Desensitization Training

[EarthElement]

First of all I am knew here, so Hello to all of you. A little bit about myself: I am 17 years old and live in Southern Cali. I am planning on starting MA very soon and i might need help finding a good school, but thats a different story.

My question for yall today, is how did you get to the piont where you could punch a guy in the face with no remorse? I am honestly wondering because everytime i used to get into the ring, like 3 or 4 years ago, (sparring) I couldnt stomach using some good contact. So how can i better stomach beating people up?

Thanks guys

[JusticeZero]

Honestly, if you don't give it your all as called for by the exercize, in this case sparring, you're being insulting to the other guy and holding back their training. You're not hitting them because you want to hurt them. You're hitting them so they can learn better how not to get hit by someone who DOES want to hurt them.

[patusai]

I'm not sure exactly under what conditions our are talking about. Is it in the ring or when you say " So how can i better stomach beating people up?" I get the impression that you are talking about in the street.

I assume that you are not talking about being the aggressor in a streetfight. I assume you mean in self defense and you are not on the offensive. If you are in a streetfight and can't physically walk away from it you may find that striking a person in the face may be the only answer to ending the fight to the point where you can walk away.

As for a sparring match in a class and going tov the face, it use to be that face contact was minimal for beginning students. I would, as I usually do, suggest talking over your concerns with your potential instructor. He/she can guide you better.

Good luck in your search fopr the peace that martial arts can bring you

[Kieran-Lilith]

In sparring, by punching at the other guy, we help them to train. You can't think of it as "beating people up". It's helping them learn how not to get hit, how not to get beat up. You don't really desensitize...I haven't, anyways. I'll watch a movie in class where kids are fighting and I'll wince with the kid who's getting the stuffing knocked out of him. I'll watch sparring matches in class and feel kind of bad for whoever is getting beat before watching form.

For me, it ended up coming down to this: Hit, or be hit. I hate hurting people at all. I grew up in a household where there was no violence. No violent movies, no violent video games, no spankings and no physical sibling fights. None of it. Then, I go to a dojo, and I have to start hitting. Just last night, I nailed someone in the jaw, and my first reaction was to say "Sorry!" really fast, and hold out a hand to help.

Really, though, it will come down to you will learn to hit when necessary, and you will hit like you mean it, or, you won't ever hit like you mean it, if you can dare to strike out. Personally, I'd rather be the one incapacitating than the incapacitated/dead/raped/etc.

[jaymac]

I am confused about your question. When I am sparring whether it be training or competition, there is allowed only minimal contact. I do not feel that I am helping my opponent train by hitting him/her in the face and possibly injuring them. yes they should have blocked it, but I should have had control. By injurying them, I may have knocked them out of training for awhile and how does that help. Alot of people training have professional lives also that they personally do not want to go and sport a broken nose or some missing teeth. On the street however, that is a different story. If someone was trying to attack me, I am not worried about his appearance. Besides, adrenaline and your training will take over and any hesitance you may have had against a friendly opponent will dissolve against a potential attacker.

[Sohan]

Read this:

http://www.fightauthority.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=126

Respectfully,

Sohan

[parkerlineage]

In my personal humble opinion:

You must learn to separate your emotion from your fighting. The person you are sparring does not want to hurt you - they want to become better. You do not want to hurt the person you are sparring - you want to become better. You are not fighting a face, you are fighting an idea - the stumbling block to your betterment. To defeat this stumbling block, you must fight it - not injure it - fight it, and learn from it, victory or defeat. And then move on. If and when someone is injured, it should be unintentionally, and should be dealt with using utmost sincere apology and then left behind; people get hurt in the martial arts - that's why they're called martial.

Dude, I sounded totally Zen there.

My personal trick - never look your opponent in the eye. It tends to weird me out if I do, then hit them.

[Sohan]

My personal trick - never look your opponent in the eye. It tends to weird me out if I do, then hit them.

I rarely look my opponent in the eye. I am careful not to telegraph my intentions by focusing on the intended bodypart to be attacked, but rather I gaze at the entire opponent being aware of all limbs. I am also very attentive to the waist. The head and limbs can fake easily, but the hips and waist are dead giveaways of intent. Sometimes, however, to throw my opponent off, I'll look them right in the eye and smile. Unnerves them to the end!

Respectfully,

Sohan

[jaymac]

Parkerlineage, you may have been Zen, but nice response!

[Holland]

In my dojo we spar with no gear on...so we generally do not hit as hard as we can (seeing as how we like to keep our bones in tact.) We use alot of power but also a lot of control.

I guess you just get used to hitting people, or get angry enough to strike back after taking repeated butt whippings.

As for beating people up...I don't practice that at the dojo per se...and in the few cases where I have been in a street situation, all of the training has just come back natural to me.

When you are used to sparring with trained fighters, people in the street look like they are moving in slow motion.