As you navigate through many dynamics in their Muay Thai practice, it is important to be a great sparring partner to enhance yours and your teammates skills. Those “dynamics” can new and unfamiliar motor skills you’re trying to execute, timing, new discoveries of your own strength and speed, nerves or timidity, and countless other thoughts that may be going through your head when facing a sparring partner. But always remember that the purpose of sparring is to make yourself better, and in doing so you make your partner better.
1. Always perform with “good character”. Good character doesn’t just mean be a good person, it means to perform your moves in complete form, as if you’re acting out the move and want to look convincing. Avoid doing “half moves” or moves that don’t have all the components done correctly. Performing full and perfect movements create good and necessary habits for your offense and defense.
2. That being said, full form does not mean full force. “Let” each other carry out the offenses and defenses. When working with a partner, work at an honest speed but let each other block, counter, move, and execute. This will create a flow for more scenarios to play out, and thus increase both participants’ skill sets.
3. Fire your shots “at target”. If your technique is intended towards the head, aim at the head. If to the body, aim to the liver side, spleen side, solar plexus etc. specifically. If to the leg, aim two inches above the knee or calf, etc. This will create honest and necessary defense from the defender, fortifying good technique.
4. There’s no need to smash your partner to get good. Remember that you want to be consistent throughout your training. Being hurt for a few days doesn’t help anyone. So go light, and spar more often.
After learning any new techniques, you want to see if, and how you can apply the techniques in different scenarios and with different types of challenges. This should create confidence in your skills and pin point where improvements need to be made.
8 авг 2023
