Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9
In my last Kumite class I was quite tired after having worked 6 days in a row...
Our class is usually around an hour and a half...most of which is non-stop free style fighting.
So we all go at it pretty steady, working with our partners, male and female until the Sensei wants to change up the partners...
...needless to say I was gasping for air after about 5 minutes of non-stop sparring and could barely keep my guard up for protection.
It's at times like this that I can feel my weaknesses and realize how out of shape I am, even though I am 48 years old...age is no excuse as my Sensei is in his fifties and is in excellent shape.
After changing partners a couple of times, I was paired up with a gal I will call Heather, not her real name, but she has a black belt and is an instructor and is in way better shape than I am...
We were practicing a couple of Kumite moves. The first move is from your Kame as you lower your stance and move both arms out, indicating to your opponent that your about to come in for an attack. This is just an affront, instead of coming in, you wait until your opponent takes either an offensive stance or defensive stance...as soon as they realize that your not coming in, is the moment when you shift in and deliver a backfist to the side of their head and then shift back out...the back fist is one of your most indispensable tools in Kumite, as long as like everything else, you don't use it so often that your opponent can easily recognize it coming in.
Now here's the alternate attack that follows the setting up of that particular back fist attack, in your opponents mind.
From the Kamae, shift in like your going to throw your backfist again, but this time, simply, put your fist or open hand directly in your opponents face and block his or her view and throw in a hard round house kick, aiming for the lower ribs...they won't be able to see it coming, and there guard will be up in anticipation of blocking your feigned backfist to the head.
It's a devasting combination of moves if it gets used sparingly, in conjunction with other techniques...
Once I was tired, my control went out the window, and so it was that during my blocking of Heathers eyes, that I scraped a hunk of flesh off of her nose with my finger nail...oh yah, that's a good point to remember, always keep your finger and toes nails as short as possible or perhaps even taped up to avoid accidental injuries...you don't want to be responsible for poking or scraping someone's eye out.
Anyway, make those above mentioned Kumite moves a part of your arsenal...they work great...
RJF
