I am studying to be a physical education teacher, so injury for me is really a problem.
Sparring should be a requirement is for the young, me thinks. It helps build confidence among other valuable skills. But when we start to get older, and the tears don’t heal so well, then it’s a mattter of taste. If you love it and have a knack for it, you can keep up with it. I always felt like sparring was something I did because I had to.
I sparred all of the tougher fighters at the school I’m at now, and had no problems…after that I decided to hizzell with it. The intense amount of energy that must be spent on sincere sparring, for me, can be spent in other ways that are more fulfilling.
Yea, I know. It’s just I’m not where I wan to be yet martially. This wrist is a recurring injury. I vowed to take it easy but chi saued with a friend last night and tweaked it further. This time I really mean it.
In actuality I enjoy mixing it up with folks, it’s a great way to get to know yourself, your mind. Funny, a couple years ago I was so willing to fight anyone. Now I’m much better, but more reserved. I think the more you know the more dangerous you see combat could be.
Young men fight for glory, old men fight for survival.
That’s interesting, EF. Yes that’s true, you do start to see the danger of combat. Even partner drills are dangerous :).
These days I focus my training in about 6 areas. One is chi training…simple exercises to develop relaxtion and intense, but not necessarily intimidating, presence. Lots of sitting around and breathing or slicing the air :). another is partnered technique drill, exhanging roles of attacker and defender. The third is free style techinques with one or more partners…they execute attacking techniques and I respond trying to go through my whole vocabulary. Four, very intense multiple attacks. the goal of this is to throw one attacker into another and control the whole floor by evasion and timing throws. Or, if you are the attacker, to not get hurt and keep moving.
Five, I use weapons training as a form of conditioning. And lastly I do paired weapons sets to develop rhythm. As you progress in these sets, they seems to transform from dancing to dueling.
Greetings..
Full-on sparring is about control.. to trap someone’s hands and only tap them with enough power to demonstrate the potential damage, yet not seriously injure them is appropriate.. to trap a training partner and unload full-power is, in my opinion, dishonorable.. i know that if i attacked someone’s thigh/sciatic with a full-power shin kick like i train on the heavy MT bag i can put them out of commission for weeks.. i see no reason to cause such harm when good control gets the message across and we can continue to train.. Even in a real-life situation, it is wise to judge your response appropriately, if the situation can be controlled with less than crippling power, honor suggests that we do so.. likewise, if the situation demands serious action, then.. “better to be judged by twelve, than carried by six”… A good conditioning program will hone your abilities and weapons appropriately, i don’t see a good reason to prove their usefulness at the expense of another student.. exercising proper control, we can see the usefulness without losing training partners…
Be well…
Absolutely! I always restrain myself on THAT blow, the one they can do nothing about. But I like to keep it live up to that point, the entering and controlling faze – otherwise it can turn into a “I had you” … “No you didn’t” type of thing. Live opening moves, controled kicks.
The thing that is a pain in the a$$ though, is playing with sore sports. I’ve eaten more than a few elbows after holding a strike only to have the other guy roll an elbow free as I was withdrawing … and they get all proud of themself to boot.
My master still said it’s my fault though … and he’s right. Now I’m learning to maintain control even if holding that strike. I’ll use an elbow to keep them out and just press the fist into them … a, “Don’t you see I have you fool” gesture.
Originally posted by TaiChiBob
[B]Greetings..
Full-on sparring is about control.. to trap someone’s hands and only tap them with enough power to demonstrate the potential damage, yet not seriously injure them is appropriate.. [/B]
Agreed. Although I’d change the word ‘tap’ for ‘hit’…I like the sound of it better 
That’s point sparring, isn’t it? Just tapping someone? It is an effective learning tool, but it is not the same as full contact sparring. The danger level is much higher in FCS, which changes the physiological and psychological conditions affecting your actions.
Now the no gear is making sense. It’s not the straight leads that I mind eating here and there to test entry skills, I was just wondering how guys are survining being trapped and receiving a big bear-powerd Pow Kuen to the head … with no gear! Lot’s of times its the stupid elbow crashing it’s way in on the bicep that kills … even with pads!
Funny how some people are drawn to this type of stuff, huh?
PS
I think what was stated above by the other guys is diff from point sparring. Point sparring is reaching out with a long leg and someone yelling, “Stop!” … “Point.”
Continuous controlled sparring is about trapping that kick that had low leverage in it because the person’s weight was going back and putting them down. Or wedging it to the side and gettting in their face, and seeing if they can then in turn turn you.
I think point sparring is counter productive. In some cases even OVER controlled sparring, because it can subconciously enforce pulling strikes. Some things just can’t be tested. A lot of our arm breaks are not the type you keep adding pressure until it pops, it’s about coming in and using short power and your body to snap it all at once, and always against the body’s natural mechanics. You can train position, getting into it, and slowly applying pressure, but you can’t just do it to someone.
I know this approaches the Kung Fu, Too deadly to practice area. Don’t worry, there’s plenty other of techniques to use when playing.
I see, so we’re not talking about point sparring. I understand the theory here, I just think it is not really correct to call pulled sparring “full contact”. Controled sparring perhaps?
I beleive the tern “full contact” should be reserved for those matches where serious concussive impact is imminent. In controlled sparring you trust your partner to pull punches. In full contact sparring, you compete with them and expect them only to obey the basic rules, not pull punches.
Yes? No?
I control spar with classmates, though we do this very rarely. And I FCS with fellow martial art friends twice a week but we use full gear: caged head gear, 10 oz boxing gloves, forearm pads and elbow pads. A couple of guys like to wear chest guards. We do no kicking also and all strikes are from the waist up … head is open and it’s full go!
Like I said though, if I turned my opponant, or controlled him beyond a doubt, I just push the strike into them for them to know that there is a hole, it has been filled, and their is leverage behind it.
But honestly, there’s a lot of banging around going on, and those SUPER clean and clear shots don’t happen as often as I would like. Against the SHotokon guy, all the time. Against the boxer, I usually taist a tight right cross when taking the inside position, but I’ll get it! The Hung Gar guy gets frustrated a lot and every once in a while we have a BJJ guy who wants to start on the ground. We all like each other and egos are kept in check by “ooohhhhs” and snickers at displays of poor sportsmanships, such as late hits.
Re: Sparring
Originally posted by Shaolin-Do
Just curious, but do any of you Xing Yi, Ba Gua, or Taiji practitioners spar? I mean strap on gloves and foot gear and head gear and go at it?
Not trolling, just curious.
Not trolling just insulting, daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa? Man, you are one shaolin do-do. Ask that question to me in person or ask my teachers in Bejing. Wait until they see this girly comment. Masturbation by shaolin do-do again. LMAO, Spar? Spar with
equipment? B a ha ha ha ha ha aha ah hah haaaaaaaaa, funny really funny.
wrap me with foam and beat me
kick my head till i see double
the referee once tried to cheat me
he didn’t see my chi filled bubble
protective gear on foot and willow
why not just hit me with a pillow ?
it makes me feel like a hard bad man
until a hippy knocks me on my can