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Tips In Martial Arts
IMB Academy’s Guide to Learning How to Avoid Flinching When Sparring
At IMB Academy, it is our goal to help our members become the kind of martial artist they want to be. We believe that technique, tactics, and styles are important but for us, it is even more important to give focus on the individual himself. Here at IMB Academy, we offer a number of classes like Muay Thai Torrance, Eskrima, Jeet Kune Do, Boxing and self-defense and have our members experience all of that so they can decide which style is right for them. We value our members very highly and we do all it takes to bring out the best of them.
In Muay Thai, flinching is a common habit among beginners and those who are inexperienced with the combat sport. If it is your first time and you are prone to flinching, know that it is a natural reaction and there is nothing wrong with that. This occurs when your opponent is about to strike you and you mistakenly make the wrong movement to protect yourself thus making a good opening for your opponent to strike you at a vulnerable spot. Flinching is characterized by blinking, turning your head to the side or covering your face, or just about any action done rashly.
Don’t worry though, because there is one cure for flinching, and that is no other than experience. If you want to teach yourself not to flinch then you must strive to get better and improve on the areas that you lack.
You can start doing this by improving on your defense. The main reason why you flinch is because you have no idea on how you can properly defend yourself. It is important that you learn defensive techniques as well as offensive ones. For you to get better at defending yourself, you must study and master defensive guards one by one.
Aside from improving on your defense, you can also get better by doing more sparring. If you continuously place yourself at tough situations, you would eventually learn how to counter them. Don’t worry about getting punched or beat up. It’s part of the experience. Doing more drills with a partner can also help you hone your skills.
Once you improve on yourself and gather more experience, you’d eventually and naturally cast away all of your flinching habits.