I first learned about combining sparring with bag training when I was working with full contact stick fighting. We would each gear up in full Kendo Armor Outfits (used for bamboo sword sparring) - get a pair of sticks, nunchaku and of often even the traditional bamboo swords (known as Shinai in Japanese) and have at it. At first the focus was on the weapon strikes, blocks and movements. However, as the battle gets heated up, it isn't long before kicks and punches start to play an integral role.
We soon learned that this protective set up could also be used as an amazing mobile bag workout while improving your sparring capabilities. Let me explain:
Okay, the gear that we would wear was armor. This meant that when a partner swung a stick at you at full speed, you did not feel it. The pain factor was removed, so you could focus purely on your movements.
To focus purely on a workout what we did was take away the weapons and started using only punches and kicks. This was great for the receiver (as they still did not feel any pain) but the hard shell like surface of kendo armor limited an all out blast session. You can imagine kicking and punching any type of armor and how that might feel. Though it was great for forcing you to target, it did not allow you to get a full workout.
What we wanted was a full on hard-core workout that simulated having a moving target. Imagine if you punching bag could step back, forward, or to the side and how this would affect your training. It is the perfect combination of sparring and bag training.
Therefore, we altered the receiver's protective wear by dumping the armor and using instead something more durable that could withstand even the hardest of blows to the body. There are too many ways of doing this to list them all - but I am sure that you have seen a few. If you have ever watched a women's self-defense course, you might remember a padded up opponent with a HUGE head. This outfit was designed so the women could kick, scratch and gouge the eyes of a fake opponent without any injury to the person inside.
Macho even created a full suit of armor out of their lightweight foam products called the Red Man Suit. Another company called FIST also had a great outfit. I remember when we first got the helmet we practiced jumping spinning round kicks to the face and the face shield held up.
Whatever you design - just make sure that the person wearing the gear is fully protected. The idea behind the concept is that person A (the Giver) can throw every punch and kick they want at full speed while person B (the Taker) can simply move around like the Incredible Hulk.
Try 5 minutes of full contact punches and kicks on a moving opponent and you will really get an amazing workout. I would suggest the following workout strategy:
5-10 Minutes of light punches and kicks moving around the room with your partner.
Then, 15 seconds of full power, speed and effort followed by 45 seconds of light movement, punches and kicks. Repeat 5 times for a great 5-minute workout.
Note: the person wearing all of the gear is also getting a great workout too as they are moving around, taking punches and kicks and can even throw a few of their own from time to time.
Start slow and get creative. If you do not have a suit of armor look through a martial art supply store and build one yourself by picking and choosing various pieces of gear.
NOTE: Do not full blast to the head unless you have a piece of headgear that can take such blows. I would suggest leaving the head out of the early sessions and focus on getting a workout with attacks to the body.
| To build your own suit of armor, visit Pad-Up Martial Arts Equipment for a wide variety of high quality Boxing Equipment, Boxing Gloves, Sparring Gear, Sparring Gloves, Shin Guard, Headgear, Chest Guard, Mouthpiece and more. Rick Tew is an internationally acclaimed Sensei or teacher in the martial arts and founder of CMS - College of Martial Science and NinjaGym. He runs Short and Long term Martial Arts Training Camps in California, Thailand and Holland. Visit http://www.ninjagym.com/dojo to view training programs and schedules, read Rick Tew's blog, watch training videos and be part of NinjaGym Martial Arts Community. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rick_Tew |
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