Views on Sparring

[joesteph]

There are many martial artists who enjoy sparring for the sport aspect of it, and work hard at sparring combinations that penetrate the opponent's defenses, or turn the tables on him. I wonder if such persons enjoy the strategy of sparring as much as sparring itself.

I found an article in the May 2002 issue of Black Belt, titled "Gold-Medal Taekwondo" by Floyd Burk, with Steven Lopez as the gold-medalist in focus. There are a number of photos of kicking combos that are really strategies.

The article can be found at:

http://books.google.com/books?id=c9sDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT5&dq=Black+Belt&lr=&source=gbs_toc_pages&cad=0_1#PPT63,M2

This is a strategy write-up that makes the executions look more like fun than fighting. I guess that's part of the MA experience, too, to have fun.

[JusticeZero]

Well, some people really enjoy sparring; it comes to be what they do MA to do. And that's fine. It just isn't really aiming toward fighting skill to go in that direction, is all.

[ShoriKid]

It just isn't really aiming toward fighting skill to go in that direction, is all.

Again, as with any training tool, it depends on the usage and implimentation in training. If done correctly, it is an irreplacable tool at that.

If sparring does not, or cannot, prepare one for a fight, what single training method do you advocate that does the job better?

[JusticeZero]

If I had to chose one? Open scenario drills incorporating body armor.

[tallgeese]

That is excellent training.

I'll still argue that sparring is an excellent tool as well.

[bushido_man96]

I do like sparring, in the form of competition rules or more self-defense related strategies.

As for Olympic TKD strategies, learning to set someone up for a counter, drawing them in, etc., becomes a game unto itself at times. However, the strategy part of it is fun to learn and teach. Its important, however, to not get into the mode of missing the forest for the trees; a goal should be to win, which the strategies help to accomplish. Not all strategies work for everyone.

On a different tack, sparring, especially competition sparring at all levels, from Olympic TKD all the way to the MMA of the UFCs, tend to get rapped on for being competition, and that it is not the same as fighting. Well, yeah, that is correct. But at the very heart of human nature is the desire to test one's skills against another in fair play settings; also known as sport. War activities have become games since the beginning of time, like the javelin throw, or Pankration or Hellenic Boxing and Wrestling, to the mode of sport seen today, with the new MMA, American Football, Baseball, etc. Humans still like to test themselves against each other, without worrying about dying from it. Thus, we have sport.

[bushido_man96]

To me, kumite is where the art meets the application. Knowing how to perform a move, and knowing when two perform it are two seperate beasts. Sparring is an essential part to developing the art.

I agree here, if your kumite training doesn't soley confine itself to a point-fighting, rules-based system. Not that I don't like rules-based fighting, because it is fun. But at times, you have to change the rules so you can work everything better.

[BKHowell]

To me, sparring is an important part of my training. Typically our week goes like this for adults. Mon is Intermediate ranks. Forms and self defense are geared towards those ranks. Tues is for beginners. Course is geared towards them. Wed is Advanced first, then open class after that. Advance stuff is geared towards the advanced people and open class is basically tailored to all the ranks present. Tends to be either MMA, sparring techniques, or just review if there are some belt tests coming up. Thurs, my favorite day, is sparring. There we get to use what we have learned earlier in the week and see how it works against someone doing the same thing. Friday is our Kenpo team practice for tournaments.