Art Of Sparing
There
is a strategic science to sparring. From the
outside, sparring looks like random kicks
and punches thrown mercilessly with the
objective being to injure. From the inside,
however, a sparring match is like a chess
game. For example, one could not win a game
of chess by mindlessly moving around the
pieces anymore than one could win a sparring
match by mindlessly throwing techniques.
Strategy is prerequisite to chess as well as
to sparring.
What is strategy?
Strategy goes beyond "What kick should I
throw now?" and it answers the question "How
can I manipulate the situation to give me
the advantage over my opponent?" This
strategy comes in two main forms: Overall
strategy (macro strategy) and exchange
strategy (micro strategy).
Macro Strategy
Macro strategy encompasses overall and
generalized aspects about any sparring match
that will make you spar one person one way
and another person another way. There are
several things that will affect your macro
strategy:
The setting or main goal of the match:
If you are sparring someone who is taking
his or her belt exam or if you are sparring
in a tournament, your main purpose and
strategy for sparring will be different. So
before you spar, ask yourself, "What is my
goal? What do I wish to accomplish in this
match?"
Your own personal strengths and
weaknesses:
These are very important to how you spar.
For example, if you feel really comfortable
with turning back kick, and not with turning
hook kick, then you should stick with the
turning back kick. You will be more likely
to score if you use a technique with which
you are very comfortable.
You and your partner's differing physical
attributes:
These will greatly define the way in which
you spar your partner. Below is a list of
examples, and (in my opinion) the best
strategies to use these differences to your
advantage:
The Remedies:
You're taller: Keep a far distance from your
partner and jam them with push kick and back
kick.
You're shorter: Get in close enough that
you're too far in range for your partner to
kick. Get in, stay in, and rack up the
points.
You're heavier: You've got a power
advantage, so use it wisely. Think "tank".
You're lighter: You've got a speed
advantage, so use it wisely. Think
"butterfly".
You're faster: Get in range, throw a few
techniques, and get out A.S.A.P.
You're slower: Don't get fancy, keep it
simple. Make your partner come to you
instead of chasing after him or her.
Micro Strategy
Micro strategy is the strategy that we use
for dealing with each of the tiny exchanges
that make up a sparring match. The rest of
this page deals with micro strategy.
Open Stance and Closed Stance:
When two people spar each other, each person
is in a particular sparring stance: either
left foot lead or right foot lead. When both
competitors have the same lead (i.e. if they
both have their left foot forward), this is
known as closed stance. If both competitors
have different leads (i.e. if one has left
foot forward and the other has right foot
forward), this is known as open stance.
Why does this matter?
It determines which techniques that you can
use against your partner to get a clear
shot. The whole idea of sparring is to
strike your partner where he or she is open.
For example, if you are in open stance, then
you are both open to back leg roundhouse
kick -- you can do a back leg roundhouse
kick and strike your partner clear in the
stomach. If you are in closed stance,
however, your partner is not open to back
leg roundhouse kick. If you try back leg
roundhouse anyway, you will end up kicking
your partner's elbow.
When attacking or counter-attacking, you
must be aware of the stance in which you are
fighting. If you ignore the stance, then
your attack or counter-attack will be
ineffective. For example, a turning side
kick counter-attack to your partner's rear
end does you no good.
The Attack:
If you have seen or sparred in Olympic-style
Tae Kwon Do sparring lately, you will have
noticed that the competitors' average
sparring distance from each other is well
out of range for any technique to
successfully land on either partner. The
whole idea of attacking is to close the
distance between you and your partner so
that you can become close enough to land a
technique.
The attack is a very important part of
the sparring match for two reasons:
It closes the distance between the
competitors in order for some actual
exchanges may occur; and
When the score is tied at the end of the
match, the referee decides the winner on the
basis of aggressiveness and most techniques
thrown. If you attacked and threw more
techniques than your partner did during the
match, then you won -- even though the score
was technically tied. So, attacking has its
advantages.
Attacking, however, also has its
disadvantages. When you attack, you leave
yourself open and off balance for your
partner's counter-attack -- if you kick your
partner they will kick back from a closer
and more effective range. But this can be
easily overcome by simply countering the
counter-attack. Sparring is almost like an
argument: Each exchange builds up from the
former exchanges, each one better than the
last, and the best one wins. There is no
reason to be afraid to attack if you know
how to counter-attack.
Another way to avoid this entire issue of
vulnerability is to refrain from an actual
attack and throw what your partner perceives
to be an actual attack (i.e.: In other
words, to fake, or feint, an attack). He or
she will react to this threat by beginning a
counter-attack, which will give you time to
close the distance and land several
techniques.
Effective attacking relies heavily upon
footwork and faking (feinting), not mere
kicks. Here are a few rules to follow about
attacking:
Never
throw just one technique. This is a big
no-no.
The Counter-Attack:
Most of all points scored in Tae Kwon Do
competition come from counter-attacks. The
idea of the counter-attack is to overshadow
your partner's attack. In other words, you
want your counter-attack to be superior to
and more devastating than your partner's
attack. If your partner lands a technique on
you, it is imperative that it is immediately
counter-attacked with several more
devastating techniques. In this way, you
will be awarded the point.
Of course, you are in no way limited to the
chart below - you have a multitude of
different options. This is just a basic idea
of how to get started in a counter-attack.
Remember that the most effective
counter-attack consists of multiple
techniques. Each one of the techniques
listed in the chart is just an example of
the first technique that can be solidly
landed. So, practice these techniques with a
partner or on a kicking bag, and remember to
follow up with additional techniques.
| Stance | Attack | Defence |
| Open Stance | Back leg roundhouse | Turning back kick |
| Open Stance | Front leg/skipping roundhouse | Front leg in-to-out drop kick |
| Open Stance | Turning back kick | Side step, then back leg roundhouse |
| Open Stance | Double roundhouses | Turning back kick/ push kick |
| Open Stance | Drop kick | Side step, then turning back kick |
| Closed Stance | Back leg roundhouse | Out-to-in drop kick |
| Closed Stance | Front leg/skipping roundhouse | Turning back kick |
| Closed Stance | Turning back kick | Side step, then back leg roundhouse |
| Closed Stance | Double roundhouses | Turning back kick/push kick |
| Closed Stance | Drop kick | Side step, then turning back kick |