Master Kumite: Dominate Sparring in Karate & Kickboxing

Warming up not only activates your body raising temperature and viscosity of your muscles, but also gets more oxygen to your brain getting you in an optimal state of mind to perform at your best.

Here are four of our favourite warms ups. Mix them up to keep this part our your session interesting or if you have one you love go for it!

Master ladder drills for karate kumite! Boost coordination, muscular innervation, and peak performance with these dynamic training techniques.

This drill focuses on lateral movement needed to evade your opponent and counter attack suddenly. Adding this skill into your game will reap huge results. Remember to focus on your distance so you are moving on the edge of their range, making you hard to hit, then exploding forward into your own attacking and scoring distance.

This is a great way to misdirect your attacker and reclaim the centre of the fighting area where you can begin your own attacks. Not many fighters know about this or do it very well, so here is a fast way ahead of the crowd!

This is a killer! BUT, it will make you a better fighter by far. If you can't keep your explosive stance and back away (evading attack or attacking space) and drive back in rapidly you are going to miss your chance to succeed. Practice this daily!

This pulse movement drill pairs brilliantly with the jog drill. It not only develops amazing leg strength and stamina but helps you become confident of controlling range whilst moving.

Blocking is a skill. If you over compensate or react to an attack you'll open yourself up to the next one. If your opponent knows you over react they will set you up using this knowledge, so pay attention to the centre line and work around it.

A great technique for stopping those head kicks, opening the centre line and attacking.

The low line block of choice, but unlike the kihon version this is an active and reflexive block.

Utilising the front hand so you can set up the score with the rear, this requires control of the centre and minimal movement.

The lead side kick is a devastating technique to launch against an opponent who is attacking you, or to score from your own set up. Work through the coaching points as you develop your understanding of this and focus in on the detail.

This can be a powerful and very productive scoring technique, delivered to the body the kick has both a great line and second attack available off this technique.

The back leg hook kick is a deceptive technique that you can combine with throwing your round house. It goes to the opposite side of the body attacking a different line so when used in combination through a match will leave your opponent guessing which way your kick will land.

A fast kick that is hard to see, great to use on the counter slide away or driving forward.

The front leg hook kick is a great counter kicking technique, a great technique to finish a combination or on its own. One of the highest scoring kicks there is a unique to karate, so well worth getting comfortable with the details of this kick and practice it regularly.

Another staple of elite fighters the lead leg round house to the head. Fast, direct, hard to see and easy to combine with hand or other kicking techniques.

This is probably the most devastating kick you can hit someone with, it's a real game changer and can massively impact your opponents confidence. It should certainly be in your arsenal.

Mix this in to your game and your opponent won't know whether to cover his head or protect his body from the back kick. A great high scoring technique to develop for your karate.

This drill is designed for counter attack and changing the line of the attack, a really important concept when fighting. Being able to withdraw from an advancing opponent and switch line makes their attack difficult and gives you the advantage with your own.

This drill will help with stamina, power and fluidity of movement.

This is a great conditioning drill to get your legs strong in lateral movement, something that is essential if you're serious about being good at kumite.

The forward and back pulse is again a conditioning drill designed to help you out perform the average student who does not condition their legs to repetitive movements that allow a fighter to control the range of the fight.

This is the final pulse drill that gets your whole body involved and will give you the edge in your movement endurance and conditioning, whilst developing that strong mindset that says "I can push harder".

This simple drill moving in and out with a single technique (in this case reverse punch), we want you to learn to move both feet so you keep your legs loaded, ready to go.

It sounds simple but there is a lot going on here. The aim is to have two movements in with loaded legs and just one movement out recovering to a sprung guard position where you can relaunch an attack from.

This is purely a reaction drill for conditioning, but it is fun, gets you sharp and focussed for your session.

Similar to the first drill now there is the added movement factor to contend with, keep your core strong and turn from the hips.

Reacting to the turn of your opponents body is part of the skill development here, the pad holder needs to understand this and move their body accordingly and keep the pad close to their torso. This is an effective range defining drill too and will work the legs.

The long cross to the head is a great punch not often seen outside of karate, it is deceptive and should be practiced against a moving target to gain balance and stance control. This reaction drill will assist in that.

Another reaction drill to sharpen your response to an opponent stepping in to your attacking range, this time using the jab as our key tool.

Using the same punch we are now incorporating footwork movement either forward or backward before reacting to the pad holder. This increase in complexity will help you develop directional change and endurance.

The rear leg body kick is a great technique to slam home, using the pads will help you develop range and line of attack for best contact, avoiding those pesky elbows of the opponents guard.

Mixing the hands and feet in sparring is what Karate does best, setting up your kick by firing a read hand punch utilises great mechanics (and develops them) while helping you define range for this double combination attack.

As before we are combining techniques however in this drill we add a 3rd punch which requires you to drive back in after you have recovered from your kick. It's a harder drill and should be practiced once the first has been completed with ease.

Use the front hand to set up the front leg, distract the guard and open the kick or simply double up on your scores! This is a great reaction drill for fitness and fun.

Why doubles? Here is why.

This is a really important concept many people do not think about but makes a huge difference to the effectiveness of your technique or combinations. Don't skip this insight.

Another important consideration particularly for those who are or wish to compete. A short but important message to digest.

The double jab is so simple but effective, oftentimes people parry the first and expect a secondary attack in another place, allowing the second jab to slip right into the target.

This is a combination that allows the attacker to create a secondary angle of attack following their first.

Probably the most natural attacking combination out there. However, done well with correct range, timing and line it is a fantastic scoring method.

The low body cross to head punch or under over, is a great combination that allows you to exploit the line of attack between you and your opponent, and also plays havoc with their guard.

Double over the top is a favourite of the elite fighters, its is hard to see and allows great depth in the attack.

A classic set up with the lead hand covering the line and lift of the lead leg going around the outside of your opponents guard.

Another great alternative combining the lead limbs, this time attacking inside the opponents guard.

Body cross to lead head kick makes it very hard for a fighter to predict the secondary attack due to the line and height change. Definitely something more fighters should utilise outside of karate.

As before this combination plays havoc with line and guard and can be used against orthodox or southpaw opponents.