What do you do in class?

[IronFist]

After like warmups or whatever, what do you guys do? Do you start out sparring when you're fresh? Do you save sparring til the end when you're kinda tired? Do you do power training (not weird qi-development stuff, but like throwing Thai kicks in succession over and over as hard as you can type stuff) in the beginning when you're fresh?

How is your class structured and why?

[SevenStar]

After like warmups or whatever, what do you guys do? Do you start out sparring when you're fresh? Do you save sparring til the end when you're kinda tired? Do you do power training (not weird qi-development stuff, but like throwing Thai kicks in succession over and over as hard as you can type stuff) in the beginning when you're fresh?

How is your class structured and why?


After warm ups, we go directly into technique training. this will be followed by partner drilling and padwork. We end with some type of intense pad drill or calesthenic and perhaps sparring.

[EarthDragon]

As my 9th year of teaching approching I love to and almost have to mix it up a bit.
we start out by obviously stretching, then warm ups/ punching drills/ pad work.

then quick water break then onto technique or solo/level practice. Sometimes I will show some different counters or ground work, traps jointlocks etc etc
then the end of class is note taking.......... chinese translation, anatomy or medicine.

somtimes Q & A as many times students want to know something but are afraid to ask during class.

[-N-]

After warm ups, we go directly into technique training. this will be followed by partner drilling and padwork. We end with some type of intense pad drill or calesthenic and perhaps sparring.
That's typical for us too. Then follow all that with review/recap of important technical details related to the day's training, and relate it back to previous week's/month's focus.

I like doing it this way because it let's the material soak in and builds the intensity as the class progresses. I can give corrections at each stage. After all that, people are ready/itching to try out stuff on each other in sparring.

Usually, I'll see stuff in the sparring that I want to make into the focus of upcoming classes. Like, "You got nailed with this. Here's a couple ways to deal with that. We'll do this next class." Then we'll work on those variations and people can have at again.

N.

[BlueTravesty]

Edited- didn't look closely enough at the topic, sorry.

After warmups, we usually work kicks, jumps, combinations and drills (such as throwing roundhouse kicks across the floor without the leg coming down) designed to increase the hips' range of motion. After this we'll usually do some two-person drills and Eagle Claws (Chin Na.)

On mondays we have an extra, hour-long sparring class (light contact only for us newbies.)

[yenhoi]

Tonights class will look like this:

Warm up with conditioning: hip turns, foot/leg circles, shrimping

Then into the work: Thai Rounds: 5-10 rounds of kicks, knees, and elbows. 30-45 minutes rest between rounds. (At the end of each round, you kick 12-17 more times on each side, and then rest with whatever of the rest minute you have left over.)

Newer folk tonight, so the instruction material will be easy conditioning-orientated: Spinning Armbar from Mount, then dismount into side-control, and use a knee-drive or hip-turn to re-establish mount.... for rounds.

Then Ground position drill for rounds. (50-50 resist/feed moving between mounted to in the guard to side mount to mount, and so on...)

Then any sort of sparring or progressive sparring. Tonight will be several rounds of Guard vs In The Guard and then Mount vs Mounted. People will be working on bridging, sweeping, and basic armbars in an resistance-orientated enviorment.

After class people will do standup rounds of "play" with no gloves. (Without gloves, play is 30-70% intensity randori or basically footwork, clinch, and ground, with gloves add striking.)

This is a "Phase 1" begginer-intermediate class. These people need to kick ALOT and learn how to relax and train at a pace that allows them to train more and more, learn to vary the intensity and relax and go easy so that they arent hurting themselves and their training partners.

Thursdays phase 1 class would look similar:

warm up w/conditioning: sprawling, shooting, and high knees

Thai rounds 5-10

Instruction would be in kali entry drills

followed by many rounds of hubad (footwork/sensitivity drills.)

Into more hubad that looks like judo's fitting. (Entry, off-balance, throw)

ended by several rounds of play without gloves.

[yenhoi]

Phase 1 classes switch focus weekly/biweekly. Some weeks all thai pads, some all focus mitts, and others all sticks, and so on.

Phase 2 and 3 classes have it all, alot less solo "conditioning" drills, and much more partner drills and hard contact.

Phase 4 and 5 classes are basically private sessions personalized around the fighters involved.

In our opinion all-out sparring is for testing your skill. Actuall skill development happens with resisting partners, but not at full-intensity, or will full weapons (everything "allowed")

"Progressive sparring" puts limits on what you can do and forces you to figure stuff out. We think its a good idea for people to work alot in a session before they get to the sparring segments to force them to learn energy management and to condition the body to recover better/faster. Its also much easier for big strong tuff guys to relax and take it easy (and learn HOW to relax and take it easy) if they are already fatigued.