Morg Man
10-25-2011, 05:34 PM
Sparring vs. Fighting
All too often many martial artists view sparring and fighting in the same light. But rest assured, sparring is NOT fighting.
Sparring is a controlled match in a controlled environment, typically with protective equipment. With preset rules as to what can be done and what can’t.
Fighting is uncontrolled combat with no rules, no pads, on any type of surface. And if I many reiterate, with no rules.
However, sparring has a very important place in a martial artist’s training. There are great lessons that can be learned through sparring that will greatly improve your chances of getting through a fight.
Let’s look at some of the lessons that have a strong affect fighting ability.
#1—Keep your hands up!—this one should be learned as early as possible. Keeping your hands in a guarding position weather in a sparring match or a fight is just a good idea.
#2—Knowing your ranges—This is very important. Another way to express it is, knowing what weapons can reach where. Have you ever seen a fight where the combatants keep coming up short with their strikes? Or the throw a punch to deep and wind up landing a blow with the inside of their wrist instead of their fist. Chances are that a few sparring matches would help those guys (or girls) learn how long their arms are. The same thing goes for kicks too.
#3—Getting used to having strikes thrown at you with the intention of making contact—This helps to develop that “cool under fire” mentality that helps you keep your wits about you. It allows you to stay in control of yourself. And staying in control of yourself will often help you control everything else.
#4—Hitting a moving and unwilling target—This goes hand in hand with #2. All of the power in the world won’t help you if you can’t put it where it needs to go. Power is nothing without control.
#5.—Evading—Just simple bobs, weaves, slips, faints, and fades. So much of the time we make a fuss over self defense techniques when a simple slip or a fade will avoid the strike. If an attacker throws a left right combo, a simple boxing bob and weave flows oh so nicely into Thundering Hammers, Attacking Mace or Flashing Wings.
#6—Learning to freestyle—This one is the big one. This is what it all comes down to. When all the self defense breaks down. You better know how to puts strikes together on the fly. You need to be able to get things done when it really counts.
There are many more valuable lessons that can be learned through sparring. But to every yin, there is a yang. Let’s look at some of the ways that sparring could possibly hinder your fighting ability.
#1—Pulling your techniques—Ed Parker said that he never taught anyone to pull a technique but rather to control it. Unfortunately most tournaments only have point matches where even medium contact is frowned on. And this is the type a sparring that many schools train to do. If you train to pull a punch short of its target then you probably will.
#2—Limited striking areas—Chances are that when you are sparring targets like the eyes, groin, and nerve clusters are off limits. This could conceivably cause you to overlook them in a real fight.
#3—No checks and grabs—Most sparring sessions have very limited checks and grabs, if any at all. If you have ever seen or been in a real fight then you know that grabs are common place. Learning how to deal with (or use) them in the middle of a scuffle is essential. And nobody should ever underestimate the power of the checking hand. Knowing how to use active checks can be quite an advantage.
#4—No ground—If you don’t have a ground game by now, get one. We live in the MMA era. And let’s face it, it’s easy to learn. Almost every 21 year old drunk male walking the streets can fumble through a double leg takedown now. As well as throw on a sloppy arm bar or rear naked choke. It’s wise to at least learn enough about grappling to give yourself a better shot of avoiding a takedown. But a working knowledge will help you do maximum damage in minimum time and get back to your feet. People like to say that 75% of all fights end on the ground. My usual response is “But 100% of them start on their feet”
#5—Environment—Sparring is done in Karate schools or gymnasiums, on clean level surfaces free of obstructions. Such is often not the case in a real fight. Pavement, loose gravel, grass, dirt, concrete, uneven surfaces, and countless obstructions are the norm in the real world. Environmental awareness is a essential concept to work on.
#6—Karate gi vs. jeans and a tee—While we spare we wear loose karate uniforms or some other type of cloths that allow for large ranges of motion. Your favorite pair of jeans may not allow for such effortless kicking. And your coat might make for a nice handle for that 21 year old drunk MMA fan to grab. But on the other hand that same coat could offer some padding for a hook punch to the ribs that may have slipped past your guard (you did remember to have your hands up didn’t you?). And I have a strong feeling that those steel toed work boots aren’t going to be forgiving with say, a kick to the attacker’s groin.
We can go on and on about the pros and cons of sparring. But it boils down to this. Does it help you? Yes. Can it lead to developing bad habits for real world combat? Yes. Should I continue to spar as part of my training? Absolutely. It’s my personal opinion that the pros greatly outweigh the cons. Just don’t let any bad habits form. Keep on sparring.
Since we are talking about sparring and fighting, here are some fun ideas to expand your fighting training.
#1—Allow checks and grabs in your sparring—Watch how the match changes when you can grab and pin and opponent’s arm. Make sure you use control.
#2—Try incorporating the Parker freestyle techniques—B5aPBK is a personal favorite
#3—Train in your street clothes—Years ago I trained under a Kenpoist that called his Saturday class “Street Clothes Saturday” You trained in whatever you walked in wearing. To this day I think it was a great idea.
#4—Do bag work in your shoes—Boots are heavy and slow your kicks but it’s like having a wrecking ball on the end of your leg. (A word of warning, be careful locking out kicks with boots on. It is a hyperextension risk) On the other end of the shoe spectrum, my beloved Chuck Taylors don’t slow my kicks at all.
#5—Train in different areas—Be careful of loose surfaces though. This one can be pretty interesting. Observe how the environment can force you to change your strategy. If you don’t think it will affect too much then try some of your self defense techniques in a narrow hallway. Just don’t bust up the drywall.
Train hard, train safe, and train with control.
All too often many martial artists view sparring and fighting in the same light. But rest assured, sparring is NOT fighting.
Sparring is a controlled match in a controlled environment, typically with protective equipment. With preset rules as to what can be done and what can’t.
Fighting is uncontrolled combat with no rules, no pads, on any type of surface. And if I many reiterate, with no rules.
However, sparring has a very important place in a martial artist’s training. There are great lessons that can be learned through sparring that will greatly improve your chances of getting through a fight.
Let’s look at some of the lessons that have a strong affect fighting ability.
#1—Keep your hands up!—this one should be learned as early as possible. Keeping your hands in a guarding position weather in a sparring match or a fight is just a good idea.
#2—Knowing your ranges—This is very important. Another way to express it is, knowing what weapons can reach where. Have you ever seen a fight where the combatants keep coming up short with their strikes? Or the throw a punch to deep and wind up landing a blow with the inside of their wrist instead of their fist. Chances are that a few sparring matches would help those guys (or girls) learn how long their arms are. The same thing goes for kicks too.
#3—Getting used to having strikes thrown at you with the intention of making contact—This helps to develop that “cool under fire” mentality that helps you keep your wits about you. It allows you to stay in control of yourself. And staying in control of yourself will often help you control everything else.
#4—Hitting a moving and unwilling target—This goes hand in hand with #2. All of the power in the world won’t help you if you can’t put it where it needs to go. Power is nothing without control.
#5.—Evading—Just simple bobs, weaves, slips, faints, and fades. So much of the time we make a fuss over self defense techniques when a simple slip or a fade will avoid the strike. If an attacker throws a left right combo, a simple boxing bob and weave flows oh so nicely into Thundering Hammers, Attacking Mace or Flashing Wings.
#6—Learning to freestyle—This one is the big one. This is what it all comes down to. When all the self defense breaks down. You better know how to puts strikes together on the fly. You need to be able to get things done when it really counts.
There are many more valuable lessons that can be learned through sparring. But to every yin, there is a yang. Let’s look at some of the ways that sparring could possibly hinder your fighting ability.
#1—Pulling your techniques—Ed Parker said that he never taught anyone to pull a technique but rather to control it. Unfortunately most tournaments only have point matches where even medium contact is frowned on. And this is the type a sparring that many schools train to do. If you train to pull a punch short of its target then you probably will.
#2—Limited striking areas—Chances are that when you are sparring targets like the eyes, groin, and nerve clusters are off limits. This could conceivably cause you to overlook them in a real fight.
#3—No checks and grabs—Most sparring sessions have very limited checks and grabs, if any at all. If you have ever seen or been in a real fight then you know that grabs are common place. Learning how to deal with (or use) them in the middle of a scuffle is essential. And nobody should ever underestimate the power of the checking hand. Knowing how to use active checks can be quite an advantage.
#4—No ground—If you don’t have a ground game by now, get one. We live in the MMA era. And let’s face it, it’s easy to learn. Almost every 21 year old drunk male walking the streets can fumble through a double leg takedown now. As well as throw on a sloppy arm bar or rear naked choke. It’s wise to at least learn enough about grappling to give yourself a better shot of avoiding a takedown. But a working knowledge will help you do maximum damage in minimum time and get back to your feet. People like to say that 75% of all fights end on the ground. My usual response is “But 100% of them start on their feet”
#5—Environment—Sparring is done in Karate schools or gymnasiums, on clean level surfaces free of obstructions. Such is often not the case in a real fight. Pavement, loose gravel, grass, dirt, concrete, uneven surfaces, and countless obstructions are the norm in the real world. Environmental awareness is a essential concept to work on.
#6—Karate gi vs. jeans and a tee—While we spare we wear loose karate uniforms or some other type of cloths that allow for large ranges of motion. Your favorite pair of jeans may not allow for such effortless kicking. And your coat might make for a nice handle for that 21 year old drunk MMA fan to grab. But on the other hand that same coat could offer some padding for a hook punch to the ribs that may have slipped past your guard (you did remember to have your hands up didn’t you?). And I have a strong feeling that those steel toed work boots aren’t going to be forgiving with say, a kick to the attacker’s groin.
We can go on and on about the pros and cons of sparring. But it boils down to this. Does it help you? Yes. Can it lead to developing bad habits for real world combat? Yes. Should I continue to spar as part of my training? Absolutely. It’s my personal opinion that the pros greatly outweigh the cons. Just don’t let any bad habits form. Keep on sparring.
Since we are talking about sparring and fighting, here are some fun ideas to expand your fighting training.
#1—Allow checks and grabs in your sparring—Watch how the match changes when you can grab and pin and opponent’s arm. Make sure you use control.
#2—Try incorporating the Parker freestyle techniques—B5aPBK is a personal favorite
#3—Train in your street clothes—Years ago I trained under a Kenpoist that called his Saturday class “Street Clothes Saturday” You trained in whatever you walked in wearing. To this day I think it was a great idea.
#4—Do bag work in your shoes—Boots are heavy and slow your kicks but it’s like having a wrecking ball on the end of your leg. (A word of warning, be careful locking out kicks with boots on. It is a hyperextension risk) On the other end of the shoe spectrum, my beloved Chuck Taylors don’t slow my kicks at all.
#5—Train in different areas—Be careful of loose surfaces though. This one can be pretty interesting. Observe how the environment can force you to change your strategy. If you don’t think it will affect too much then try some of your self defense techniques in a narrow hallway. Just don’t bust up the drywall.
Train hard, train safe, and train with control.