Sparring to Develop Mechanics and Timing

I woke up this morning with a real sore shoulder. I've been battling with a shoulder injury for quite some time now, close to a year. I suspect it was from lifting heavy weights. There was a point where I was working to develop more power and explosiveness, and although my muscles didn't mind the heavy weight, my shoulder gave in and has been causing me a lot of pain. Despite this, I keep on training. I have to be selective with who I train with and am limited to what I can do, but I have to keep moving. For the next few months, I'll probably focus only on grappling because punching causes sharp pain. I don't recommend that any of you follow my lead and think you should have an injury checked if it seems serious. I guess I never went earlier because I just got back to training seriously again, and don't want to stop. I've made plans to go to an orthopedic doctor the past couple weeks, but I've been swamped with other things and haven't had a chance. I will go soon though.

Anyway, enough about my shoulder. Heading to Undisputed to train today, I decided to work on escapes. To be specific, I decided to work on a certain position that prevents an opponent from passing my guard.

When I spar to work a particular aspect of my game, I usually roll at about 30%-50% intensity so I can properly work technique and develop timing. All too often, I see people sparring 100% who hardly ever get the chance to work many techniques. These people are always busy fending off an attack or using all their strength and speed to get a position, that they do not have the chance to think, be technical, and focus on timing. I think timing and proper execution are key factors that separate higher level fighters from average fighters. A person can know a million techniques but without timing and proper mechanics, he or she may never be able to pull any of those techniques off in a real fight.

To work my escapes, I chose two sparring partners who were slightly heavier than me. This allowed me to practice my escapes without having to use strength. In addition, these were two people who I knew would "work" with me. It's hard to practice new moves, or develop timing if your sparring partner is acting more like an opponent rather than a training partner or coach. When the round started, I simply let my partners pass my guard, but worked to prevent them from pinning me down and completely passing my guard. If my partner passed my guard, I worked to recompose my guard and started all over.

The next time you train, you might want to first pick a specific position or move you want to work on that day. This allows you to focus and really "learn" a move or position. Another thing you may want to consider is sparring at a lower intensity so you have more time to think and can focus on timing, mechanics, and execution. It's very important to train hard-- don't get me wrong; but, there has to be a balance. I often see guys in the Philippines sparring 110% everyday. First, the likelihood of injury is increased. Secondly, as I mentioned above, if you have a partner who is going 100% and you are too, you won't have the time to think and really understand what's going on when you spar.

Have fun when you roll. Training should be fun. You don't have to be out for the kill everyday. You'll have a better time rolling, and you probably learn a lot more.

Here's a short clip of Baret teaching a class at Undisputed, and a short video of "Kong" (his real name is Rey) smashing me and both of us doing what I just wrote about-- rolling, and having fun. He's 280 pounds (that's why he's called "Kong") and I'm 140 pounds. If you could only feel how heavy he is on top! Listen to Baret's, "Whoa!" when he sees Kong flip me over easily, like i was a little kid! We rolled several rounds today, and unfortunately this round ended early because of my shoulder.

Tags: kong, myles vives, undisputed, sparring, baret yoshida