Training for Free-Sparring

The best way to train for free-sparring is to spar as much as possible with as many different types of opponents as possible. The more you spar, with an instructor, coach, or experienced fighter watching and giving tips, the better you sparring will become.

To build stamina, jump rope. When jumping rope, or sparring, do not jump up and down like kids at a playground, just slightly flex the knees and get enough of a jump to allow rope to pass under feet. Do no stand in one spot and jump, move around and try all types of foot movement variations to better your footwork. The pace of a sparring match is not steady, it is a mixture of quick attacks and periods of relatively slow steady movements where you rest for the next attack. Therefore, us interval jumping, mixing slow and steady jumping with spurts where you jump as fast as possible.

Swimming extends the muscles and helps flexibility. Swim laps with a slow lap followed by a fast lap followed by a slow lap. a fast laps. Run wind sprints, mix up the distance of the sprint and the distance of the return jog. Interval exercises help rhythmic breathing, which is required to help you manage your breathing when sparring.