Finish What You Start: The Value of Completing Your Combinations by Grand Master Jonathan Field
One of the most common habits I see in students—especially when they’re newer to sparring—is starting a combination, then stopping halfway through. Maybe they throw the jab-cross and hesitate before the kick. Perhaps they begin a roundhouse but pull it early when their partner moves. It happens all the time, and it usually comes down to uncertainty, overthinking, or a lack of confidence. That’s why one of the golden rules I teach in my sparring classes is simple: Finish every combination you start.
Sparring is not just a game of attack and defence—it’s a test of follow-through. When a student commits to a combination and sees it through, it shows intention, confidence, and control. But when they hesitate or bail out halfway, it creates openings—not for them, but for their opponent. It’s in those unfinished moments that counters land, timing is lost, and momentum shifts.
I tell my students this: “If you throw one or two techniques and then freeze, you just gave your partner permission to take control of the round.” That doesn’t mean you throw blindly or with reckless speed. It means you trust the sequence you’ve trained and carry it through to the end—even if the target moves or your first strike doesn’t land. Because sometimes, it’s the third or fourth technique in the combination that does the job.
One drill I use regularly is “lock-in combinations.” Students are given a 3- to 4-technique combo, and once they commit to the first move, they’re required to finish the rest—no matter what their partner does. It helps them overcome hesitation and teaches them to adapt mid-flow rather than stop entirely. And if they find themselves out of position after the last strike? Great—that’s a perfect chance to drill recovery footwork, pivots, or defensive angles.
This strategy also reinforces control. A student who can commit to a whole combination without overcommitting power is mastering their technique. That’s when sparring becomes clean, technical, and productive for both partners. And from a teaching perspective, it’s much easier to refine technique once a student is consistent and decisive in their motion.
The bottom line? Incomplete techniques don’t score, and they don’t build confidence. But a finished combination—whether it lands or not—trains intent, flow, and control. Next time you see your students pulling back, freezing mid-combo, or second-guessing their timing, remind them: Start with purpose. Finish with confidence.
Grandmaster Jonathan Field
Cobourg Tae Kwon Do Ltd.
975 Elgin Street West Unit 4
Cobourg ON K9A 5J3
905-373-0032
Cobourg Tae Kwon Do
http://www.cobourgtaekwondo.ca
YouTube – www.youtube.com/sirfield
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Ontario Martial Arts Symposium
Southern Ontario Spring Martial Arts Intrnational
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