When it comes to Martial Arts Training Tips there are a couple of freestyle drills I have to recommend. Freestyle, of course, is where you get to get down and dirty. You learn good control through kumite, but you still get to let it all hang out.
There are two particular Martial Arts freestyle Drills that should be practiced. The first one deals with kumite specifically, the second deals with a more street style, or self defense, type of fight. Both should be practiced so as to become a well rounded street fighter.
The first is the old standard you will see in most dojos, you take your place at the head of a line, and the people in line take turns attacking you. This is a fun exercise, as you don’t have time to think, you just learn to accept the situations as they develop, and do what you have to. A few times through the line and you learn how to survive without all the foofaraw.
The second drill is to set up a gauntlet. This is not going to be a set and gunfight type of Karate kumite. It is going to be a much more natural situation which is more like what you might encounter in a real street fight.
I learned this one many years ago, in a Chinese Kenpo school, and we used to love doing it. The teacher would set up a gauntlet, ten students in two lines standing across from each other. The fellow who was to run the gauntlet would face away, and the teacher would pick out three people.
The karateka would be given the word, and he would turn and make his way slowly between the lines. When he passed one of the fellows who had been pointed at, they would suddenly attack him. He would never know when the attack would come, or from who.
Attacks would be a taken until a point was decided. Thus, the fellow who walked the gauntlet could get three points max, but, if he lost three times, he might not get any. First person to reach seven points was the official winner.
