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Sparring Strategy Against Kickers

full contact vs point sparring strategy tournament sparring Aug 05, 2007

I love to teach, and I like to use this blog as a teaching tool. I want visitors to walk away with information they can use in their practice. Here is a fighting tip that can work on the street, but since I don't get in many fights (I think my last real fight was 1970 in high school), I have to do tournaments.

Tournament sparring isn't real combat, but even point sparring teaches you strategies and timing that you would need on the street. I love tournament sparring. And believe me, it gets rough in there. In black belt divisions, you often have to make contact to get the point.

In the internal arts, particularly Chen tai chi, a kicker would be at a disadvantage. Trap the kick and take the kicker to the ground. But in most tournament sparring, you can't do that.

No problem.

Here's a strategy that will help you defeat martial artists who like to use kicks. I've found that a fighter who uses mainly kicks are not often well-rounded fighters. I've never understood styles that won't teach their students to punch to the head. If you get inside their kicks, they're often weak with their hands.

This video clip is a sample from my Tournament Sparring DVD, available on my website. It takes split-second timing but it works, as you'll see on the clip.

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Author - Instructor

Ken Gullette

I have practiced martial arts since 1973 and began studying the internal arts in 1987. My goal is to cut years off your development time by coaching you in the real skills for high-quality Tai Chi, Xingyi, Bagua. To see more about my bio, click the "About Ken" link on the menu at the top of this page.

Ken Gullette's Internal Fighting Arts

Sparring Strategy Against Kickers

Try Two Weeks Free and Get Step-by-Step Training in Taiji, Xingyi and Bagua from Basic to Advanced Skills with No Mystical Mumbo-Jumbo

Author - Instructor

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