As in the study of any subject to reinforce the theory requires practical training, so in martial arts. In order to learn how to apply the learned punches and techniques in practice, a training match or sparring is required, and for this you need a sparring partner. And if there is no such thing as sparring in any so-called “martial” discipline, then this discipline is not a martial art as such. Rather, it is gymnastics, but not the art of combat.
One of the most important elements of training a fighter
It is immediately necessary to understand that sparring is by no means a fight, and even the name training match is rather arbitrary. Sparring itself is perhaps one of the most important aspects of an athlete's development. This is not just the development of shock and protective equipment. During such a training, a fighter learns the basics of martial art. He himself recognizes his strengths and weaknesses, analyzes his behavior in the ring and understands that in his technique he needs to change which elements to pay more attention to practicing. Unfortunately, many novice athletes think that a sparring partner is an opponent to be defeated. Alas, they are very mistaken. Indeed, instead of honing their technique, they are trying to hit the enemy with a couple of tricks that they learned better than others. And many even neglect the defense in order to achieve a much-desired victory faster. As a result, those who are better prepared are beginning to consider themselves to be some kind of cool and invincible guys, and after meeting with a worthy opponent there is a lot of disappointment. And for those who are weaker, fear of an opponent may develop, fear of a strong blow, and generally disappointment in their abilities and sport in general.
Sparring partner: how to choose
The professional growth and improvement of the athlete’s skill depends not only on himself, but also on how professional his partner is for training. Indeed, you can’t take anyone for training. If possible, the choice of a partner should be approached with all responsibility.
Here, for example, Putin’s judo sparring partner in judo is USSR Honored Trainer Arkady Romanovich Rotenberg. Of course, not everyone has the opportunity to choose a partner for training, like Vladimir Vladimirovich, but nonetheless. So what types of sparring partners can be conditionally divided into?
- "Don't hit me hard." Often these are newcomers, but sometimes more experienced athletes also belong here. When training with such athletes, it will be very difficult to technically work out the blows, since, in their opinion, the sparring partner often exceeds the required level of force.
- Beginner teacher. Such athletes try to choose a less experienced partner as partners. On the one hand, training with such an athlete will have a positive impact on your skills, as he is more experienced and you can learn a lot from him. But on the other hand, working with him will keep you in constant tension, as his level of skill will not allow you to feel confident in a training match.
- Fan Athletes of this type train hard, do not miss classes, work with full dedication. Training with such a partner will bring a lot of benefits, as he will skillfully and gently punish any mistake, but at the same time, he will allow the less experienced partner to work.
In fact, there are much more types of fighters, and it does not matter, this is a sparring partner in wrestling, boxing or another type of martial arts, one more thing to remember. The more often a partner changes, the more versatile the athlete will have.
How to better build a training process
A very good option for a beginner would be sparring with an opponent much more experienced than himself, only with the condition that an experienced fighter only defend himself. Also, two beginners can have a shadow fight. That is, the rivals stand against each other at a certain distance and strike, either generally without contact, or barely marking the blow. In the same mode, protection elements are also worked out. After gaining some experience, you can proceed to training with a series of two, and then three strokes. And finally, you can proceed to a full contact training. If this is boxing, a sparring partner can take any punches, if only their strength does not exceed 25-30% of the possible. How to determine this? Very simple. A direct blow to an unprotected face should not cause severe pain.
Moments that should not be sparring
During sparring, the trainer should pay attention to the following nuances:
- Fighters do not have to work at full strength. As soon as the sounds of strong blows are heard, you need to stop the training and make a remark.
- The movements of the fighters should not be chaotic. This applies to both shock-protective equipment and movement in the ring.
- Athletes should not be very tired. Better to work at a more relaxed pace, but longer.
- If athletes move more around the ring and work less with each other, the coach should also intervene. Of course, there is nothing wrong with training your legs and practicing the correct movement in the ring, but at the same time, you must remember to be in the zone of a possible attack, so that the remote movement can be changed dramatically for attacking actions.
In conclusion
One simple rule to remember is that an athlete must enjoy a sparring match. He needs to be loved not for future results, but for the process itself. This will bring much more benefit than feeling “cool”, invincible, etc. Whatever the athlete’s mood, no matter how his day develops, you need to approach the fight, even the training one, without any negative.