Students freezing, rushing or repeating the same attacks?
Another open round can leave students practising the same habits. Give them one clear problem to solve instead.
Better Sparring gives martial arts instructors 25 video-led games to develop distance, timing, attacking, defending and decision-making.
Choose the skill your class needs, watch the demonstration and adapt the game to your students.
£19 one-off payment. All 25 games. No subscription.
Stop treating open sparring as the whole curriculum
Open sparring matters.
But it does not automatically teach students how to:
- Control distance
- Create angles
- Recognise openings
- Attack without rushing
- Escape after scoring
- Defend and counter
- Change pace
- Stay composed under pressure
- Make better decisions
Those skills need to be developed.
Better Sparring gives you a collection of focused games you can use to teach them.
Choose the problem your students need to improve.
Watch the short demonstration.
Use the game in your next class.
What you get
25 demonstration videos, organised into six teaching themes, plus two welcome lessons.
Distance, footwork and angles. Position, centre and escape. Timing and adaptability. Target selection. Attacking and combinations. Defence, countering and pressure.
Start with a problem you recognise: Mirror Match for distance, Score and Escape for leaving an exchange, or One Attack, Different Defence for defensive choices.
Browse the full lesson list below. Pick the game your class needs rather than working through every lesson in order.
Built for the students in front of you
For martial arts instructors who want more structure, clearer coaching goals and useful variety in their sparring classes.
Choose games to suit your students’ age, experience and confidence. Adjust the permitted techniques, targets, contact, space and pace to match your school’s rules.
Use the demonstrations as a starting point for your coaching judgement. Some games need more experience and control than others.
Start with one game in your next class. Watch what changes, then make the challenge easier or harder.
About Tom Beal
Tom Beal is the owner of The Martial Arts Method and the creator of ProDojo.
His approach is based on a simple belief:
Better teaching creates better students, better experiences and stronger martial arts schools.
ProDojo resources are designed to be practical, clear and useful in real classes – without guru language, unnecessary theory or hundreds of pages you will never use.
Course curriculum
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1Welcome
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2Distance, Footwork and Angles
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3Position, Centre and Escape
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4Timing, Initiative and Adaptability
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5Constraint Sparring and Target Selection
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6Attacking, Scoring and Combinations
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7Defence, Countering and Pressure
FAQs
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Yes. Many of the games can be run without contact or with highly restricted contact. Instructors should always adapt the rules, pace and challenge to the age and experience of the students.
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No. The course includes ideas that can be adapted for point sparring, continuous sparring and other striking-based martial arts classes.
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No. The course is organised into categories so you can go directly to the problem you want to address.
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Most games require normal sparring equipment and a suitable training space. Some can be introduced without contact or protective equipment.
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The videos are short (around 3 minutes), practical demonstrations designed to help you understand the game and teach it without sitting through lengthy theory lessons.
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You will receive access details after completing your purchase.