Your Weird Training Method?

[Hedgehogey]

I open and close doors with elbows, knees and knee/shin blocks.

[JabCrossHook]

I don't know if you'll call this weird, but one thing I like doing is as follows...

•Two guys stand with their front foot on a line so they are basically very close.
•Both cover up and lean into each other
•Taking turns, one throws two shots to the other guy's body or short punches to the head who tries to block them by whatever means. It's later increased to 3 shots.

Same thing can be done with a slight distance to allow for jabs and other head punches. The idea is that the foot stays on the line at all times and this serves a couple of purposes:

•People who haven't been sparring long tend to keep backing off whenever a punch is thrown. This discourages that.
•People with silly, flappy guards will generally get his a lot until they adpt a more suitable guard
•It focusses your attention and keeps you constantly sharp and alert. Also sharpens up parries.

Same thing can be done with one of the guys against a wall, in the corner of the ring, against the ropes etc.

[Zyph]

I don't know if you'll call this weird, but one thing I like doing is as follows...

•Two guys stand with their front foot on a line so they are basically very close.
•Both cover up and lean into each other
•Taking turns, one throws two shots to the other guy's body or short punches to the head who tries to block them by whatever means. It's later increased to 3 shots.

Same thing can be done with a slight distance to allow for jabs and other head punches. The idea is that the foot stays on the line at all times and this serves a couple of purposes:

•People who haven't been sparring long tend to keep backing off whenever a punch is thrown. This discourages that.
•People with silly, flappy guards will generally get his a lot until they adpt a more suitable guard
•It focusses your attention and keeps you constantly sharp and alert. Also sharpens up parries.

Same thing can be done with one of the guys against a wall, in the corner of the ring, against the ropes etc.

I do the same thing ont he wal. It helps them not to turn their back when overwhelmed too.
Later,
Zyph

[octaviousbp]

Zyph, I think what you are describing is "len" or "play", and is the main type of sparring in Thailand.

[Zyph]

Zyph, I think what you are describing is "len" or "play", and is the main type of sparring in Thailand.

I had a coach tell me it was pretty common there. He said most of those guys fight every weekend so they are more careful about injuries than we are. I have shared it with others who teach MT in my state, and many said it made no sense. I tended not to train with them much more. I am glad to hear that it is so widely used, I think it is an excellent training method, and have found that the new students who do it are better prepared when they do spar.
Later,
Zyph

[The_Tao]

The_Tao - What is odd about trying to apply what you learn in forms/kata to sparring? I would think it would be odd if you learned forms/kata and then never tried to apply it in some type of sparring situation with a resisting opponent - again, maybe I am mis-understanding...?

a lot of people don't like form and think it's useless and alsothinnk it's odd actaully find applications for things.

[Vieux Normand]

Another thing one can do comes from Kyokushin. It's called "reverse mirroring". You and a partner stand at about hooking distance and both simultaneously shoot forearms out from stonewall position--left on left forearm, then right against right. The forearms cross-collide between you and your partner at face-level. Use all the body-mechanics you'd use for throwing a full-contact elbow or hook (no arms-only "hits", of course).

The same goes for shins: from cut-kick distance, both partners throw a left shin-kick, then both throw a right...at the same time so that--just like the forearms--the shins cross-collide midway between you and your partner. Use all the back-foot and hip-mechanics you'd use for a full-on shin-kick: no dollrye-chaki-type snaps. Makes a nice cracking sound, and it's always interesting to see which partner caves first. Then you can go forearm-left-right-shin-left-right, or any combination you and your partner work out. No holding back, no pads, full power.

These are good for pain-desensitizing the areas which, according to police reports, receive most of the initial damage in street attacks. That's apparently because people, trained or not, instinctively put up forearms to block attacks upstairs (armed or unarmed attacks) while often throwing up shins to try and protect more southerly regions.

With that in mind, the goal of reverse-mirroring is to enable the defender to withstand damage or pain to those areas and keep on fighting regardless. Of course, one can do the same with other areas: fist-versus-fist, elbow-versus-elbow, and so on. It's pure pain-conditioning, of course--meant to supplement full-on sparring, definitely not to replace it.

[The_Tao]

Another thing one can do comes from Kyokushin. It's called "reverse mirroring". You and a partner stand at about hooking distance and both simultaneously shoot forearms out from stonewall position--left on left forearm, then right against right. The forearms cross-collide between you and your partner at face-level. Use all the body-mechanics you'd use for throwing a full-contact elbow or hook (no arms-only "hits", of course).

The same goes for shins: from cut-kick distance, both partners throw a left shin-kick, then both throw a right...at the same time so that--just like the forearms--the shins cross-collide midway between you and your partner. Use all the back-foot and hip-mechanics you'd use for a full-on shin-kick: no dollrye-chaki-type snaps. Makes a nice cracking sound, and it's always interesting to see which partner caves first. Then you can go forearm-left-right-shin-left-right, or any combination you and your partner work out. No holding back, no pads, full power.

These are good for pain-desensitizing the areas which, according to police reports, receive most of the initial damage in street attacks. That's apparently because people, trained or not, instinctively put up forearms to block attacks upstairs (armed or unarmed attacks) while often throwing up shins to try and protect more southerly regions.

With that in mind, the goal of reverse-mirroring is to enable the defender to withstand damage or pain to those areas and keep on fighting regardless. Of course, one can do the same with other areas: fist-versus-fist, elbow-versus-elbow, and so on. It's pure pain-conditioning, of course--meant to supplement full-on sparring, definitely not to replace it.

I know another way that people get that same desired effect. It's call iron bone/ Iron body and it basically involves rolling shins and forearms with metal bars (normally 20- 120 pounds) and striking wooden posts to harden the hands and feet. then, apply herbs to make the massive bruising not be as bad.

[eyebeams]

I rotate through different types of hand protection. I want effective bareknuckle contact, but experience has taught me that it blunts your commitment. So I move between wraps and gloves, just wraps and nothing.

[Permalost]

I practice various striking from the clinch with a medicine ball- things like elbows, headbutts, and shoulder strikes.