Green Belt Free Sparring

Once the student has advanced to the Green Belt level, he or she is allowed to begin to Free Spar. In order to insure the safety of our students, all are required to purchase and wear safety gear for their hands, feet and mouth. All children are required to wear protective headgear. Male students are required to wear a groin protector. Students will not be allowed to spar without the necessary safety equipment.

We begin free sparring with a limited selection of techniques. The first sparring set is the lead leg set. This allows the student to develop his front leg sidekick, front leg hook kick and front leg round kick, singly and in combination. In addition, the student may use a reverse punch to the body.

At this first stage of sparring, it is very important that the student learn to control his or her techniques, develop blocking skills, and generally familiarize himself with free sparring. Only after the student has demonstrated sufficient progress in these areas will the instructor begin to allow the use of the spin sidekick and the spin hook kick in sparring.

As a student, it is always fun to spar. However, we must learn to control our actions and to use a variety of techniques. Because these are both so difficult, we must start developing them at the Green Belt level in order to advance to Black Belt. Free sparring demonstrations are also required as part of the Green Belt Testing procedure. The purpose of free sparring at testing is not to score points on your opponent but rather to demonstrate your proficiency in a variety of techniques and assist your partner in doing the same.