Three Step Sparring

[disgruntled]

i took TKD a long time ago, and i never really got into it. one of the things that really confused me was three step sparring. does anyone know what the purpose of it is??

[sirdarksol]

Three step sparring? As in, there are three attacks/responses and then you stop?

[disgruntled]

no it is weird... it is like a set combo. you do two specified blocks and then on the third one you do the block and answer back with a certian attack. i have not taken TKD for a long time now, but i remember always thinking that it was pointless. it might not be, but no one explained why it was beneficial to practice.

[sirdarksol]

Ah! Karate and Matayoshi Kobudo has those, too. We call them partner drills. Unlike sparring, these allow you to put a lot more force into your attacks and defenses. The idea is to get you used to striking/blocking with a lot of strength, as well as get you used to the idea that if you don't block right, you're going to get hit and it's going to hurt.
They're also a good general workout, especially if you've got a lot of space to work with. I've had to do this across a double-width gym and then back.

[tkd4life]

Yeah, same thing as one step sparring, two step sparring, etc. The idea is to get the feel of how to block an attack. Lots of people think it's pointless, but it really does help. It really helps build your reaction time too, which is nice. Just make it practical and you will be fine.

[disgruntled]

i can't really remember any of the three step drills i did, it has been too long ago.... can you describe a basic one?

[tkd4life]

Actually, we dont do 3 step sparring, we just do one step, you want me to explain that for you?

[disgruntled]

no, i always thought the one step stuff made sense.... i just couldn't wrap my head around why three step sparing was useful

[tkd4life]

Well, pretty much it's the same idea as one step sparring. But if someone throws a jab then a cross at you, you can defend that too. I guess it just helps you get used to deflecting more than one attack. If I recall, it can be kicks too. It also helps build reaction time.

[disgruntled]

in three step sparring we always did the same strikes for the first two steps and then the third was a differnt strike that was answered with a block and combo. i always thought the first two were a waste of time. you knew what was coming and it was just a single block..... also i did not like how it set up a ryhym (sp?) so people got in the habit of making attacks in a pattern and did not really play with varying speed.