I am a yellow belt in krav maga and I have recently started sparring once a week. I seem to be having a problem with keeping my hands up to defend myself when my opponent comes in for an attack, or, after I have attacked my opponent, I have a problem remembering to bring my hands back up to defend for the counterattack.

I am hoping this week to start training on my heavy bag in the garage. Any suggestions or exercise I can perform while shadowboxing, training on the heavy bag or while sparring to help me with this issue?

No real technique to it. Just keep them up. As you do bagwork, make an an effort to remember to keep your hands up. The more you spar, the better you will get at it, too.

Remember: if you don't see your hands in front of your face, neither will the opponent.

Well if you keep them down, you will be getting hit. After a while, you will keep them up to avoid getting hit.

Hello Orsrt05:

Have you trained only to keep your hands up, regardless of what "they" are/are not doing?

-Bump-

Jeff

Right on WhiteDragon. Continuously getting hit in the face in sparring is the single most effective way of teaching people to keep their hands up. So keep sparring. That's more important than ANYTHING else for developing your ability.


-John

thanks for all of your info guys....getting hit in the face usually does remind me to keep hands while sparring, but, for some reason, the next round, i totally forget what happened the last round and do it again....dont ask me why.

my instructor suggested that when i shadowbox and execute my kicks, i should keep a hold of the collar on my shirt. it should help me get used to keeping my hands up when im kicking. he also suggested that when i start working on the heavy bag and shadowboxing together, i should hold a small ball between my elbows while keeping my hands up in front of my face. apparently he saw on an episode of the UFC when Tito Ortiz was training his team. ill have to try this to find out.

i just cant stand getting hit in the face anymore....and for some reason when i spar...my hands are all over the place. i guess it will come with practice like you guys said.

thanks.

Make yourself a fighting stance, that you yourself with use. Go in front of the mirror and stand in the stance. Find where are the places that can be hit when your stance is how it is. Keep your hands up and get used to that stance that you will do when you spar. That might help just getting used to having your hands up when you start the match.

Geting hit in the head is the best method.

Tae Kwon Do: We did light sparring and I would get tapped in the temple when I dropped my hands. I was also paired with a spin-kick happy student often since him and I were roughly the same build.

Marine Corps: By then I had the experience; however, I watched people get the sh** slapped out of them.

Getting hit in the head is a crappy method to learn but effective. I think the best way is to constantly practice your form. I often shadowboxed the boxing style for a few days and my body adjusted to the stance.

I personally disagree JKogas on him finding another hobby if he can't get the fundamentals down quickly. I believe that it means he should train even more.