What rules do you spar under in class?

[bushido_man96]

I am currently looking into all different kinds of styles, just because I like to do that kind of thing. I was curious as to what everyone's in-class sparring rules were. Be specific about contact areas and levels of contact, and differences between sparring at different ranks, etc.

In my TKD school, there is no contact to the back, nothing below the belt, no hands to the head, but you can kick to the head, but no side kicks to the face (mainly precautionary, probably wouldn't matter in a tournament). Contact is pretty moderate at the school, but in tourneys, you have to have body displacement (a lot like Olympic style).

I am looking to try other ways of sparring, and will welcome any and all suggestions. Thanks in advance!

[Shotokan-kez]

We only make light contact during sparring because sensei says control is important. We score from strikes to the stomach, back, head. Arms and below the belt don't score, neither does the back of the head.

[alsey]

in shotokan our sparring was mostly light contact. punches and kicks to the head and torso.

my current karate practice is informal; i'm not at a dojo or anything anymore. i just train with a couple of other black belts and we do things our own way. our sparring generally involves one person using common street techniques (i.e. not technical karate moves), and the other guy defending using any method he wants. the contact is still fairly light but this involves striking, throwing and grappling.

in jujitsu i'm not allowed to spar yet. i have to go up another two grades to spar. this is pretty annoying because i've been doing jujitsu for about four years now but due to changing schools and stuff i'm still pretty low down the ranks. anyway, the brown belts and above to judo type sparring.

in kendo, we put our armor on and whack eachother full power with sticks. it rocks. you score by cutting to the head, wrist, or abdomen, or thrusting to the throat.

[Shui Tora]

We go with the WKF rules for Kumite Tournament... Even though what Alsey has mentioned about Shotokan Kumite, light kicks to the head and punches above the belt, but we are also not allowed to do Tettsui's (hammer head strike) to the head (a dangerous pressure point is located in the head, and so hence)...

[KarateK]

Extreme light contact in class and gradings(prevents you punching your best friend in the nose during grading supposedly - whoops!).

Strikes to side of head, chest/stomach area. Kicks higher than the belt.

For us its more about the blocks and defence than attack.

[lordtariel]

In sparring for non-black belts, it's light to moderate contact to scoring areas of the body with just touch allowed for the head. If you are going to throw, you must be in control of the fall and follow up immediatly with a scoring technique. For black belts, the restrictions are relaxed a bit though.

[ShotokanKid]

We don't have too many rules- don't beat the living daylights out of each other, don't kick to the groin.

Basically don't hurt the other person too much (although everyone is going to get bruised up)

We try to control to the face, some level of contact the the body.

Targets: head, body, feet (sweeps)

Green belts and up practice with black belts. We'll do step sparring and work up to free kumite.

Not sure what blue belts and below do.

Also, we usually break after a few seconds if someone goes down. For example, last week, I caught someone's kick and brought them down, then stomped kicked them (not too hard), but them I let them up. If you both go down, you might struggle on the ground for a bit but them one person says okay, and you both get up.

[cathal]

I'm currently actively training in Shotokan. For us we are no contact/light contact.

For 10th Kyu to 6th kyu it is strictly Sanbon Kumite, and Ippon Kumite. When the students have demontrated their consistency in their technique control & nonviolence then they're permitted to move on to Semi-Free Kumite. This is where all attacks are called before execution so they can prepare for them. They are required to properly block/parry AND counterattack. (Sometimes simultaneously depending on the class.)

When we reach 4th Kyu we begin free sparring, but there are restrictions. No attacks to the head, no sweeps of the leg either. No attacks below the belt.

Afterward, after a while training like this, we can aim and execute a technique at all three levels, even below the belt for sweeps, strikes, etc. We can target the back, back of the head, and neck.

We are allowed to grab in order to control the opponent as we perform a counter-strike or an attack. We are permitted to sweep with legs & arms. We are not to grapple or do take downs, unless it is a training tool.

[bushido_man96]

These are great so far, thanks everyone. As for those that mentioned sweeps, could you give me some examples of techniques that you use to sweep/takedown the opponent?

[cathal]

These are great so far, thanks everyone. As for those that mentioned sweeps, could you give me some examples of techniques that you use to sweep/takedown the opponent?

For an arm sweep they are generally performed to open up the attacker's defence, or to rotate the attacker's body away in such a way to point them in the other direction. This opens up for an attack to the rear. For the leg sweep you're intention is to take them off balance, and redirect their attention to their legs...which in turn opens them up for several techniques like an attack to their head, chest, or another kick maybe. A strong sweep might even be able to take them down.

Personally, I've used an arm sweep to redirect my sparring partner, grab his arm when the elbow straightened, and used my body weight to pull him off balance. Then I would target the back of the head, or ribs. In doing a leg sweep (if I was successful!) I usuall do an augmented block but instead of strengthening the block with my other hand I would come in for an attack to the rib/spleen or rib/liver area.