring instincts in training to find yourself on the winners podium with a medal or trohpy. You need experience and skill and that is why sparring training is a must. Or, more accurately, proper sparring is a must.
We compiles a list of some tips to squeeze the most out of your sparring, these are:
Let's address something important from the outset: sparring is not street fighting. Sparring is a drill designed to enhance your fighting skills. Like we have been told since we were kids it is not about winning or losing but how you approach it. It is about improvement. That means you need to curb your competitive spirit and approach sparring with an attitude centering on a positive learning experience.
If you are not in the higher belt ranks, you shouldn't be sparring without proper supervision fr om an instructor. In addition to having a knowledgeable eye presenting you with tips and pointers, there will be someone there to ensure the sparring session stays light and friendly.
It is important that in now way do you spar without the proper training gear on. You can see professional fighters training without such equipment all the time. They are also professionals and they have the experience to handle such training. If you are training as a hobby or for amateur or tournament competition, you will want to wear as much protective gear as possible. This includes head, chest, feet, hand, and groin protection. This will reduce the chances of injury and allow you to train extensively and safely.
While sparring to get ready for a tournament remember to keep contact levels low. You don't have to practice at 100% to develop sharp your sparring skills. In fact, doing so is often self-defeating. You want to be able to assess your strengths and weaknesses while sparring while refining the areas you excel and enhancing (or avoiding) that are underdeveloped. It is very tough to do this when you are training with excess contact or intensity and such heavy training should be limited. However, limited does NOT mean never. You will need to train hard and with high intensity at some point in order to get used to such an approach which will often come into play in a tournament scenario. Keep your full contact sparring to less than 15% of your training.
Spar according to the rules of the tournament you wish to enter. This way, you will be able to work the tournament rules to your advantage when you compete. It's important that you wear the same sparring gear while training that you will wear when in a tournament. If you train in shorts for mma and Karate shoes then you are in a tournament that requires a uniform and doesn't allow shoes, you will feel very off on tournament day. It is important to pick a sparring partner who can control their kicks and punches. You want someone who is safe, controlled, and non-competitive but still knows how to push you to improve. Be sure to avoid sparring partners who are extremely competitive or they feel like they have to something to prove to you!
