Teaching Kumite
to a Group for the First Time
Many of the principles used when teaching Kumite one-on-one will also work when teaching Kumite to a group for the first time. We’ll continue to use KYU KUMITE as our model.
The main difference is that you can no longer be every student’s partner. When you are working one-on-one, you control the speed, distance, power, and overall experience. In a group, some of that responsibility must eventually be given to the students and their partners.
How you prepare them for that will depend largely on whether you have skilled assistants in the class.
For our purposes, a skilled assistant does not necessarily mean someone who is highly skilled at teaching a class. A skilled assistant is someone who understands the Kumite well enough to be a good partner. This may be another instructor, an assistant instructor, or simply a senior student in the class. Naturally, a skilled teacher is ideal, but a student who understands the sequence, can control the pace, and can help a beginner feel comfortable can still be extremely valuable.
Teaching Without Skilled Assistants
When you do not have skilled assistants, it is very important to drill the sequence into the students before allowing them to punch at each other.
Begin by demonstrating the Kumite with the most experienced student in the class. Even if that student is not ready to teach the exercise, the demonstration gives everyone a person to watch while also giving that student additional experience. Over time, that student may become skilled enough to help you with future Kumite practice.
After the demonstration, begin with the ATTACK.
Always teach the attack first. Moving forward is easier than moving backward. Punching is easier than blocking. The attacking side is usually the easiest place for a new student to begin understanding the sequence.
Have the entire class practice the attack without a partner. They should move side-by-side with an “invisible opponent,” just as they would when learning Kumite one-on-one. Begin slowly. Once the sequence becomes more comfortable, gradually increase the speed.
From there, there are many ways to continue. We’ll look at two.
Approach One: Work with Each Student
After the class has practiced the attack without partners, have each student attack you individually.
This gives each student an opportunity to feel the proper distance, timing, and rhythm of the exercise with an experienced partner. It also allows you to make small corrections before that student begins working with another beginner.
Once everyone has attacked you, have the class repeat the attack without partners. This repetition is important. The students have now seen the exercise, practiced it by themselves, and felt it with a partner. Going through it again without partners gives their brains an opportunity to organize what they just experienced.
Then begin teaching the defense.
Practice the defensive sequence without partners first. Remember that the defense will normally be more difficult. The students must block while moving backward, and they must begin reacting to an attack rather than simply performing their own movements.
Once the defensive sequence has been drilled, work with each student again—this time with you performing the attack.
This is a slow process, especially with a larger class. However, it gives the students the strongest introduction to the exercise. They will usually have more fun once they begin working together, and they are more likely to remember the first few parts because they have already felt both sides with an experienced partner.
Approach Two: Drill Both Sides as a Group
The second approach is to teach both the attack and the defense without having each student work with you individually.
Begin by drilling the attack without partners. Start slowly and gradually increase the pace as the students become more comfortable.
Next, drill the defense without partners in the same manner.
Once the students have a basic understanding of both sides, divide them into pairs and allow them to begin working together.
This approach moves a larger group through the material more efficiently. However, it may be more difficult for the students to remember the sequence because neither partner has much experience with the exercise.
For that reason, I STRONGLY RECOMMEND very meticulous counting.
Control every movement. Do not allow the students to rush through the exercise simply because they believe they remember it. A clear count gives both partners time to move, block, reset, and prepare for what comes next. It also allows you to stop the entire class and correct a common problem before that problem is repeated several more times.
When two beginners are practicing together, the count becomes their experienced partner.
Teaching with Skilled Assistants
When skilled assistants are available, the education can be a little less rigid.
You should still demonstrate the Kumite, practice the attack first, and give the students a basic idea of the sequence. However, you may not need to spend as much time drilling every simple movement before allowing the students to work with partners.
The reason is simple: the skilled partner can help carry the beginner through the exercise.
A skilled partner can adjust the distance, slow down an attack, give the beginner time to recognize the next movement, and help the exercise continue when the beginner becomes confused. The interaction the student has with that partner will—in some ways—teach more effectively than anything you can say verbally.
There are parts of Kumite that students must eventually feel.
They must feel the distance between themselves and another person. They must learn when to move, when to block, and how to remain balanced while someone is moving toward them. A skilled partner can communicate those lessons through movement in a way that is difficult to reproduce through explanation alone.
This does not mean the skilled partner should drag the beginner through the entire Kumite. It also does not mean the partner should turn the exercise into a private lesson filled with constant corrections.
The skilled partner’s first responsibility is to provide a safe, controlled, and understandable experience. The instructor should still establish the goal, control the pace of the class, and decide how far the students will progress.
Do Not Rush the Sequence
Whether you have skilled assistants or not, accomplishing more than KYU KUMITE #1 is never necessary during a student’s first experience unless the class instructor has given a specific reason to continue.
There will be plenty of time for more later.
For students learning KYU KUMITE for the first time, never go beyond #3. The first three exercises provide more than enough material for students to begin learning distance, timing, blocking, movement, control, and how to work safely with another person.
KYU KUMITE #4 and #5 are very different. They contain considerably more kicking, which introduces additional balance issues for both students. Because of the number of kicks involved, the students’ comfort and trust in their partners become even more important.
Spending more time on #1 through #3 goes a long way toward preparing students for those challenges. They become more comfortable moving together, more confident in the sequence, and more capable of controlling their techniques.
The goal of the first group lesson is not to see how much Kumite you can cover.
The goal is to give the students enough understanding to practice safely, enough success to enjoy the exercise, and enough curiosity to want to continue learning.