"Full Contact"

[Spirit At Choice]

When I go on vacation to my aunt's I would like to train at the nearby dojo. I wrote to the sensei and he said I am welcome to come during my vacation. Later, when I was researching his dojo more, I took note of his description of his style as "full contact." What does this mean?

He advertises Japanese Shorinji Kempo, Okinawan Shorin-ryu Karate, Toraken-ryu Ju-jutsu, Japanese and Okinawan Weapons, and

Unconventional Personal Combat.

I have never heard my sensei use the term "full contact" about our style (Cuong Nhu), and since I will need my sensei's blessing to use this other dojo I'd like to know what I'm asking before I actually ask.

[patusai]

Full contact means techniques delivered during sparring at full force...ho holding back no control of technique.

[SubGrappler]

Full contact means techniques delivered during sparring at full force...ho holding back no control of technique.

I think it would be more accurate to say holding back no control of power.

[patusai]

SubGrappler

You are correct. My mistake.

[powerof0ne]

Honestly, full contact can mean different things to different people.

To me IT SHOULD MEAN legkicks, knees, punches to the face, headkicks, etc. allowed but it doesn't in most "full contact" schools I have gone to.

I don't kow if your Chong Nhu(sp?) will be benificial for you if the techniques I mentioned above are allowed...I mean no disprespect but I've seen some Chong Nhu yudansha/black belts spar and it's nothing like Kyokushin/muay thai/etc. But you probably will learn some good stuff training in this atmosphere that can help you grow as a martial artist.

[Spirit At Choice]

PowerofOne,

No offense taken. Sparring in Cuong Nhu is done with punches pulled. I know that is not the case in some other styles. I'm a newbie, so I haven't done anything more than pre-arranged sparring, but I've watched the higher ranks spar, and it's pretty controlled: full gear, pulled strikes.

If "full contact" has a variety of meanings, I guess the best approach would be to just ask the sensei of the other dojo what he means, or to give the link to my senseis and let them determine whether or not it's suitable in their eyes.

Being new to all this I'm not entirely sure what the point is in asking my sensei about visiting another dojo. I don't know if it is something that is just a courtesy, or if they might actually suggest I *not* go, or what. Cuong Nhu has a clear code of ethics, maybe they like to make sure the other dojo jives on a philosophical level...

[Jiffy]

This is a bit of a sore spot for me because i believe way too many people mis-use the term "full contact". Quite often people use this when in fact what they are doing is "heavy contact". Full contact to me means no holding back (eg. UFC) and is therefore very rarely practised because it's hard to keep students training when they have broken bones etc. When most people say they do Full Contact, they usually are doing Heavy Contact.

[man thing]

... it's pretty controlled: full gear, pulled strikes.

Being new to all this I'm not entirely sure what the point is in asking my sensei about visiting another dojo. I don't know if it is something that is just a courtesy, or if they might actually suggest I *not* go, or what. Cuong Nhu has a clear code of ethics, maybe they like to make sure the other dojo jives on a philosophical level...

What "full gear"? We used a mouthpiece and cup, and got into a few good scraps while sparring. The punches are supposed to be pulled, but some idiots get out of hand and you have to return the favor.

When I wanted to train in other dojos I never asked anybody- I just did it. One of the rules of ethics is to respect every other form of Martial Arts.

[Spirit At Choice]

What "full gear"? We used a mouthpiece and cup, and got into a few good scraps while sparring. The punches are supposed to be pulled, but some idiots get out of hand and you have to return the favor.

When I wanted to train in other dojos I never asked anybody- I just did it. One of the rules of ethics is to respect every other form of Martial Arts.

By "full gear" I do not mean the big foam body suit. I just mean standard sparring gear: hands, feet, head, mouth and groin protection.

No matter what style someone studies, you will always find folks who don't pull their strikes well (or at all), which may be a skill issue or may be a character issue-- who knows. Still other dojos don't practice pulling strikes at all-- or so I've heard.

As for training in another dojo, how would asking my sensei suggest not respecting other styles of Martial Arts? The concern may be the dojo, not the Art practiced. We can respect something and still choose to disagree with it, or choose not to endorse it. We might say, "I believe xyz style is dangerous," and we have made our point while maintaining respect. We didn't say, "XYZ sucks. They're morons who can't pull punches."

[Charlie]

This is a bit of a sore spot for me because i believe way too many people mis-use the term "full contact". Quite often people use this when in fact what they are doing is "heavy contact". Full contact to me means no holding back (eg. UFC) and is therefore very rarely practised because it's hard to keep students training when they have broken bones etc. When most people say they do Full Contact, they usually are doing Heavy Contact.

I agree with you that "heavy contact" is a more accurate label. Even the UFC competitors I doubt practice too much with the same conditions as in the ring because of the likelihood of injury. Another example is Daidojuku which allows full force strikes to the head with bare knuckles, but they wear heavy protective headgear with full face shields. I got punched in the face three times full force this past weekend in our annual tournament (my opponent was disqualified for it) and I've had a non-stop headache since. I don't know how we'd be able to keep training if we were constantly hitting each other in the face like that with minimal padding on our hands. In the movie "Fighting Black Kings" which shows the "old school" Kyokushin fighters training with punches to the face it appears to me that they're pulling their punches somewhat or turning up their knuckles to make contact with the palms of their hands.

Anyway, if you're not used to being hit full-force in the body you might have an adjustment period to go through when you train at that other dojo. I think it will be a good experience for you. Perhaps your Chong Nhu sensei will have some advice for you on how to approach it.