These notes provide some general advice on ways to improve your kumite (sparring). However many of the methods and tips described below will help improve all areas of your karate, including kihon and kata.

There are more specific tips regarding kata and kihon on the 'Kata Tips' and 'Kihon Tips' pages. All three of these pages combined will help improve your karate in general.

DISTANCING

Distancing is only really meaningful when sparring with a partner (opponent), and then it immediately becomes a very important aspect of karate. If your distance is too close you will be unable to apply a good karate technique and you are an easy target (in danger of being injured), if you are too far away you will be safe but will not be able to attack quickly. Good distancing is therefore the compromise between keeping yourself at a safe distance, but still being close enough to be able to attack quickly. Unfortunately learning how to obtain good distancing generally only comes with experience, so the different types of sparring taught within ESKA (see the 'Types of Kumite' page) are designed to build this experience. Another exercise for developing good distance is to carry out slow freestyle with a partner and try to recognise if you lean forward when attacking (a sign that you are too far away) or if you have enough room to kick (you are too close if you don't).

CONTACT

In Kihon Kumite your distance should be such that no contact is made on the counter attacks, whilst ensuring the techniques land no more than 1 inch from the target. In Jiyu Kumite your distancing should allow light (controlled) contact with an almost fully extended technique. Using a fully extended technique (as in basic training) can then be used to convert the light contact into a heavy contact when necessary in a real situation. In freestyle sparring, the same light (controlled) contact is expected.

TARGET AREA

A karate technique is most effective when applied to a specific target area (solar plexus or ribs etc). Any karate technique will be much less effective if it makes contact with a less vulnerable area (shoulder, elbow or chest etc). Therefore when sparring concentrate on aiming for the target area (rather than just doing a technique into the general space around your opponent). Remember all kumite techniques should either make light (controlled) contact or be no more than 1 inch from the target (as opposed to 1 inch for your opponent but 10 inches from the target!).

GUARDING

As the primary role of Karate is to defend yourself (or others), defence is just as important (if not more so) as attacking, and this is also true for sparring. Guarding yourself comprises of being aware of and reacting to your opponent(s), protecting the vulnerable parts of your body from attack and maintaining a safe distance. Again good guarding comes with experience and the Kumite exercises described on the 'Types of Kumite' page aim to develop this experience. A further exercise, which can be used to improve your guarding, is to carry out slow freestyle but with your partner attacking only and you defending only. It is important however that you resist the easiest form of defence, which is to run away (see DISTANCING above) and try to remain within attacking range, even though you are not attacking in this exercise.

READING YOUR OPPONENT

Reading your opponent is also part of general awareness and comes in 2 main forms. The first is reading any signs, which may be given just prior to an attack. It is very unusual (except in some higher grade black belts) for an attacker not to give some involuntary sign before attacking (eg a small foot or hand movement, a deep breath in, a change in muscle tension or change of facial expression etc). If you can learn to recognise these signs, they can provide you with an indication of an imminent attack and so allow you slightly more time to react. Conversely you should also try to remove any of these "give away" signs from your own attacks. The second type of reading is trying to assess the type or style of your opponent. For example, do they always use the same technique?, do they always have the same leg forward?, do they always move backwards?, do they have a favourite leg? etc etc. Information of this sort will help you to defend and also help you to chose the best kind of attack against the opponent.

SCORING

A broad definition of a scoring technique is one that would be capable of disabling your opponent is some way (if the technique had not been a controlled technique used in sparring). In this respect a scoring technique must be powerful, good technique (not off balance or with bent arm etc), must be to a vulnerable target area (not shoulder or elbow etc) and must make light contact (or be slightly short for attacks to face). If any of these aspects are not present, it is likely that the technique would not be effective in a real situation and so would not score. The 'current' method of competition scoring (put simply) is 1 point for a strike to the body, 2 points for a kick to the body or unbalancing opponent followed by a strike and 3 points for a kick to the head or a throw followed by a scoring technique. Therefore your ability to score in a competition is reduced if you are unable to perform good kicking techniques. For this reason it is important to practice kicking techniques and not simply to rely on the easier and quicker arm techniques.