THE ROUGH GUIDE TO SPARRING SUCCESS
FIGHTING
STANCES
There are 2 main fighting stances; The
front stance & the side stance.
The front stance is more suited to
punchers & the side stance more suited to kickers, although the best
strategy is to mix these rather than use one or the other all the
time.
Recognising variations on these stances
in can help to predict what type of attacks your opponents are likely
to use.
The front stance; the chest is more or
less square on to the opponent, with one foot leading in front of the
other. This limits your effectiveness with certain techniques. If you
perform a lead leg kicking technique you will tend to ‘telegraph’ the
kick as you shift position to chamber the kick, this gives your
opponent more time to ‘read’ the kick & counter-attack.
However, the front stance is a stronger
position to launch a hand attack & this can disguise a rear leg
follow-up to finish the combination. For example; lead backfist -
reverse punch - rear turning kick, in this example the 2 hand attacks
are used for a set up for the main scoring technique which is the
kick.
The side stance; the competitor stands
completely side on to the opponent. The feet should not be too wide
apart, as this will hinder manoeuvrability. The lead foot can be
placed slightly ‘off-line’ ie: in front or behind the rear foot, so
the stance is ‘staggered’ (like a traditional Diagonal Stance). This
is useful for a couple of reasons; if the foot is in front, the hips
are aligned nicely for chambering into side kicks & hook kicks,
cutting out valuable split seconds. The other version is useful for
roundhouse kicks. Take note, that an experienced opponent may spot
this & take advantage of this information. The disadvantage of using
the side stance is that although lead leg & hand techniques are easier
to throw, the rear leg is nearly rendered useless & spinning kicks can
be harder to execute.
In either stance an effective guard must
be maintained.
OPEN & CLOSED
STANCES
There are 2 terms that describe how
fighters will position their selves in relation to each other; Open
stance & closed stance. In an open stance the fighters will stand
facing each other with the opposite leg leading ie: one with their
left leg in front & the other with the right leg leading. This means
that if either fighter is to kick with the rear leg, for example with
a roundhouse kick, then it would strike the open abdomen / chest area.
In a closed stance, both fighters will
have the same leg leading.
Either position opens or closes target
areas to lead or rear attacks, so both positions have an advantage & a
disadvantage depending on whether you are planning to fight
predominately with the lead or the rear leg. It is a good strategy to
develop both legs, to enable you to switch stances at will in response
to your opponents movements & remain in control of the fight.
THE 4 FIGHTING
STYLES
There are 4 different types of fighting
style; the aggressive fighter, the defensive fighter, the ‘dancer’ &
the Master.
The aggressive (or ‘pressure’) fighter
usually makes the 1st move & will normally use combination
attacks to over-power & off-balance opponents. Their style is to
normally to keep on the offensive, not giving their opponents time to
breathe or retaliate. Pressure fighters will need to be in peak
physical conditioning to maintain this strategy.
The defensive (or ‘counter-attacking’)
fighters will allow their opponents to attack, therefore providing an
opening for a counter-attack. Whenever any fighter throws an attack
they will momentarily leave an opening, or there will be a weakness in
the opponents attack that the defensive fighter can exploit.
The ‘dancer’ (or ‘runner’) will
constantly be on the move, their strategy is to keep their opponents
off-balance & to present a hard target to hit. They tend not to engage
you when you attack & they will attack on the move & are hard to
counter-attack. This suits lighter, more energetic competitors.
The Master fighter is one who encompasses
all the other styles & can flow from one into the other. This type is
the hardest to master & takes years of experience & practice.
Whatever style of fighter you are, try
not to get in the habit of throwing single techniques. Use
combinations. Follow up a leg attack with hands as you drive forwards
to keep the opponent on the ‘back foot’ or to move back out of range,
or disguise a kicking attack with an initial hand combination etc.
Remember, with combinations, a number of them are used by fighters
with the preceding attacks as a set-up for the final ‘killer’
technique.
THE 7 ESSENTIAL
TECHNIQUES
In order to be an effective fighter you
do not have to be skilled in a myriad of kicks & punches, but to be
able to use a smaller number of techniques with greater effect. This
is not to say you need to exclude many techniques, but just to
restrict their use.
You need to consider the various angles
of attack:
Straight line techniques
–jab, reverse punch, front kick & back kick.
Circular techniques
–backfist, ridgehand, roundhouse kick, hook kick & spinning kicks.
Downward techniques
–downward backfist & axe kicks.
Techniques that come from underneath
–undercut punch & side kick
Obviously, this is not an exhaustive list
but it covers the majority of techniques that a fighter will require
in sport martial arts to succeed in the tournament arena. Bear in mind
that sweeps & trips can be used on the ‘open’ tournament circuit.
However, there are 7 essential techniques
that a fighter should strive to master:
Backfist
–fast, simple, effective. Can
be used in a circular motion, downwards or jumping (or even spinning).
Remember to relax the shoulders & arm so that the technique remains as
quick as possible.
Reverse punch
–strong & powerful, but exposes the body to counter-attacks as the
technique is driven in.
Ridgehand
–used to hook around an
opponents guard or punches. Useful as both a defensive & offensive
technique. Can chamber the ridgehand to look like a backfist to
confuse an opponent.
Undercut
punch –similar to the
reverse punch, but does not require the user to twist the hips into
the strike. It is more suited to a body shot & can be performed with a
vertical fist or ‘upset’ fist.
Roundhouse (or ‘turning’) kick
–fast & effective for offence & defence.
Side kick –
powerful & useful for knocking an opponent off balance & for stopping
a charging attack. The side kick is difficult to defend against due to
the mechanics of the kick. Can be used to ‘probe’ an opponent to gauge
their reaction to an attack, much like a jab.
Hook
kick –useful to hook
around an opponents guard, kicks & punches.
Lead leg kicks are the most useful in points
sparring. They are faster, because they are closer to the targets,
they give the opponent less time to react & therefore have a greater
chance of scoring. Rear leg techniques obviously have an important
place, but are not effective to initiate an attack & should be
disguised or used as part of a combination.
The 3 kicking techniques mentioned above
(roundhouse, hook & side kicks), as an option, can all be fired from
the same 45° chamber
position. This can serve to cause further confusion in an opponent as
he will not be able to read your kicks from the chamber position. This
was used to great effect by Bill ‘Superfoot’ Wallace in the 1970’s &
1980’s, who pioneered this technique & engineered over 250
championship titles.
‘DRAWING IN’ THE OPPONENT
Also known as ‘luring’, this
the art of enticing an opponent to initiate an attack to an opening in
order to position your opponent for your counter-attack. This is done
by creating an obvious opening, but without making it look like you
are purposely creating the opening, so that your opponent believes
that they can make an attack for an easy score.
For a successful
counter-attack you will need to strike fast & have quick footwork to
maneuver to a safe position after striking.
‘FAKING’
Faking or throwing a ‘dummy’
shot is initiating an attack but one that is not finished. Mostly
effective with kicking techniques. Think of them of ‘half-kicks’ as
they don’t actually complete the final extension. They are
specifically designed to make an opponent think that a certain kick is
being launched, but in mid-flow, it turns into a completely different
kick.
A trick that can be used is
to ‘program’ your opponent. This can be done by throwing a real kick
first (even a couple of times) to program them to react to that kick,
then throw the fake version & switch to another kick to score.
FOOTWORK
Footwork, when combined with kicking &
punching, will determine the outcome of all engagements. Proper & well
timed footwork, being able to fluidly move forwards, retreat & to side
step is what puts you in position to evade & score.
JAMMING
Jamming, or smothering an attack, can
stop an attack dead in it’s tracks & also frustrate & push the
opponent off balance. Jamming is basically blocking while stepping
into the opponent. Jamming uses the whole body to stop an attack,
whereas blocking generally just uses the limbs. Usually the best time
to use jamming as an option is at close or medium range. Jamming is a
risky strategy but it can pay off.
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