Pads,mitts and head guards.

[cathal]

I tend to agree with the statement that full contact tournaments are going to have more injuries, just by their very nature. But I would tend to strike harder if the person has protective equipment based on the fact that they'd be alright. It is still my responsibility to ensure that the force I use isn't going to be too much for the pad as well.

Regarding #2 I would definitely always go in with the appropriate amount of speed & force. It's the control we exert over our bodies & the techniques we employ which dictate my level of contact. Of course in situations where the opponent does something unexpected, my training is to cut all power like I'm hitting the clutch.

[ninjanurse]

As I get older the more I appreciate good pads!

[sonofkanga]

actually,the rate of injurys in full contact tournaments islower than point systems.

the reasons are

1.rules of engagment

2.body conditioning

1.no hands to face

2.acclimatizing the body to stress of multiple impacts at full power.

[Jiffy]

I completely disagree with that. You can only condition muscles, not many of the areas that get hit. When is the last time you saw cauliflower ear on a limited contact fighter??

[sonofkanga]

and what is the rate of broken noses in point system tournaments?

actualy cauliflower ears are typical to judo,wrestling and mma,but then i thought that this was a karate forum,as in striking only.

yes conditionong affects the muscles but they wrap the skeleton.

for most point system practitioners a training session whith full contact practitioners is a real shock in defining strength and power of strikes and the ability to withstand them.

[Rick_72]

for most point system practitioners a training session whith full contact practitioners is a real shock in defining strength and power of strikes and the ability to withstand them.

First, all sport fighting is "point system" fighting. How do you think they pick a winner at the end of a fight that didn't end in KO? How those points are tallied, scoring locations, round times, and whether or not action is stopped after points are scored are what differ from sport to sport. A full contact fighter isn't neccessarily more powerful than a point and stop system fighter, its simply a difference in what they're training for.

For example, I'm a Traditional Martial Artist, with a few years of boxing training (years ago), I don't utilize leg kicks when sparring because its not authorized under the rules that I spar under. Does that make me less of a fighter? No it doesn't, because practically speaking, I'm not going to round kick someone in the thigh in a street fight anyway. I'm going to kick them in the knee or groin. So why would I train to kick thighs?

Another example. In most TMA competitions (besides the full contact) theres no face contact below the black belt level. The reason behind this, I'm sure, has a lot to do with what this topic relates to. The equipment TMA use for kumite, doesn't lend itself to safety for face strikes. Besides MMA, most striking sports (boxing, Muay, kickboxing, etc, etc) are wearing gloves that vary anywhere from 12-16 oz's. They protect both the wearer and the opponent much better than the little half inch foam padded gloves that we wear. Does this mean I'm not going to strike someone in the face in a street fight? Of course it doesn't mean that.

For most that have never competed in a "full contact" sport, a common misconception (and one that I have felt personally with new students of Karate during kumite) is that you throw powerful strikes in training. When your sparring (training) in any sport, you shouldn't be throwing strikes/kicks more than about 50-60% of your power. Training sparring, is just that. Its not conditioning you to take some massive blow to the head. Its simply conditioning for fighting in the ring/cage with a live opponent, exploiting openings, finding timing, and getting used to the rounds. No one train's full speed because there's no sense in getting injured or causing injury during training. If a point system practicioner (as you called them) climbs into a ring with a full contact fighter, for training, and one of them is throwing full power strikes, than their just trying to show how tough they are, their not really training.

[Ti]

Funny you mention this.

We have been bare hand no padding for a long time, till recently the injuries were getting out of hand, so we started mouth guards and pads.

as a result the senior members who lead the class think we can hit harder now.

Well, In theory the pads were supposed to supplement the way we already hit so that when we DO make contact it's not so bad.

But now that we hit harder, the padding is like paper.

it HURTS more and more often now!

I got back and they started hitting harder, man I got DRILLED in the ribs.

I was out for 2 weeks.

IMO, we should be practicing control more.

[Jiffy]

and what is the rate of broken noses in point system tournaments?

actualy cauliflower ears are typical to judo,wrestling and mma,but then i thought that this was a karate forum,as in striking only.

yes conditionong affects the muscles but they wrap the skeleton.

for most point system practitioners a training session whith full contact practitioners is a real shock in defining strength and power of strikes and the ability to withstand them.

In my experience, not many.

I have come across many MMA with Cauliflower ear, but not in Judo or Wrestling.

This is a Martial Arts forum. Sure it's called Karate Forums, but a quick look at all the different topics will quickly clarify the issue.

As previously mentioned, the difference between a contact fighter and a point fighter is not their level of skill but their intended purpose for the encounter.