The Sparring Triangle

My son's taekwondo instructor told him to compete in his club's invitation championship scheduled on the 1^st week of next month (November 2015). He has been studying the art for only less than a year (and just now expecting to be promoted to the yellow-stripe belt), so it's a somewhat exciting shock to hear the news. Trying to be as supportive as I can, I intend to help him learn some of the most important aspects of a taekwondo sparring match.

I only learned karate until the blue belt rank when I was in junior high, taekwondo until the green belt rank when I was in senior high, competed in a taekwondo tournament just once, and lost in the 1^st match (against a red belt while I was a green belt, to my defense). I am nowhere near a black belt and it has been ages since I practice any martial art at all. Hence, although I know a thing or two, my insufficient authority for my own plan to help my son. So to get started, I did a research on the internet as I normally would.

During a match, an athlete is required to make quick informed decisions regarding his actions on the arena's mattress. In order to do that, I think a clear and simple concept is required as the basis for evaluation as far as the opponent in particular and the match in general are concerned, as well as processing the information gathered from the evaluation to make a decision about what's the right response for the situation. I have no idea if anybody ever put it like this before, but based on my comprehension upon studying several references on the internet, I think there are 3 most essential aspects in a sparring match related to each other like the sides of a triangle: distance-technique-timing. This could be the concept to hold on to in sparring and I'd like to call it: the sparring triangle.

Maintaining distance with the opponent is of paramount importance in a sparring match. For a particular distance, there's a set of techniques (sliding, kicking, evading, blocking, punching moves) suitable for that distance. Once the most appropriate technique(s) is selected, the correct timing must be taken into account for successful execution of the technique(s).

You might as well "pick any two" corners of the triangle to decide the 3^rd. For instance, you know what's the best time to launch an attack to your opponent and you're comfortable in a particular distance. If you want to stick to these 2 options, it means that you are now limited to a (set of) technique(s) that's possible for successful execution given the constraints. Another example: maybe the techniques you're confident with is already limited, but you know the perfect timing to use them, then you'll have to use your footwork to get the appropriate distance for the execution.

Now stamina is not part of the triangle, but it's there because once your stamina drops, you won't be able to do any of the above effectively. In order to sustain the fast pace of a sparring match, you will need to build up your stamina. This also means that economical use of energy over the duration of the match is essential. You must clearly decide when it is appropriate to conserve energy and when it is necessary to oppress the opponent.

So those are my thoughts! The decisions along the 3 corners of the sparring triangle might change along the match (at least to make you not so predictable), but this concept can still be elaborated a lot more and used whether you are in the offensive or defensive position, attacking or counter-attacking, etc. More complex application of the concept can be taught along with the athlete's knowledge, skill, and experience gain increase. But the very same concept remains as the solid foundation of the long-term training.

References

• TaekwondoAnimals.com, Taekwondo Sparring Techniques & Tips, http://www.taekwondoanimals.com/taekwondo-sparring.asp
• Turtle Press, Taekwondo Sparring Strategies, http://www.turtlepress.com/training/taekwondo-sparring-strategies