returning_wave Posted January 26, 2004 Share Posted January 26, 2004 As with so many things, I think a mixture of everything is best. Immediate full-contact can send white belts fleeing in terror before theyve had a chance to learn, and it expects an immediate level of competence which is difficult at first. However semi/no contact, altohugh useful for training can be dangerous to successful application: a story to ilustrate: A fight broke out once at a semi-contact kumite tournament, and no-one was injured, not even those at the mercy of the black belts, because they were all so conditioned to pulling punches. 3rd Kyu - Variant ShotokanTaijutsu"We staunt traditionalists know that technique is nowhere near as important as having your pleats straight when you die." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripper Posted January 27, 2004 Share Posted January 27, 2004 That can be a good thing also. A friend of mine got in a fight once and I helped a little by punching a guy in the face. I only punched him a bit so he looked a bit dazed; enough to stop the fight. He didn't have any injuries. If I had gone full contact he would have had a broken nose and maybe a concussion and after a while I would probably looking at a lawsuit..... René Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
italian_guy Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 The answer to this question is related to the original purpose of why are you practicing MA. If you do it to become a professional fighter or you are frequently exposed to situations where self defence is important ( I'm talking about Police officers, people living a bad suburbs or similar situations ) I think you better expose yourself to full-contact. If you are (like I am ) a reecreational Martial pratictioner (I don't consider myself an artist at least not yet) that does martial art for fun and to have all the internal and fitness benefit, well it is better not to risk injuries and go for light contact or even no contact. This is my two eurocents anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikS Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 i think semi-contact helps training better than full contact as its got so much more emphasis an control, for example anyone with the flexibility can do a reverse hook kick to the head and follow through as you would in full contact, but it takes so much more control just to tap them on the head and bring your leg back down (incidently, no i cant do this ) That right there is why you should do more hard contact. You would never throw a reverse hook kick in full contact. WHy? Because you would get punched or have your leg caught. You would learn that it isn't a good technique to use. As long as your sparring isn't point sparring or NO contact then it is probably ok. As long as you dont' develop bad habits from it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikS Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 That can be a good thing also. A friend of mine got in a fight once and I helped a little by punching a guy in the face. I only punched him a bit so he looked a bit dazed; enough to stop the fight. He didn't have any injuries. If I had gone full contact he would have had a broken nose and maybe a concussion and after a while I would probably looking at a lawsuit..... Ripper: Did you hit him weakly because you intended to or because that is how you're used to hitting people? There's a big difference and it's IMPORTANT. If you naturally pull your strikes, you need to change your training. What would happen if you had to defend yourself and pulled your punch? You'd get the beatdown of a lifetime. If you're naturally pulling punches, get a heavy bag and unload. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripper Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 At that time I decided not to go full force, because I didn't feel it was necessary. I only wanted to stop the fight. I didn't want to beat the crap out of him. There is a saying in karateworld that might be appropiate and that's something like; hurt someone rather than maim, maim rather than kill. I agree with you on the heavy bag. I think that's a helpful tool to go full force and to get the feeling what happens if you are really hitting someone. Even more for this purpose I like the cushions (don't know the English word for it) where one person holds on to it and the other can punch or kick full force. René Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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