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Apr 19, 2006
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I'm now a Blue Belt and my sensei reckons I should start sparring because he wants me to eventually participate in competitions and do him proud. What a jerk. :anime: Anyway, I've been practising my kicks and everything for very long now, so they're pretty good. Now here's the problem.

My sensei is throwing me headfirst into murky waters and letting me swim or sink. For my first practice, I faced a Black Belt who's won many competitions. I was totally nervous. I'd seen her fight before, and her counterattacks were freaking fast, so I dared not attack. She was in a ready stance and waiting for me to make the first move. Cruel. Furthermore, I was also unsure about distance, timing, etc. My sensei was at the side telling me to switch legs often and move closer to the enemy slowly, but for GOD's sake he saying it our loud to my opponent too. I followed his advice, attacked and got owned. And got scolded. To cut things short, it was a traumatic experience.

My problems are this:

First, I'm a blue belt, for crying out loud! Other beginners get someone of the same rank or one level higher as their first opponent, but I have to face someone so terrifying. Most black belts there are terrifying. So now, I have to get over this fear. Has anyone had a similar experience? What I'm afraid of is their skill level and getting hurt. We spar without protection, and these black belts have a whole lot more experience, so I'm afraid to attack because I'm pretty sure I'll get a deadly counterattack. And I've been hit once on the balls (couldn't stand for 5 minutes) while play sparring with a friend of the same rank, so I'm phobic. I need a groin guard but I've got no money.

Second, I need some advice on moving in for the attack AND also attacking in combos ala video games. When I look at the distance between me and my opponent, my mind is at a blank. I don't know how to close in and manipulate the distance. Also, even when I'm close enough, my timing is totally off, because I lack the experience to notice an opportunity and seize it. Plus, when I attack, I only deliver one kick (usually a Turning/Roundhouse Kick), and don't follow up with a Back Kick or some other attack. I need advice in these areas.

The black belts and my sensei are helpful, and they try to give me advice, but most of their advice cannot be understood because it's too high level and I lack the first hand experience. There're some really good fighters on this forum, I think Bolt also learns Taekwondo, and there was a Wing Chun fighter and a Silat Warrior who was pretty advanced. I appreciate whatever advice you have. Movies show the protagonist getting whacked and beaten by the seniors, and from there he learns to be stronger, but I keep getting whacked without understanding what's happening, and so I learn nothing. I need someone with alot of experience to explain in beginner's terms to me, because this new aspect of training is giving me mental stress.
 
Member
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Sep 28, 2005
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being scared is one of the reasons why you take martial arts to get over your fear, **** my friend once had to face an olypmic level tae kwon doe fighter, meaning she qualified for the olypmics and was almost chosen, in a match once.

being afraid does nothing, look them straight in the eye and don't give them a single inch of ground they take one step forward, you take two step forwards

when they kick you kick, being afraid does nothing, hell in most fights thinking does nothing, in the end it comes down to reflex, instincts, training and guts
 
It's Judgement Time!
Joined
Mar 8, 2005
Messages
10,818
This is something your training instructor needs to help you with. Make your feelings known so that he/she/they can help you with your problems and help you overcome them. If you need advice, ask your teacher/sensei/instructor. This is just so obvious. You're always going to need improvement somewhere and that's what your lessons are for... improvement. You aren't just going to "get it" right away. If you dont understand something the teacher has told you, say "I dont understand, can you elaborate". Obvious.
 
Joined
Apr 12, 2005
Messages
86
First off. Have some faith in yourself.

Your sensei does, so should you.

One thing to take into account, you're putting too much emphasis on belts. It seems to really be lodged into your head. Yes, a black belt has experience and knowledge, but they're just like you. A person as well, a person can make mistakes, it's not some almighty Street Fighter 2 handicap sorta thing.

But you're not alone. I know the feeling, when I was taking Tae Kwon Do when I was younger, I was often training with higher belts, so I had to come in, try my best to pick up on things fast, to see what was going on and try my best to keep up. As long as you try your best, you got things going on.

I really want to second what GrnPsychoGarren said. Everything there is complete truth and worth mentioning again.

..But, I have to say. Drop your fear at the door, get your game on, and take a chance. I've seen plenty of fights where the black belt loses etc. Once you get your game going, the fear gone, the faith in yourself up there and remind yourself that this is a person too. You'll do great.
 
Member
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Apr 19, 2006
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804
I'm not really bothered about belts, what scares me is the way I've seen the black belts in my class spar. They're fast and powerful, so I'm really afraid I'll get injured. They can counter and hit you so fast and so strongly that you don't know what happened. And because they're so fast, when I try to learn how they attack and counterattack, I cannot learn much. Also, I don't wear any protective equipment because my sensei wants full contact to let me feel the pain. Pain is bearable, what I worry about is getting hit in the balls or something. That's pretty much my fear, and this is what I really need to get over.

Impulse87, I appreciate the story of your friend, and your advice on giving in to instinct. My sensei did say I think too much instead of just reacting, but thinking of it in terms of instinct makes it much clearer. I need to learn how to relax though and be comfortable enough to just give in to instinct, which is something I really need to work on. And if they kick, you kick back. When they counter, I just give in to instinct and kick back. That's a good rule to play by. I'll remember it. :anime:

GrnPsychoGarren, I do ask my sensei for advice, but because he isn't really educated, he can't explain things well. I'll ask him something about attacking, and then he'll give me some one word answer or a phrase, and when I ask him to elaborate, he'll attempt to say something but fail to express himself clearly, so he just asks me to get experience. The black belts are really helpful though, but most of their advice I cannot understand yet because I lack the insight to do so. So I'm pretty much left to observe them and try to mimic how they fight, which is tough.

Thanks for all the replies though. I don't feel so nervous about tonight's practice anymore.
 
It's Judgement Time!
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Mar 8, 2005
Messages
10,818
If you're afraid of being injured, again just tell them. But see, this is why I love my Wushu classes. There are no belts and there is no sparring. No ranks, no nothing. We just go, and we practice and train the many forms and styles of Wushu as if it were exercise. You improve yourself without worrying about progress or the the infamous color of a belt. And everyone in that class is so helpful. Everyone will help each other out on anything, because it's just not competitive at all. I love that atmosphere. When you introduce sparring and belts, the people tend to be a little competitive. They have the black belt and some grow and ego, wanting to prove to you why they earned the belt.

But anyway, back to to the injured problem. They could seem scary, I remember being in a school with belts and sparring. But I never really encountered a Black Belt before that wasnt gentle in some way. That is, everytime I saw a black belt, and I had to practice with them or spar them, I would always trust them to take care of me and not go all out. If you're afraid of them then I'm not sure if that's a personal problem or maybe a problem with the people in your class.

There are some assholes who want that type of reaction out of lower belts.
 
Member
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Aug 26, 2006
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Well I'm more on the artistic side of martial arts than competitive fighting, but I can suggest some things based on seeing my teammates fight and through my coach's advice.

- Never be cowed by an opponent, or at least do your best to do so. You should respect an opponent, yes, but as an equal in the ring. Don't concern yourself with unnecessary thoughts like who's better. Focus on yourself. Mental training will be important here.

- Have a gameplan. By that I mean have a list of combo moves in your head. Don't stick with the standard punch-kick. Mix up your attacks and prepare a small core set of different moves. Try to have a counter move for every possible attack. If he uses a front-kick how do you react? If he punches then moves away for a side-kick what's your next move? Run through all these in your head anytime you have free time and practice them diligently until they become second nature. Remember though that things might not always go your way so be adaptable.

- Practice hard. That's really the only way to ensure that your moves become reactionary, becoming second nature.

- Work on your speed. A fast fighter has a lot more advantages than a strong one. For one, it ensures that you can land the first attack and move away quickly enough to avoid a counter. It also helps you to overcome the distance issues that you have. Make sure you work on your stamina at the same time too.

- Opponents will usually react aggressively to your attack. If you kick you can be sure that they're gonna kick back instead of dodging, unless they're too far away. Be prepared for that. Also most opponents prefer to counter with a kick. You can either grab it and make him fall, or dodge then move away and attack again. Have a gameplan for that.

- Hit-and-run tactics are useful. Attack with a short combo, say two punches followed by a kick, then move away. Repeat as needed. Speed here is essential and you need to keep moving all the time.

- Invest in a groin guard. Right now it's prob selling for SGD$20+ so it's not that expensive. If the tournament allows for arm and shin guards, it would be ideal to train with them on. This is because it lets you get used to it and also reduces the chances of training injuries. Screw anybody who calls you a pussy.

That's about all I can come up with. Good luck for your upcoming matches!:thumbs:
 
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boogie woogie feng shui
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Feb 27, 2005
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Blue belt is a pretty late rank to start sparring at, and if your instructor is throwing you in with little or no help in addition to waiting so long to have students mix it up, that sounds like a double fault on his part. I don't really know much about TKD sparring because I deemed it stupid and got out of that early :)P ), but anytime you're in a match or a fight the most important thing to do is keep a clear head and keep opposite actions. Like Yagyu Munenori said in the Heiho Kaden-Sho, "when the inside is rigorous, the outside is still; when the inside is still, the outside must be rigorous." When you're jocking for position or not attacking, your eyes should always be moving and changing focus (a good spot for them to fall back on is the upper chest, so all limbs can be seen in peripheral); when you're attacking, don't think or overanalyze, pick your spots and don't let up until you've won or your attacks are no longer landing ("Don't allow the opponent to raise his head"). Of course this is stuff I've just applied to Muay Thai, MMA, and boxing, there's a different kind of strategy involved in a TKD match where it's basically a game, and a good understanding of the rules always helps. But just remember Bolt's number 1 rule of combat: No one ever won a fight by just standing around. Actually that's rule number 2. Rule number 1 is "don't get beat."
 
Eye See You
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Feb 10, 2005
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I'm a black belt 1st degree in Jong Park Soo TaeKwon Do and I can't really tell you anything more than what Bolt has said.

Starting sparring at Blue Belt is fucking ridiculious, it's like finally teaching ur son, who's 16 to walk.
 
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