Although I haven't been in class, I'm still
training. I train at the doce pares class, which has
incorporated empty-hand sparring into its agenda.<br><br>I was
able to pull off 2 trapping range
techniques:<br><br>1) pak sao/straight lead<br>2) gunting<br><br>The
first one, I've discovered, is actually much easier
than I thought it would be. Just a simple straight
lead, with a pak sao attached to it. When your sparring
partner sees your straight lead coming, he usually
answers by blocking it with his own lead hand. The pak
sao solves that obstruction, score "1" for you.
However, it's not just something that happens instantly.
You have to consider rhythm and footwork too.
<br><br>The gunting was a little trickier to pull off, as you
need to utilize ABD (attack by draw) in order for it
to really happen. Can't gunting a jab you didn't
expect or mis-time, as your flinch response will most
likely be something other than a gunting or destruct.
<br><br>The one thing I've discovered that MUST be a part of
your fighting arsenal is footwork. Without footwork,
you'll be an easier target to hit, and your strikes will
be easier to read (since most people go flat-footed
right before they strike). And a key component to
having excellent footwork is proper cardiovascular
conditioning. When you know you can go 3 minutes jumping rope,
3 minutes of constant movement in sparring will
literally be no sweat.<br><br>That's all for now guys. Hope
this helps, and keep training hard!!