Do you think sparring is essential to learning how to defend yourself?

[Kenlee25]

Most if not all martial arts practice some form of sparring, but some systems of schools will not. For example, in self defense minded systems, sparring may be forgotten entirely in favor of running simulated self defense situations. That, and not all sparring is the same. For example in some ( I won't speak for all ) wing chun or FMA schools, the sparring is a very different affair than in Karate, muay thai, TKD, JKD, bjj etc etc.

Do you think sparring in it's traditional sense ( freely trading, parrying, and blocking blows ) is needed in martial arts?

I would appreciate your opinions.

 

[MJS]

Most if not all martial arts practice some form of sparring, but some systems of schools will not. For example, in self defense minded systems, sparring may be forgotten entirely in favor of running simulated self defense situations. That, and not all sparring is the same. For example in some ( I won't speak for all ) wing chun or FMA schools, the sparring is a very different affair than in Karate, muay thai, TKD, JKD, bjj etc etc.

Do you think sparring in it's traditional sense ( freely trading, parrying, and blocking blows ) is needed in martial arts?

I would appreciate your opinions.

Some will say yes, some will say no. IMHO, I feel that it is one part of the puzzle. We can train our SD techniques with the same aliveness, feeling, etc, as you can with sparring, thus why some will say that they don't spar. Personally, I enjoy sparring, as it puts things in a slightly different perspective than just doing techniques. I like it because it gets you used to some heavy contact. IMO, its better to get used to it in the dojo and find out what you can/can't take, instead of finding out when the poop is hitting the fan.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Well, I do, but I respect the opinion of people who think it does not matter also. In our dojo, we practice self-defense techniques with actual contact. Good, solid, hard contact. However, we don't go full-force, and that can breed sloppy technique accidentally. We also spar with and without protective gear. When we spar, it's light contact, which I feel helps with technique and working your understanding of the techniques. After all, there is no point in learning a tech if you can't apply it. Nothing compares, of course, to actually using a tech in real-life at full force, but that's rather hard to simulate without people getting hurt.

 

[Noah_Legel]

I think that you must practice your techniques against a resisting, unpredictable opponent in a situation where strikes make solid contact between both parties. Some people do that through random attack self defense drills and some do it through sparring. So long as you have to respond to an attack that you don't know about in advance, and have to do it against someone who doesn't want you to defend yourself, and have to do it while being struck, you are learning how to defend yourself effectively. If you know what the attack will be in advance, or if the attacker doesn't resist anything that you do to them, or if there is no contact made at all by either party, then what you are practicing MIGHT work in a self defense situation but you have never tested it--it's like designing an engine in a computer program and then immediately sticking it in a race car in the biggest race in the nation without ever having tested it in real life conditions.

 

[Dansolo]

I would say that it depends on the person. We take martial arts for different reasons. I personally am not looking to compete, and my desire to spar during training is minimal. I am looking to understand whatever art I might take and improve myself. If I need to spar to learn an art - okay, I will do it. But I am not really interested in sparring and would prefer to practice some other way the majority of the time as long as it is still quality practice. I do not have the experience to tell you if sparring is necessary for a given martial art, though. That is just my general opinion so far.

 

[WC_lun]

If your goal is self defense, you need fully resisting training partners. If that is "sparring" then so be it. The reason is twofold. Techniques change when a person is resisting. It is all well and good to train them to get the mechanics down, but if you do not have experience applying them under duress or the experience to know when to change to something else, you will not be prepared for a real confrontation. Also, when dealing with fully resisiting training partners you will experience the adrenaline dump, similiar to a real situation. The effects of adrenaline should not be under-estimated. Everyone deals with adrenaline differently and some of those reactions can be very detrimental to your self interest in a self defense situation. If you do not have experience of being in an adrenal enhanced state, you might not be able to deal with it effectively, therefore not being adequetely trained for self defense.

To adequetley train for self defense, a person must be prepared to encounter active resistance and must experience some sense of danger. There is a huge difference between believing you'll act a certain way and having the experience to know how you will react under duress. Some sort of sparring or free flow resistance is the only way this can be accomplished while maintaining a somewhat safe enviroment.

 

[Twin Fist]

i guess i have to post it again.

self defense training without contact is like a virgin watching porn

all theory

when it comes to self defense, if you aint hitting, you aint learning

 

[K-man]

I would say that it depends on the person. We take martial arts for different reasons. I personally am not looking to compete, and my desire to spar during training is minimal. I am looking to understand whatever art I might take and improve myself. If I need to spar to learn an art - okay, I will do it. But I am not really interested in sparring and would prefer to practice some other way the majority of the time as long as it is still quality practice. I do not have the experience to tell you if sparring is necessary for a given martial art, though. That is just my general opinion so far.

Many of us train for reasons other than competition. If you are going to compete, you need to spar in a way that is realistic to the conditions you will encounter on the mat. Similarly, if you are training for self defence, that needs to be realistic for the conditions you will find in a pub or on the street. In the former, assuming it is point sparring, you will be moving around at distance, trying to get in to score a point. In the later you will more likely be right in each others face, continuous sparring and often you might end up on the ground. Either way sparring like this is essential to test your ability to use your knowledge of both attack and defence. Apart from that, in either situation, a little, or a lot, of adrenalin will be there and it is essential to know how you will react under that situation.

I doubt that many of us train this way the majority of the time. We work on basics, tegumi, kata, bunkai to that kata, defence against weapons then if there is time we might finish off with 15 minutes of sparring. Most times this is light, without pads, then occasionally we will gear up and go really hard.

In reply to the OP, "Is sparring essential to learning how to defend yourself?" Short answer, yes. Long answer, definitely yes!

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Consider also the answer in the negative; what could it hurt to do a little sparring?

 

[Kenlee25]

Okay, so just a question. based on what many of you have said, would you say that MMA or other sports that allow sanctioned fights are best for teaching self defense in a fist fight? You are after all truly hitting and grappling etc etc.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Okay, so just a question. based on what many of you have said, would you say that MMA or other sports that allow sanctioned fights are best for teaching self defense in a fist fight? You are after all truly hitting and grappling etc etc.

Best? Debatable. Good? Sure. It's all good. Even MMA has rules. No rules to a fist fight except win and walk away.

EDIT: And to be honest, my own sensei once said that if a person wanted to learn 'self defense' only and nothing else, and he wanted to do so in the shortest time, take up boxing. Great art.

 

[K-man]

Okay, so just a question. based on what many of you have said, would you say that MMA or other sports that allow sanctioned fights are best for teaching self defense in a fist fight? You are after all truly hitting and grappling etc etc.

Yes and no. UFC and the like certainly are for real and you have someone in front of you that is trying to take your head off your shoulders. You will have the adrenalin dump and it's probably as 'real' as you are going to get without hitting the streets. So the answer is probably yes. Are you going to get hurt if you compete at that level, probably yes. I have many friends who have wrecked joints from BJJ training.

Do I think it is necessary to train in that way? No. If you have trained in a reputable MA school you should be reasonably equipped to defend yourself if you are attacked or if you are in a situation that an attack is likely. If your training is as I think it should be you will have discussed de-escalation techniques and how to avoid a confrontation. Remember, most times you have no idea of the abilities of your attacker. Once you engage anything can happen. However, having said that, from observing street fights and talking to my security mates, most people you are likely to encounter will have little if any MA experience. Put in the time to learn your system, test it as much as you can sparring and I'm sure you will be well equipped to handle whatever comes your way.

 

[Kenlee25]

Best? Debatable. Good? Sure. It's all good. Even MMA has rules. No rules to a fist fight except win and walk away.

EDIT: And to be honest, my own sensei once said that if a person wanted to learn 'self defense' only and nothing else, and he wanted to do so in the shortest time, take up boxing. Great art.

Hmmm i actually never saw boxing as a means of self defense. It was always the only art that was pure sport to me. I may take up boxing in college, who knows.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Hmmm i actually never saw boxing as a means of self defense. It was always the only art that was pure sport to me. I may take up boxing in college, who knows.

A good boxer is a dangerous person. They may transfer weight differently and generate power differently, but the fundamentals are terrific and they'll hurt you badly if you give them a shot. It's a sport, sure. It's also very serious self-defense.

 

[Josh Oakley]

Take a few hits from a well-trained boxer and you might have a different opinion. Boxing teaches targets, positioning, gets you in shape, teaches you how to move. I agree with the statement. In a short amount of time, you will have a basic understanding of how to defend yourself.

It is by no means comprehensive. I don't think it is best for a full understanding of self defense, but it is good for what of is.

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk

 

[Buka]

Is sparring needed? Yes. There aren't even exceptions to this rule. Not only do you have to learn how to hit on the move, you have to learn to get hit. And get hit a whole lot. With a few years practice, anybody can dish it, but you have to be able to take it, too. While most self defense encounters are short and scary, some are long and scary. You may need to take a beating longer than the other guy can give one. Gotta spar.

 

[Cyriacus]

We do it, and it only helps. So Yes, it is essential.

 

[Cyriacus]

Hmmm i actually never saw boxing as a means of self defense. It was always the only art that was pure sport to me. I may take up boxing in college, who knows.

Yeah, because the majority of fighting surely isnt throwing your arms in like a lunatic.

I.e., Boxing is Simple, and is strong because of it.

 

[WC_lun]

You will fight how you train. If you train for a rule set, you will react within that rule set when in the stress of a self-defense situation. If that rule set does not limit you to the point that you cannot defend yourself then it is all good. If it does, then you are gimping yourself when it comes to self-defense. For example, if you train for a rule set that never deals with take downs then it will not be in your normal reactions or body mechanics to stop take downs on the street. If an attacker does not try to take you down, then you might be good. If an attacker does try to take you down, then your art did not train you to defnd yourself in that situation. ALL sporting martial arts deal with this to some degree or another.

 

[Buka]

Hmmm i actually never saw boxing as a means of self defense. It was always the only art that was pure sport to me. I may take up boxing in college, who knows.

As a striking art, they strike like the Dickens. Hard, fast and often.