Four Essential Basics Needed for Sparring

Sparring can be fun to outright terrifying for many kids. There is the fear of getting hurt, losing, or simply not finding sparring to be enjoyable. Regardless of the reason, there are 4 attributes that anyone can train in to spar at a respectable level. The most important thing when starting out is a solid foundation. This applies not only to physical objects such as buildings, but non-physical ones such as a person’s individual skills. Basics are essential in order to build up on them and allow one to grow individually in their own unique way. Although many will have similar foundations, their growth and their results will become their own. These attributes do not require experience with sparring and thus are attainable by anyone.

The first and most important one is technique. Techniques are a fighter’s weapons and without weapons, one cannot fight. The quality of a technique is vital for optimal speed, power, and protection. Techniques that are not practiced well will never be as effective as a mastered technique and a fighter will find it difficult to execute them in the heat of a fight without muscle memory. A fighter will also have less confidence in their own abilities if they are not well trained in at least 1 technique.

Power is the next attribute and is the most simple one. Training for power simply comes with performing one’s techniques with maximum effort as many times as possible. In other words, repetition training. Technique ties into power because a properly executed technique will allow one to achieve maximum power.

Building off of power is speed. The more effort a person exerts, more speed is generated which then leads to more powerful techniques. However, it is possible to be fast and slow at the same time. Take a plane for example, it is slow to start but fast once it takes off. The same principle can be applied to techniques. It is not enough to simply be fast at performing a technique, one must also be fast at starting and finishing a technique.

The last essential basic is footwork. Staying stationary makes one predictable and an easy target, therefore one needs to be able to move around their opponents and perform their techniques while doing so. Once the basic idea is grasped, speed must be added.

All 4 components are related and build off of one another. One major problem with many athletes in today’s modern sport style Taekwondo is the over emphasis on techniques. While techniques are important, the other attributes are neglected which ironically make the techniques less effective. In addition, the same technique is over emphasized: the front leg. Having a foundation that encompasses the entirety of Taekwondo’s arsenal of kicks and mastering them as much as possible will go a long way compared to practicing a singular technique and variations of it.