Other ways to train for real fights?

[Kyle_Shyo]

Hi

I've practiced Kick Boxing for 2 years, right now I kind of stoped the real training. I wasn't seeing the results I thought I might see... i used the tecnics well, however, when I practiced it with someone else, it simply seemed hard to hit use them, specially the defenses. It probably was because the trainings weren't very good, we usually wasted hours on the bag, and when we had to use the technics for real, I just wasn't fast enough to use them.
So, i'd like to ask, if there is another way to pratice kick boxing for fights without someone else to help.
If anyone could tell me just one, I'd appreciate.

Telmo Amaro

[Scytale]

My friends and I just started some full-contact, and it *is* hard for us to get a solid hit. The whole problem is he just won't stand still so I can punch him!

Seriously, though, here are a few things I do in solo practice.

- The most important for me is visualization. I try to imagine an opponent reacting to my attacks and making me defend. This is difficult, but it gets easier as you do it.

- I use a couple of bungee chords to attach thai pads to a light pole. It sounds funny, but it gives you a punching target if you live in an apartment like me and aren't able to put up a bag. This will help you practice power.

- For speed and accuracy, get something soft like a beer koozy and toss it in the air. Then hit it with a thai round kick.

- I've also heard of hanging a string indoors or outdoors and kicking/punching a scrap of paper tied to the end for developing speed. It's not as satisfying as hitting a solid object, but will help your accuracy and speed.

I hope those help.

[Fiery Ermine]

I'd say that you should try real hard to find a sparring partner. If you can't, the next best thing is visualization, but this is a hard road to go down. It is a long way down from sparring.


Good Luck,

FE

[gungfuhero]

One exercise I like to use for building speed and rythm is using a metranome(sp?). One advantage is that you can gradually speed up the rythm in accordance to your progress.

I know you don't have a sparring partner, but do you have someone to hold focus mitts for you? I think that cue drills with the mitts is one of the best ways to improve timing and speed. Just be careful with how much power you put into your kicks.

[Lord Lupin]

:P

Why dont u just pick fights with people you dont like and then u will have a sparring partner.

[Guro Dave Gould]

Sparring...

Hi guys,
I feel that you can gain alot of very essential attributes from getting in your bag work on a consistant basis. However, you have to remember that a bag is just that until you bring it to life with various random combinations, footwork, pushing, pulling, butting, elbows, down kicks, punching, knees, checking, slipping, shoulder rolls, etc... The experience can be very satisfying and rewarding in terms of setting your speed, timing, power and position. You are only limited by your own imagination. Necessity is the mother of all creation so allow yourself to be as creative as possible in fulfilling your training needs.
As well you should have a rigid daily schedule allowing you time to train either on the bannana bag, double end ball, upper cut bag, or speed bag as each will develop different strong attributes essential to your over all performance. In addition you should enhance your workouts with focus mitts following up with random perception and reaction drills with the thai pads.
It`s important that you don`t neglect your physical conditioning which should include among other things jumping rope, running, sprinting, push ups, abdominal work, pull ups, dips and shadow boxing. Some of my more enjoyable workouts were discovered when I was left alone to my own devices. Involving other people in your workouts will only improve your performance but there are many things that we all have at our disposal which will keep us on the path and keep us moving and training in earnest.
As for sparring that`s the real test is`nt it? You will only be able to adjust your timing, power, speed, rythem, position, and ability to adapt, adjust and respond in real time only in an arena which will allow those things to come to fruition through trial and error and that arena is sparring. It`s an integral part of the learning experience and can not be replaced with anything else. If you expect to become a great fighter you must either spar or fight on a consistant basis.
I feel that experience is the best teacher and regardless of how many bags you hit in your life time it won`t be enough in and of itself to prepare you for sparring or fighting. Nothing but sparring will prepare you for sparring. It is a very valid part of your training and only when you are placed in an arena where you stand a chance to get hurt will you know for sure what you are and are not capable of in real time under direst. You will make mistakes but over time you will learn from those mistakes and in doing so that will ensure that you will be less likely to repeat them in the future as you gain more and more experience.
Training bag work will give you a great workout but a heavy bag does`nt have a mind of its own and it won`t punch back at you in anger when you connect with that sweet combination. Only a person can give you the response that you would expect from a person. Train your bag work, focus mitts, thai pads and road work because these things are essential in developing the necessary attributes which will allow you to perform to your fullest potential. In saying that the fact remains that only when you go toe to toe with another human being will you be forced to put all of your skills in play under direst. In order for you to be effective you will have to bring in a skilled training partner at some point in time as to allow you to school yourself through endless hours of painstaking sparring sessions. I hope that some of this helps you out. Take care and be well...
~ Guro Dave Gould.


[Edited by Guro Dave Gould on 12-27-2000 at 02:41 AM]

[PassiveGuy]

Another thing to remember is that sparring, just like real fighting, isn't organized. Visualization is planned, you control what your opponent will do, in fight you just don't have a clue(Unless you watch hours of tapes of him)So sometimes you just react and hope you did the right thing. Bag, pad, and conditioning is 75%, 25% is sparring. Step starring is good if you don't want to, or can't free spar with somebody but step sparring is palnned to.


Sorry about the typo's... it's freakin cold in here :-)

[Chad W. Getz]

Hey Passive guy, not sure what you menat by step-sparring, but something that we do is isolated sparring. Isolating certain tools like just a jab or just a thigh kick against a jab, etc., etc. and sparring only using that particular tool. Than adding in the jab cross. Then the front sweep kick. Same vs same than jab vs jab and kick, than jab-cross vs jab-front sweep kick, etc., etc.

Hope that helps some. And we use macho headgear with the facecage when doing this.

[PassiveGuy]

Well chad, step sparing is planed attacks and defences put in an ordered set, there common in karate and tkd. We do them too much at my school, but the upside is you can practice them with someone w/o pads or gloves and the like. A good example is a drill where one guy throws a low round(not full-contact of coarse), the other guy blocks and returns a round that the other guy blocks and so on. Or one guy throws a punch, the other guy slipes and returns an elbow then a knee and then a cross and so on. The bad part is this doesn't develope a quick, fast reaction and the ability strike when you see an opening... stuff like that. Hope it helps.



keep it fresh

[Chad W. Getz]

Also, how many people use sumbrada training methods in their empty hand sparring. It's similar to step sparring, it's not full contact, but it does train your perception. With stick training in this method, they say "you make your stick swoosh, and I'll make my stick swoosh". Kind of like shadow boxing with someone else as your shadow, but maybe slowed down a bit.

[wsdddoa012]

response

Well here's the bottom line YOU CANNOT PREPARE TO DEFEND ONLY REACT... IN A FIGHT....

[Khun Kao]

Wow..... bumping a 6 & 1/2 year old thread! Now I've seen it all.....

[Garland]

Well here's the bottom line YOU CANNOT PREPARE TO DEFEND ONLY REACT... IN A FIGHT....

...this advice is a little late, homie. Check the date on the first post.

[the tick]

Hi

I've practiced Kick Boxing for 2 years, right now I kind of stoped the real training. I wasn't seeing the results I thought I might see... i used the tecnics well, however, when I practiced it with someone else, it simply seemed hard to hit use them, specially the defenses. It probably was because the trainings weren't very good, we usually wasted hours on the bag, and when we had to use the technics for real, I just wasn't fast enough to use them.
So, i'd like to ask, if there is another way to pratice kick boxing for fights without someone else to help.
If anyone could tell me just one, I'd appreciate.

Telmo Amaro

Find another gym.

[rickyparis]

Here is the thing, techniques will work only when you train really hard not only doing them 10 or 20 times , There is a way of working them with a partner , and there is another way of using the bag , and what about shadow boxing? ,Either you haven´t worked enuff or your gym doesn´t have much idea of training for a real match. Keep on looking for a better place there are some.