Point Sparring

         I got my first real taste of sparring this past week, in the form of point sparring.  Before we did some sparring drills, and I think I maybe did a few minutes of free sparring.  It is definitely something I want to do more of, and I definitely want to go against different people.  Point sparring is interesting, because I have more than one opponent.  There is the person I'm directly sparring against, and the judges.  Not only do I have to move and strategize in ways to land a strike on my opponent, but I have to make sure that the judges can see what I'm doing.  There were a few instances where I landed a strike, or my opponent landed a strike on me that were not counted, because none of the judges saw it happen.  Knowing this really changes the dynamic and makes me more aware of my surroundings.  Works both for my benefit and against me, depending on how I'm positioned.

        As for the actual sparring portion, it was interesting to see not only how my opponents reacted, but more interesting to see how I reacted.  I learned a lot about myself in the short/not so short time it took to spar.  I learned that I have certain patterns and movements I like to follow, and I learned how I react to strikes coming at me.  Part of me is impressed with the way I handled myself for a first time sparrer, and the other part of me realizes I have a lot to learn still.   There are techniques that I think about as I'm sparring, but actually being able to execute them is different, especially since you don't know what's coming at you.  not like a drill when you know what to expect.  When I first began the match I was definitely rigid and kept a back and forth pattern, and as I got more comfortable I started to circle the ring more, and even switched my leads and pacing of my movements.

        Todai Hanson was a great partner to have.  We both got some good strikes in on each other; I'm pretty sure he got a few more in on me, he's got reach and it was difficult to close the gap on him.  We also inadvertently created a new category for next years Tiger Challenge, it is called Continuous Point Sparring, same basic rules as regular point sparring, but instead of the first to 5 points or 90 seconds rule, you go till one of you falls over in exhaustion.   I think it will really catch on.