SHADOW SPARRING

 

Shadow sparring
{More than just a warm up}
  Different training methods for improving athlete’s performances come and go in all sporting activities ranging from basic routines to the more scientific approaches.
Martial Arts is no different, all styles have their own routines that prepare the student both physically and mentally for the tasks involved.
Travelling on the open tournament circuit over the last few years I have noticed the different approaches to a pre competition warm up used by coaches and fighters, routines that involve skipping stretching and hitting pads.

One warm up that is often overlooked is shadow sparring, but as well as an effective routine for warming up the body and preparing a fighter for combat shadow sparring should be an important part of a fighters training.

Many Martial Arts students and fighters approach shadow sparring as just a warm up but if careful attention is given to this seemingly simple basic exercise then a Martial Artist can develop better technique combinations and footwork.

The less pressured activity of shadow sparring allows a student to concentrate on themselves something that is not possible when confronted by an opponent as in sparring or when drilling on pads and against bags.
The body learns through movement and shadow sparring allows a student to focus on the correct delivery of techniques , well balanced stances and feeling what its like to put together different punching and kicking combinations without the added pressure of getting hit back.

Once a student becomes more fluid in the application of the basic techniques and combinations then they will have better chance of executing them under the pressure of a sparring bout.
Treat shadow sessions as you would as if you were in a competition don’t throw sloppy techniques because the way you train is the way you will fight, think about what you are doing vary the speed and intensity of the combinations and practise defensive moves parrying and avoiding just as important as attacking, experiment with different opening moves which will avoid predictability in a fight stay focused and be creative, through shadow sparring a fighter can visualize an actual fight and put together different strategies to overcome the different scenarios created by different kinds of opponents.
Shadow sparring can also be adapted to improve strength speed and endurance by the addition of weighted jackets, light dumbbells and punching harnesses.

Shadow sparring can be as simple or as advanced as a fighter wants it to be, when performed correctly it helps fine tune motor coordination and technical creativity as well as increasing stamina, an old training routine that has stood the test of time and one that will still be used in the future.