One of the most fun and most frustrating instructors I spared was an “expert” in the drunken boxer style. I never thought it was real until I tried to spar with him. That REALLY disrupts your focus. At first you try to follow them around and use your strategy and that never works. Then you try to simply make up a new strategy on the fly for almost every move and then it is simply over because you start walking into every trap. Add your own frustration for your failed moves and you compound your problems.

My best result was to simply stand still rotating to follow him as he circled me using only defensive techniques and looking for openings. Occasionally one would come and I could score. This also maximized my defense since that was my focus. The upside was it conserved my energy and he tired due to the energy necessary to do the drunken boxer style. Even though he was way more experienced and skilled than me his fatigue slightly helped me.

It took a few sparing sessions with this instructor before the “lightbulb” went on that he had cleverly baited me to disrupt my own strategy. That is when I began to just stand still and could actually gain some advantage.

This too was a learning experience that you don’t always have to react to the input by others even outside of the dojo. Control your anger and frustration no matter the input. Sometimes you should just walk away and sometimes an “opening” will present itself. Either way you “win”.

Thanks for reviving some of these memories.