Sparring Instructors

[Drac]

the tendency to lean or turn face into what would have been a controlled technique if not for their spastic reaction

That use to be a bad habit with me until a 3rd Brown rung my chimes once and I NEVER did it again....You don't get those corrective lessons without sparring someone better than you..My opinion...

 

[kanjc]

Have you suggested simple one step sparring? It is not as effective as light or full contact sparring but at least you get to react to an attack in different ways to find out what works and what doesn't. I think maybe that instructor has confidence issues. When we spar in our school we tend to do Iron man method, 1 person up and does 1 minute rounds with each person until you have gone through everyone including the instructors. Nothing gives you quite the same boost of confidence as scoring on a 2nd or 3rd Dan blackbelt when you are still a brown or red belt.

 

[swiftpete]

Most classes nowadays we spar with the instructor at the end for about 10 minutes. He takes everyone on at once. I always end up knackered after a while but he tends to still look alright. If we get one in on him he just laughs about it afterwards when we're done. Its only training you're all there for after all not competing for ego reasons. He says it what keeps him sharp and its good training for him too.
If you're teaching someone you should have the control not to really hurt them, if someone says that they can't spar cos they'd hurt people I'd tend to think he doesn't want to look bad by maybe getting hit and is just making excuses.

 

[rickster]

Thanks to all who responded. I havent been around for awhile.

 

[Zero]

As Still Learning and others said, it's all about control and about pre-agreed levels of intensity and contact so there is a consensus/understanding at what level the sparring session is at.

It sounds strange as a sifu/master should have the control himself even if pressed by skilled students and also, just as confusing, the senior students should also have enough experience and control themselves to avoid the teacher, or more likely themselves, getting hurt via excessive contact.

Accidents always will happen, but with control a lot of serious damage can be avoided.

I spent about two years training in WC alongside my karate to get some of its great ideas. Appreciate this is of course v. junior and not much time but due to my years of training in karate and other arts I used to spar after class and separately in the weekends with the sifu's most senior black shirt student. It would be quite freestyle as at times we would agree I would use karate and TKD, ie kicks at all heights. Other times we would use purely WC to spar in semi contact (I generally got served!). I thought this was beneficial to us both because when we started he was not at all excperienced in dealing with high kicks. Then the sifu put an end to this, I never really understood why (on reflection I probably do now), I tried to press him but he got quite angry. It took my heart out of the club as in the classes there was no unrestrcited sparring. I soon dropped it and focused on just karate and jujitsu again. This is no bag at all against WC, this is just an experience about how frustrating it can be for some students when they don't have an open(ish) forum to try their skills on peers and more advanced practitioners.

I have always found that sparring against your sensei is the best way to find (and eliminate) your sloppy aspects/weaknesses and what could be better for preparing you for competition or real life?

 

[Big Don]

Absolutely, a coach does not need to be a fighter. Try to picture Micky and Rocky going at it...

Brilliant.

 

[James Kovacich]

All good posts. I think sparring is greatly misunderstood. But the most damaging is thinking sparring is a good reflection of their martial art as we most often see it dos not look much like what we practice.

Sparring dos work many attributes that we don't get in our other class training but at the same time it isn't real either. I train with an elderly instructor (70 yo) and I hope I move that well at that age.

Could I spar him, yes, would I no, atleast not realistically. There are many reasons why not to spar with students. Just take what you can from them while they are still available. Young or old, if your there, they have something to offer.

 

[Blade96]

sensei sparrs with brown and BB's in class to show us how to do stuff.

 

[Josh Oakley]

Is he part of an organization? When I was in an organization, I sparred with my students until my organization put the kaibosh on instructors sparring with students. And yes, it was for the purpose of maintaining the "sensei mystique". That never sat right with me.