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Sparring should build skill, confidence, control and better decision-making.It should not be three rounds of panic for b...
15/08/2026

Sparring should build skill, confidence, control and better decision-making.

It should not be three rounds of panic for beginners and three rounds of repeated favourite attacks for everyone else.

Better Sparring is a practical course for martial arts instructors who want a clearer way to teach sparring.

It includes:

– 25 ready-to-teach sparring games
– Clear learning purposes and partner roles
– Easier and harder progressions
– Safety and contact controls
– Coaching guidance
– Structured sessions and supporting resources
– Adaptations for children and adults
– Ideas for points and continuous sparring

This is not a course about producing harder fighters.

It is about helping instructors create safer, smarter and more purposeful sparring classes.

Watch the lesson. Choose the game. Teach it in your next class.

https://prodojo.co.uk/b/lnhLe

Most instructors do not need another folder containing 300 sparring drills.They already have enough activities to keep c...
13/08/2026

Most instructors do not need another folder containing 300 sparring drills.

They already have enough activities to keep classes busy until the sun burns out.

The harder questions are:

Which game solves tonight’s problem?

How should it be explained?

What should each partner do?

How can it be adjusted for different students?

What should the instructor watch for?

How does it progress towards real sparring?

Better Sparring was built around those questions.

It gives instructors 25 purposeful games covering areas including distance, footwork, angles, target selection, attacking, defence, countering, pressure and adaptability.

Not more activities to collect.

Practical games you can understand, teach and adapt.

See what is included:

https://prodojo.co.uk/b/lnhLe

Open sparring is valuable.It just should not be the whole development system.Think of open sparring as the place where s...
12/08/2026

Open sparring is valuable.

It just should not be the whole development system.

Think of open sparring as the place where students combine and test their skills.

Before that, they need opportunities to develop:

– Distance
– Timing
– Defence
– Controlled attacking
– Countering
– Movement
– Composure
– Partner awareness
– Tactical decisions

A student does not automatically develop those things simply because the timer is running.

Restricted rounds let you isolate a problem.

Purposeful open rounds let students put the pieces back together.

The goal is not to remove open sparring.

It is to prepare students to get more from it.

The student who charges forward and the student who freezes may have the same problem.The task is too vague.“Keep it lig...
10/08/2026

The student who charges forward and the student who freezes may have the same problem.

The task is too vague.

“Keep it light and spar” leaves students to decide:

– What they are trying to improve
– Which attacks are appropriate
– How much contact to use
– How to work with their partner
– What success looks like

Confident students fill in the gaps.

Nervous students become overwhelmed by them.

A better starting point is to reduce the uncertainty:

One attacker.
One defender.
One or two targets.
A clear contact level.
A short exchange.
A defined reset.

Add freedom gradually as students become more comfortable and capable.

That is not watering sparring down.

It is teaching it properly.

The fastest way to make a sparring game harder is not to increase the contact.You can change:– The available space– The ...
10/08/2026

The fastest way to make a sparring game harder is not to increase the contact.

You can change:

– The available space
– The number of targets
– The number of choices
– The scoring condition
– The time available
– Whether the partner can counter
– Whether the student must enter, score and escape

These changes create pressure through better decisions – not simply harder shots.

When students are overwhelmed, remove a choice, slow the pace or shorten the exchange.

When they are comfortable, add one new problem.

Adjust the challenge before increasing the intensity.

That one principle can make sparring safer without making it pointless.

“Light sparring – go” is an instruction.It is not a sparring curriculum.Experienced students usually repeat the attacks ...
09/08/2026

“Light sparring – go” is an instruction.

It is not a sparring curriculum.

Experienced students usually repeat the attacks that already work.

Less confident students concentrate on surviving the round.

Everyone may be moving, sweating and looking busy – but that does not mean they are learning anything new.

Before the next round, give it one clear job:

– Score and leave before the counter
– Defend, respond and reset
– Maintain distance without turning away
– Create an angle before attacking

The students are still sparring.

The difference is that the round now teaches something.

That is the thinking behind Better Sparring – 25 ready-to-teach games for safer, smarter and more purposeful sparring classes.

See the course here:

https://prodojo.co.uk/b/lnhLe

When a technique disappears during sparring, instructors often respond by drilling it again.That might help the movement...
08/08/2026

When a technique disappears during sparring, instructors often respond by drilling it again.

That might help the movement.

It does not always solve the real problem.

A student may perform a defence perfectly when they already know:

– Which attack is coming
– Which side it will come from
– When it will begin
– Which response they should use

Remove that certainty and the technique suddenly disappears.

The missing skill may not be the defence itself.

It may be recognition, timing or decision-making.

Try adding uncertainty one layer at a time:

Start with one known attack.

Then allow two possible targets.

Then add movement.

Then add a feint.

Then allow a controlled response.

Do not increase every difficulty at once.

Help students bridge the gap between knowing a technique and recognising when to use it.

A useful sparring game needs more than an entertaining name.Before using one in class, check four things:1. The problemW...
07/08/2026

A useful sparring game needs more than an entertaining name.

Before using one in class, check four things:

1. The problem

What should the students improve?

2. The roles

What is each partner allowed and expected to do?

3. The success condition

What behaviour counts as a successful attempt?

4. The adjustment

How will you make the activity easier or harder?

Without those four things, a game can quickly become random movement followed by random coaching.

With them, you can observe what is happening, change the challenge and help students improve.

Better Sparring includes 25 ready-to-teach games with clear purposes, restrictions and practical progressions.

Take a look:

https://prodojo.co.uk/b/lnhLe

A rigid script is a safety net that eventually becomes a cage. If the energy on the mats shifts, your plan must shift wi...
18/07/2026

A rigid script is a safety net that eventually becomes a cage. If the energy on the mats shifts, your plan must shift with it. Great coaching isn't about reciting lines; it's about reacting to your students. Read our latest guide on flexible class planning.

A lesson plan is a guide, not a cage. If the energy is off or a drill isn't landing, a pro coach pivots. Rigid teaching ...
18/07/2026

A lesson plan is a guide, not a cage. If the energy is off or a drill isn't landing, a pro coach pivots. Rigid teaching is a fast track to student turnover. Plug the holes in your retention with The Leaky Dojo Workbook. It’s time to fix your systems.

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