My style is Buk Sing Choy Lay Fut. We are encouraged to spar as much as we can. Sparing is generally full contact, but we try not to do anything that would cause permanent injury. Also, if you want to go lighter that's ok, for beginners anyway. Generally done in 2 to 5 minute rounds with a minute or so rest in between. As far as equipment goes, only gloves and mouth guards (and ball guards for men) are compulsory, but a lot of people choose to wear head gear or shin guards too. People are encouraged to compete in any local competitions with rules that suit our style, usually Muay Thai or Sanda, but pretty much anything without grappling.
