Saturday, April 4, 2009

Tennis Match MMA sparring

Last Wed night I had one of the best training session for a long time. We've been doing some MMA training since last year but when Vince introduced "tennis match MMA sparring", I realised that I could actually see how some of the techniques work in slow motion and this helps me to understand the intricacies of a particular technique so that I can apply it better. For those curious, tennis match sparring means each person take turns as attacker-defender so that both can drill a certain technique.

By limiting the sparring to a certain technique like the Single Leg Takedown only, it allows us to drill and practice this often-used technique with more focus and intensity.

By the time we were allow to spar like normal, most of us were able to apply those MMA moves smoothly. And I managed to do a few single and double leg takedowns, something that I've not been able to do whenever I spar in the past. By understanding the mechanics and flows of a particular technique through tennis match sparring, we improve our timing and execution of that technique. Tennis match sparring allows you to break down a technique and help you to understand why you fail to execute it earlier. Of course, there are other factors like physical attributes and fight plan but that's for another entry.

Note to self: remember to check distance, setup or distract, level change then lift up.

1 comment:

Blake said...

Be careful with the double leg take down on the street. Sure it may feel good in the dojo, but watch those knees! Slamming your knees into jagged pavement will at best stop your take down, and at worst, ruin your knee.