Sparring

[coach hale]

How often should I spar? This is a question I receive on a daily basis. My answer is it depends. There are different types of sparring.

Sparring classification
1-action reaction
2-isolation
3-you go I go
4-free sparring

Action Reaction: A specific combination is thrown by participants. Partner A throws and partner B defends. Vice-Versa

Isolation: Partners pick particual strikes or combination to work on. Example Partner A only throws Jabs while Partner B only throws Kicks. Generally, athletes work on what they don't throw often.

You go I go: Partner A throws a prescribed number of strikes (no particular sequence)then Parner B throws the same number of strikes.

Free Sparring: Whatever you would like. Intensity level varies.
The less intense the more often athletes are able to spar

thanks,
Coach Hale
www.maxcondition.com

[EricLikesLifting]

so is your recommendation based only on intensity or do the different types of sparring also play a role in frequency? I do a lot of action reaction sparring, with varying intensities. soon i hope to do a little more free or you go i go sparring, should i cut back the volume or if the intensity is about the same as the action reaction, am i all set?

[Chris Correia]

Originally Posted by EricLikesLifting

so is your recommendation based only on intensity or do the different types of sparring also play a role in frequency? I do a lot of action reaction sparring, with varying intensities. soon i hope to do a little more free or you go i go sparring, should i cut back the volume or if the intensity is about the same as the action reaction, am i all set?

Depends on what else you are doing for training (resistance, intervals, etc.) Recovery needs are the issue, as I see it. If you're not fresh, something has to give/be cut back. Someone working more sparring, or other drills for that matter, more frequently may likely have to cut back on other work.

I tend to believe that if you are working sparring or drills,it should almost always be with intensity; otherwise, why do it? If fighting is all out, then the practice should pretty much simulate that. So, do the sparring or drills as much as you need to or want to, then fit in other training according to your needs and capability.


A big issue with free sparring is risk of injury. We tend to work drills and simulations more, and then move into more frequent, but still limited, free sparring closer to competition.

[Bytsi]

Our school has a designated sparring night once each week. We start with drills (action reaction and/or you go I go), then move into sparring with specific instructions (often involving isolation) and then into free sparring - but with control (hit to "score", not to injure) and some rules (no head contact for ranks below brown belt, no sweeps/throws below brown belt, etc...).

Much of our regular curriculum involves self-defense and how we'd use classroom model techniques in real-life situations (adaptions, reaction drills, etc). Sparring for us is often less about self defense and more about tournament sparring and learning to read opponents, see openings, things like that - because we cover other aspects on other nights.

[ErinB]

For myself I have always found it is best to push myself as much as I can with out getting an injury. In my class we spar once a week for approximately one half hour, we free spar but we pull our shots to avoid any-one getting injured. Me and another girl in the class occasionally get together to practice for an hour or so outside of class as well.