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"Offensive Full Contact Sparring Tips - Reading Your Opponent by Rick Tew sponsored by www.Pad-Up.com"
Can you imagine the advantage you would have in a sparring session if your opponent told you what attack (punch, kick, jump, sweep or movement) they were going to throw and when just prior to their offense? Well, learning to read your opponent can give you that advantage. This is especially true for beginners who have not learned to mask their movements.
Many of us have movements that tell others what we are about to do just prior to doing it. In addition, most of these habits are sub-conscious.
I work with a lot of martial art students and one example of a bad habit is that students will often grab the sides of their Gi Pants (with a pinching of the fingers) to lift up their pants in preparation for more kicks. It becomes so commonplace to them that they often debate with me that they are even doing it. Therefore, your first lesson is to ensure that you are building your strengths by eliminating these weaknesses. This strategy of capitalizing on your opponents weaknesses while eliminating your own, will double your sparring skill in only a short time.
So, what is learning to read your opponent? Simply put, this means to learn to determine what (or that) your opponent is going to throw an attack. It is similar to a TELL in poker. When you learn to read the body movements of your opponent, you can prepare a defense or jam their attack with one of your own (beat them to the punch).
"It is better to give than to receive, especially if that gift is a punch in the nose."
There are many ways to learn to read your opponent. First, it is best to start by watching your opponent and see if you can notice any particular movements or tells / giveaways that they offer prior to an attack. For example, does your opponent skip a bit on their legs before they throw a kick? Do they always lead with two jabs before throwing a cross? Do the shoulders move up or down just prior to a punch? Do they pull back the hand before they punch forward?
You can also keep an eye on breathing patterns too. Some will work up the energy (perhaps taking a breath) for a blast session, while others will breathe out with a series of punches.
A mistake beginners often make is that they will look at their target area first before they punch or kick. So keep an eye on their eyes too and see if you notice any changes in eye movement or even changes on their face - like eyebrows lifting or any expressions that are unique.
There are so many possibilities, it all breaks down to paying attention and recording this data in your mental sparring bank.
Note that you can also use this strategy to set up and program your opponent too. For example, if move a specific way - do they block or defend in a specific way too. If so, then you can fake your attacks and throw something else. For example, if you throw a low kick to the thigh and they bring up their knee to block, you can set them up by offering an obvious TELL (making them think they are reading you) and when they bring the leg up to block what they believe is a low kick - you instead sweep out their ground leg for a surprise.
Work on developing the following three key tips to maximize your sparring strategy:
01 Remove your tells and learn to mask (be a Ninja in sparring) your movements
02 Discover how to read opponents and react with a jamming attack
03 Program opponents so you can set them up for disappointment
As with any technique in the martial arts and full contact sparring tips - you will need to practice extensively to fully understand and appreciate these concepts. But once you do, you will have the upper hand.
Visit Pad-Up Martial Arts Equipment http://www.pad-up.com/ for a wide variety of high quality Martial Arts protective equipment, Boxing Equipment, Boxing Gloves, Sparring Gear, Sparring Gloves, Shin Guard, Headgear, Chest Guard, Mouthpiece and more.
Rick Tew is an internationally acclaimed Sensei or teacher in the martial arts and founder of CMS - College of Martial Science and NinjaGym. He runs Short and Long term Martial Arts Training Camps in California, Thailand and Holland. Visit http://www.theninjacamp.com/ to view training programs and schedules, read Rick Tew's blog, watch training videos and be part of NinjaGym Martial Arts Community.
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