The way we do kyorugi

[Manny]

With all the discusion about full contact sparring/point sparring i n other tread I will like to explain what we do when do kyorugy on dojang. Well we can use what ever WTF protection we want, the boys usually only use the hogu and helmet and maybe shin pads.We kick full force to the body and head so we can say we are doing full contat, we can use the hands to the hogu but we do it as a defensive move or to set a kick but rarely as an atack because in WTF punches don't score all the time. We sparr for one or two two minutes minutes continusly at least a penalty is called then the master says kalyo and we stop to recibe the penalty.

We try for al the meanings to score a point with full power, we don't pull a kick or delivery a half way blow.

This is the way we sparr it's the way I do sparr, so logically when I did point sparring was very despointed.

Manny

 

[Dirty Dog]

At our school, the way we spar varies quite a bit.

We wear gloves and shin/foot pads. A few elect to wear headgear and/or hogu, but the vast majority do not.

Lower ranks use light contact and control is stressed. Senior students decide for themselves what level of contact they wish to use.

The head is a valid target, but we don't strike the unprotected face, although at higher ranks, where control is better, strikes to the face are often made and pulled up short. Sort of a "look what could have happened" shot. Same with the back.

Hands are used for both offense and defense, and to the same targets.

Points are more likely to be tracked for lower ranks. Most of the senior students don't really care about points.

Age/gender is not a factor in pairings.

On the issue of contact levels. We have a couple of black belt candidates (they could be testing this summer) who do not like contact. So we spar using light contact. Conversely, there are a couple other black belts (Quest is one of them) who do like contact. Frankly, when Quest and I spar, there is generally fairly heavy contact. Not full force, because we're friends and don't want to hurt each other. Briuises yes, fractures no.

On the issue of "varies quite a bit"... our sparring rules are somewhat fluid for higher ranks. When Quest and I spar, we do it more as a self-defense exercise than a point sparring session. We both have experience in grappling and falls, and we trust ourselves and each other. The last time we sparred, Quest moved in too close on a hand technique and ended up in a position from which his neck could have been cranked severely. I stopped short of cranking, and pulled the downward elbow to the spine, just as he pulled the knees he was throwing in response. That's normal for us, but not for the school in general.

The picture in my avatar is typical. I'd moved his guard with a spinning hook, and the roundhouse to the head staggered him a couple steps. A fine opportunity to follow up with additional techniques and finish things, had it been "for real".

 

[mastercole]

Our regular students explore the entire curriculum of Kukkiwon. Kukkiwon uses the word Kyorugi (gyoroogi, etc), in English that roughly translates to "sparring."

We practice the many types of Kyorugi in the Kukkiwon curriculum dealing with a variety of attacks with single to multiple attackers both pre-arranged and unpredictable free choice:

In the non-full contact, no knockout allowed category is the following;

Laying down in various positions, sitting in various positions, kneeling in various positions, standing in various positions (aka step sparring), walking confrontation, running/escape confrontation, against various grabs, against various holds, against stabbing/cutting weapons, against various baton weapons, against handgun and rifle, against environment weapon (bleach, salt, sand, soap, etc)

Semi contact category:

using all techniques found in the Kukkiwon curriculum (however, biting, eye gouge, groin kick, elbow to the face, etc can not make actually contact)

Full contact knockout allowed (for those who agree to venture in that realm):

Olympic style sparring

For the exceptional practitioner at our school, that excels in Taekwondo we give intensified focused training in Olympic sparring/Shihap Kyorugi and Seon (Zen)

-- We also include a little boxing (Marquess of Queensbury rules) and Scholastic Wrestling (introduction)