Did some stand up sparring for the first time in over 2 years

**TEA** · Posted On: 1/31/2007 5:42pm

After GJJ class the other day I was warming down doing a bit of bag work and one of the guys that also takes the MT classes and was alwo doing bag work asked me if I wanted to spar. I didn't have a mouth piece, and I have this brain cist thing going on, so I told him I couldn't go hard contact to the head. He was cool with that, so we just went light contact. My TKD school shut donw in Ocotber of 2004, so its been a while since I've done any stand up with anyone. I've cross trained with boxers and kyokushing guys before, but this was my first time sparring with an MT guy. Here's my review:

Hands I'll start out here, since like any TKDist, this is probably the weakest part of my fight game. For the most part, I think I did OK. I was able to block most of his punches and able to land a fair bit of mine. However, I really need to work on covering up during the fluries once someone has gotten past my blocks. I could blokc most of his punches, but once he started landing some, he pretty much owned me.

As for my punches, I only landed a few when I was on the offensive, but did a lot better with my counter punching. However, my biggest weakness in this regards was following up once I got a punch in. For the most part, he'd come in on me, I'd block and side step, then parry, but once I got a shot in, I didn't follow up. This is something that has been a problem for me for a long time and isn't a matter of me being out of practice, although when I've been training hard I overcome this a bit.

Feet Just like when I've spared wiht kyokushin guys before, I was made aware of the fact that I really need to work on my defense against leg kicks. I did better than the first time I ever sparred with anyone that does leg kicks, but he still nailed me more than I was able to check or slip. On the bright side, he wasn't able to hit me with anything above the waist. I don't know if it was just him or MT in general, but I was able to read his kicks a lot quicker than I would with a TKD fighter. If I'd been a bit more up on my counters, I think he would have been in some serious trouble with his kicks.

As for my kicks, I pretty much landed 90% or more of what I threw. My "bread and butter" technique of jab-jab-cross-round kick pretty much worked every time (after 24 years, I'd be surpriesed if it didn't land over 50%). I was also able to land pretty much every one of my slide back step front leg side kicks to counter his jabs, too. Also, I pretty much hit him with all of my back kicks countering his left cross. I didn't try it on his round kick, which is pretty much one of my stronger counters, but I was feeling a bit hesitant about throwing that one, since its such a powerful counter and has the potential of seriously hurting your sparring partner, since I'm so out of practice.

Over all I need to work on covering up with my hands more against fluries, and side stepping and slipping once contact has been made. I side step and silp OK prior to getting hit in the face, but its the abiltiy to get one's head out of the firing line after its been hit that really matters.

My hands to feet combos are pretty strong, but I need to work a whole lot more on my foot to hand combos. Even after hitting him with a kick, I'd tend to back off rather than moveing in with punches. As the mantra goes: "hands follow feet, feet follow hands." I've got the "feet follow hands" part down fairly well, but my "hands follow feet" is pretty lame.

**Abusivemelon** · Posted On: 2/03/2007 7:43am

Sound's like you know exactly what you need to work on. What kind of response were you hoping for?

**TEA** · Posted On: 2/03/2007 11:19am

Originally Posted by Abusivemelon

Sound's like you know exactly what you need to work on. What kind of response were you hoping for?

More just sharing whats up, although pointers from the boxers and Muay Thai guys on covering and checking leg kicks would be nice. After 24 years of training traditional style TKD, blocking and parrying punches is much so ingrained that just covering up is hard to do. Any advice from someone whose made the transition from traditional Karate/TKD to boxing or MT would be helpful.

**Anna Kovacs** · Posted On: 2/03/2007 12:24pm

Leg kick checking drill...Have someone hold pads for you and on occasional intervals they try and kick you in the leg while you're working. Mostly you pick it up through sparring but this is one isolationist drill I've seen used.

**Pandinha** · Posted On: 2/03/2007 1:42pm

Originally Posted by AnnaTrocity

Leg kick checking drill...Have someone hold pads for you and on occasional intervals they try and kick you in the leg while you're working. Mostly you pick it up through sparring but this is one isolationist drill I've seen used.

This is the drill I work with to check kicks. I'll have my coach hold thai pads, I'll work on my combos and he'll kick my leg.

I'm a right lead southpaw kinda guy, so my basic response is check by lifting, and then left cross.