Exhibition Sparring

[Myst]

When I was younger, they could never find another girl my age or belt rank at tournaments, so I had to spar an "exhibition match" with a boy. At my dojang, we hardly ever had any 6 year old girls, so I sparred the boys. I was used to it, and I usually beat them. In exhibition matches both opponents win, so there's no real competition. My parents tried to tell the officials that I always sparred boys, but they said it would be unfair to me if I lost. What are your thoughts on exhibition sparring? I can understand if its an 11 year old guy and a 7 year old girl, but I always got paired with someone my size and rank, so it didn't make sense to not have a winner.

[Dijita]

Generally in our style, there is no gender division with the kids up until age 12 or 13 I believe. There are weight divisions however. It is contact sparring with a lot more rules compared to the older divisions. Full contact to the body only, and safety equipment is worn.

 

I think this is a good way to handle it. For the most part at this age, there is no benefit in being a male because the bodies haven't developed. As long as the weight is the same then I think it is preety equal grounds.

 

The only disadvantage I see, is that at around the age of 13, I think the guys ego starts to get a lot more fragile. So if they get beaten by a girl at that age, a lot of times they can get preety upset. However, that is probably something good to learn.

[Shorinryu Sensei]

In my dojo, the boys/girls, men/women spar each other as equals regardless of gender, size or rank. In my experience, women can fight just as well as men can. Our emphasis is on self-defense, so why should a 5', 100lb girl not learn how to fight a guy like myself..at 6'6" and 240lbs?

 

At the tournaments we sometimes attend, there are women's divisions. If there aren't enough women to compete in a certain division, they will poll other women's division first ...such as only one light weight woman in her division and see if she will fight the heavy weights. I have yet to see a woman say no and not enter. Often these women will actually request to fight with the men..and I like that! Afterall people, this is the "martial arts", and I believe that everybody..regardless of gender, size or rank, should be able and willing to fight everybody else.

[Kicks]

Myst,

 

My daughter, who is 12 now, has had the same problem. She often fought boys and beat them. Finally some parents complained and now she doesn't fight the boys. Now she fights the bigger girls and some tournament directors treat it like a valid match and issue medals accordingly, and some tournaments its just an exhibition. Shannon would cry when it didn't count. She would rather fight and lose than be given a freebie.

 

I also have to deal with the fact that not many men over 32 are willing to spar (under WTF rules). There was a group for a while that would spar me but they seem to have decided it better to sit and judge. So I often have to fight in the 18 - 31 year old division (I'll be 47 on Jan 31st). That's why I like going to Nationals, there's a lot more guys my age to play with.

 

[Shorinryu Sensei]

I also have to deal with the fact that not many men over 32 are willing to spar (under WTF rules). There was a group for a while that would spar me but they seem to have decided it better to sit and judge. So I often have to fight in the 18 - 31 year old division (I'll be 47 on Jan 31st). That's why I like going to Nationals, there's a lot more guys my age to play with.

 

 

You don't like to spar the youngsters kicks? On man..they're my favorites to spar! There are few feelings of satisfaction better than having some 20-something know-it-all say something about my being old, then wiping the floor with them! Oh yeah....that's my idea of fun in sparring!

 

And by the way kicks...I'm 52.

[Kicks]

You don't like to spar the youngsters kicks?

 

I didn't say that I don't like it, I was explaining that sometimes that's the only way I get to compete. It's just a fact of life. At our TKD school that's all I have to spar with too. So I'm quite used to it. No biggie.

[1kickKO]

Hmm..normally within our system at the dojo anybody fights everybody, normally sensei encourages everybody to fight th ehigher belts to get ready for comp, then at comp there are age divisions along with gender divisions..and for jujitsu it's gender divisions and weight divisions. As long as you have fun though, it's all good.

[cross]

It depends on what the main emphasis of your style is.

 

For competition its ok to be paired up with people your own size and around the same skill level, but if your focus is self defence its better to spar anyone you can.

[P.A.L]

if after 10 years you are planning to sue the officals of those tournoments you better find them alive first.

[Shorinryu Sensei]

if after 10 years you are planning to sue the officals of those tournoments you better find them alive first.

 

HUH??? P.A.L., are you hitting the sauce a little earlier than usual tonight?