Clark Kent
<B>News Bot</B>
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2006
- Messages
- 7,128
- Reaction score
- 6
The Sparring Game
By Bobbe - Sun, 09 Dec 2007 03:52:30 GMT
Originally Posted at: FMATalk
====================
Depending on which style of Filipino Martial Arts you train, and the philosophy of individual teachers, sparring holds different meanings at various levels. Some schools and styles don’t spar at all, or pass off drills as sparring, saying it’s flow. Most schools that do sparring of some sort usually promote it as a competitive point-scoring system, a method of training with a definitive “winner” and “loser” at the end of the round. Sparring has the potential to be much more, but to accomplish this, the instructor must be exposed to many different and varied approaches from several different arts, particularly those outside his own.
There are three methods of sparring in the Edmonds Academy: Point Sparring, Flow Sparring and Unpadded Sparring. Flow sparring is where you perfect your timing, flow and attributes in a spontaneous environment, point sparring is where you bring it to the table. Full speed point sparring is not developmental, it’s not the place to work on your weak points in fighting. It’s the presentation of technique, and often used as a measure for your progress in whatever martial art you are training. This in itself is not a bad thing, because it gives us a good criteria for our skills. The downside is that it steers away from attribute development and leans toward competition, focusing on “beating the other guy” instead of “self development”. Point sparring moves too quick to really analyze what is happening, and any gain you acquire from it will either be incidental or realized after many matches.
Flow sparring is much different, and much more mutually beneficial for both participants. There is no time limit, no points, and no pressure to “score”. Flow sparring starts at the contact range, both players arms touching. In the beginning the tempo is slow and relaxed, with both players moving at the same speed, and not changing the rhythm, or “speeding up” to beat the opponent. That is really the only rule to this approach, if one participant is open, he may not accelerate his technique to close the gap or defend himself, he must maintain the same tempo as before. This prevents the game from gradually building speed and getting out of hand, where all you have is a pushing match instead of clean lines. When an opponent is trapped, locked or open, the nature of this exercise calls for him to go with his opponent’s technique, and let the scenario play out WITHOUT losing flow. Now, this doesn’t make the score “three to nothing, my lead”!! It’s important to realize this, because otherwise the pressure to retaliate will grow, and you will stop exploring technique. Soon, both players are locked down, without a clue as to how they got there. It takes a skilled, knowledgeable instructor to guide them through the beginning levels of this, because it’s a much more difficult concept to convey and grasp than standard point sparring, and overcoming the urge to blast through the other guy takes repetitive practice before moving on. This is the same theory used to begin sparring with stick and knife also, as well as empty hand vs. weapons.
The third style is a kind of…Controlled war. We started experimenting with less and less padding a few years ago, and have now whittled our gear down to a hockey glove on the weapon hand. Everything else is game, and if you stick it out there it will get cut off. This style is for advanced practitioners only, and even then only those who can consistently demonstrate high levels of skill, focus and control in the other two methods. The injury rate at this level can be severe if you don’t know what you are doing (hence the advanced caveat) and even advanced practitioners usually incur some painful ding or another. However, the advantages and payoff of skill level are incredible, and the results I have gotten from it have changed my system of fighting altogether. There is a much deeper understanding of distance, timing and execution of technique in the advanced sparring practitioner. Footwork and defense/attack combinations are developed to a greater degree, and wild uncontrollable “power shots” aren’t simply applied without thought of injury due to the “pain penalty” you suffer if you miss and the other player hits you as you pass by him.
One thing important this method has taught me is the true use of the power shot. The power shot is a finishing hit, it isn’t the opening move and it’s like sending your Queen out first before the pawns do anything. Any power shot involving a heft weapon such as a stick or machete requires time to deliver, and usually a second or two more in preparation. What the opponent achieves in power he sacrifices in speed, maneuverability and countering. If I see it coming (and you can if you train to recognize what the preparation looks like) I will be ready for him, even ahead of him. And then it’s just like laying in wait for the fly to hit the web.
As you progress in control, technique, and overall comfort in flow, you can play at varying speeds with different focal points of intent. Some approaches to this are:
1: Isolation
Isolate certain techniques to stress your weak points, i.e. sparring with just your left hand, using only one type of entry or counter, kicking vs. the left lead, etc.
2: Blocking, no Attack
Check, parry, negate or block all incoming attacks, but do not retaliate or counter attack. This will teach you to recognize an opening when one presents itself. It will also teach you the timing critical to judge when to wait for the best time to enter, and not “rush in” on anything that you think might be there.
3: Attack, no Blocking
This is a simple technique, but it has fundamental value that must not be ignored. Knowing both WHAT and WHEN to strike is the whole game, and timing takes the critical issue here. You would be amazed at the openings you discover when you can time the opponent’s attack and not be afraid of it.
4: Trapping with Footwork
Position is the operative word when it comes to trapping, and footwork is the only way to achieve it. A common mistake in trapping is to rush in on a linear path when a trap has been achieved. Using the circular footwork, you learn to maximize your position, instead of creating the ram effect so common in the trapping game.
5: Changing Levels
This technique teaches sudden drops and recovery to imbalance your opponent. The principle is similar to that of many grappling schools, pull when pushed, push when pulled. Instead of continuing the motion, experiment with jinking back in the direction you dropped from, thusly creating a type of rattle in your opponent’s equilibrium.
6: All Locks
In this concept, incoming attacks are dealt with through parry/negation, and eventually played to a jointlock of some kind. Again, although the concept sounds simple, this will not work unless both players understand it’s not a contest. The receiver must flow WITH the feeder, go along with his locks and he flows with yours, minimal, if any, resistance. This is an especially cautious point, because clamping down on an arm that’s hyper-extended or hyper-flexed can often lead to irreparable damage, so too much care in the beginning cannot be stressed enough.
Understand, these approaches are designed to work a specific skill, or focus on only a few attributes at a time. There are dozens more drills like these, and none of this is written in stone, there is plenty of room for invention and improvisation. Experiment with mixing a couple or a few of the above approaches, and you will find a concept that is completely unique to you.
Sparring isn’t a streetfight, and it’s important to know the difference. Although you can go “hard rock” in sparring and really ring each other’s bell, the intent is still quite different than the real thing. The emotional and psychological elements bring a characteristic that elevates sparring into an actual FIGHT. The mental and physical commitment of a person who has decided to kill you can be overwhelming to someone who has only done point fighting, using a certain set of rules. To be blunt, the heart isn’t there, and by heart I mean “Will to destroy”. This is a critical distinction, and any good instructor will point this out and train for the eventuality of real life. That being said, although experience is really the only teacher, sparring is the only way to achieve real flow, because it's the only controlled training atmosphere that's TOTALLY spontaneous. You can go at different speeds, and different focus of intent, use different weapons or empty hands, mix and match how you want. Every session will build skill in a way that premeditated exercises beginning with "Okay, attack me like THIS" never will.
Read More...
------------------------------------
FMATalk.com Post Bot - FMA Feed
By Bobbe - Sun, 09 Dec 2007 03:52:30 GMT
Originally Posted at: FMATalk
====================
Depending on which style of Filipino Martial Arts you train, and the philosophy of individual teachers, sparring holds different meanings at various levels. Some schools and styles don’t spar at all, or pass off drills as sparring, saying it’s flow. Most schools that do sparring of some sort usually promote it as a competitive point-scoring system, a method of training with a definitive “winner” and “loser” at the end of the round. Sparring has the potential to be much more, but to accomplish this, the instructor must be exposed to many different and varied approaches from several different arts, particularly those outside his own.
There are three methods of sparring in the Edmonds Academy: Point Sparring, Flow Sparring and Unpadded Sparring. Flow sparring is where you perfect your timing, flow and attributes in a spontaneous environment, point sparring is where you bring it to the table. Full speed point sparring is not developmental, it’s not the place to work on your weak points in fighting. It’s the presentation of technique, and often used as a measure for your progress in whatever martial art you are training. This in itself is not a bad thing, because it gives us a good criteria for our skills. The downside is that it steers away from attribute development and leans toward competition, focusing on “beating the other guy” instead of “self development”. Point sparring moves too quick to really analyze what is happening, and any gain you acquire from it will either be incidental or realized after many matches.
Flow sparring is much different, and much more mutually beneficial for both participants. There is no time limit, no points, and no pressure to “score”. Flow sparring starts at the contact range, both players arms touching. In the beginning the tempo is slow and relaxed, with both players moving at the same speed, and not changing the rhythm, or “speeding up” to beat the opponent. That is really the only rule to this approach, if one participant is open, he may not accelerate his technique to close the gap or defend himself, he must maintain the same tempo as before. This prevents the game from gradually building speed and getting out of hand, where all you have is a pushing match instead of clean lines. When an opponent is trapped, locked or open, the nature of this exercise calls for him to go with his opponent’s technique, and let the scenario play out WITHOUT losing flow. Now, this doesn’t make the score “three to nothing, my lead”!! It’s important to realize this, because otherwise the pressure to retaliate will grow, and you will stop exploring technique. Soon, both players are locked down, without a clue as to how they got there. It takes a skilled, knowledgeable instructor to guide them through the beginning levels of this, because it’s a much more difficult concept to convey and grasp than standard point sparring, and overcoming the urge to blast through the other guy takes repetitive practice before moving on. This is the same theory used to begin sparring with stick and knife also, as well as empty hand vs. weapons.
The third style is a kind of…Controlled war. We started experimenting with less and less padding a few years ago, and have now whittled our gear down to a hockey glove on the weapon hand. Everything else is game, and if you stick it out there it will get cut off. This style is for advanced practitioners only, and even then only those who can consistently demonstrate high levels of skill, focus and control in the other two methods. The injury rate at this level can be severe if you don’t know what you are doing (hence the advanced caveat) and even advanced practitioners usually incur some painful ding or another. However, the advantages and payoff of skill level are incredible, and the results I have gotten from it have changed my system of fighting altogether. There is a much deeper understanding of distance, timing and execution of technique in the advanced sparring practitioner. Footwork and defense/attack combinations are developed to a greater degree, and wild uncontrollable “power shots” aren’t simply applied without thought of injury due to the “pain penalty” you suffer if you miss and the other player hits you as you pass by him.
One thing important this method has taught me is the true use of the power shot. The power shot is a finishing hit, it isn’t the opening move and it’s like sending your Queen out first before the pawns do anything. Any power shot involving a heft weapon such as a stick or machete requires time to deliver, and usually a second or two more in preparation. What the opponent achieves in power he sacrifices in speed, maneuverability and countering. If I see it coming (and you can if you train to recognize what the preparation looks like) I will be ready for him, even ahead of him. And then it’s just like laying in wait for the fly to hit the web.
As you progress in control, technique, and overall comfort in flow, you can play at varying speeds with different focal points of intent. Some approaches to this are:
1: Isolation
Isolate certain techniques to stress your weak points, i.e. sparring with just your left hand, using only one type of entry or counter, kicking vs. the left lead, etc.
2: Blocking, no Attack
Check, parry, negate or block all incoming attacks, but do not retaliate or counter attack. This will teach you to recognize an opening when one presents itself. It will also teach you the timing critical to judge when to wait for the best time to enter, and not “rush in” on anything that you think might be there.
3: Attack, no Blocking
This is a simple technique, but it has fundamental value that must not be ignored. Knowing both WHAT and WHEN to strike is the whole game, and timing takes the critical issue here. You would be amazed at the openings you discover when you can time the opponent’s attack and not be afraid of it.
4: Trapping with Footwork
Position is the operative word when it comes to trapping, and footwork is the only way to achieve it. A common mistake in trapping is to rush in on a linear path when a trap has been achieved. Using the circular footwork, you learn to maximize your position, instead of creating the ram effect so common in the trapping game.
5: Changing Levels
This technique teaches sudden drops and recovery to imbalance your opponent. The principle is similar to that of many grappling schools, pull when pushed, push when pulled. Instead of continuing the motion, experiment with jinking back in the direction you dropped from, thusly creating a type of rattle in your opponent’s equilibrium.
6: All Locks
In this concept, incoming attacks are dealt with through parry/negation, and eventually played to a jointlock of some kind. Again, although the concept sounds simple, this will not work unless both players understand it’s not a contest. The receiver must flow WITH the feeder, go along with his locks and he flows with yours, minimal, if any, resistance. This is an especially cautious point, because clamping down on an arm that’s hyper-extended or hyper-flexed can often lead to irreparable damage, so too much care in the beginning cannot be stressed enough.
Understand, these approaches are designed to work a specific skill, or focus on only a few attributes at a time. There are dozens more drills like these, and none of this is written in stone, there is plenty of room for invention and improvisation. Experiment with mixing a couple or a few of the above approaches, and you will find a concept that is completely unique to you.
Sparring isn’t a streetfight, and it’s important to know the difference. Although you can go “hard rock” in sparring and really ring each other’s bell, the intent is still quite different than the real thing. The emotional and psychological elements bring a characteristic that elevates sparring into an actual FIGHT. The mental and physical commitment of a person who has decided to kill you can be overwhelming to someone who has only done point fighting, using a certain set of rules. To be blunt, the heart isn’t there, and by heart I mean “Will to destroy”. This is a critical distinction, and any good instructor will point this out and train for the eventuality of real life. That being said, although experience is really the only teacher, sparring is the only way to achieve real flow, because it's the only controlled training atmosphere that's TOTALLY spontaneous. You can go at different speeds, and different focus of intent, use different weapons or empty hands, mix and match how you want. Every session will build skill in a way that premeditated exercises beginning with "Okay, attack me like THIS" never will.
Read More...
------------------------------------
FMATalk.com Post Bot - FMA Feed
