What age do you stop sparring?

miguksaram

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Most karate tournaments that I've been to are points competitions, where points are given for strikes. I've not seen a one strike to win comp, sounds as if it could be intense.
Well going along lines with the "one strike one kill" the points at karate tournaments would only be scored if they would merit that type of "one strike one kill" technique. I.E. - Clean strong techniques with proper intent. I believe this still holds true for JKA tournaments. However, sadly enough, the NASKA and sport martial art tournaments seem to slide away from that. Now any crap shot to a legal target will score.
 

puunui

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I'm not sure why it is that karate's originator's felt that the concept should carry over from swords to hand and foot strikes, though. Seems like someone made a miscalculation there.


Because the karate pioneers in Japan were trying to infuse the Japanese bushido spirit and culture into Okinawan toudejutsu when converting karate into a competition activity. The one strike one kill concept was for tournament competition, where one clean blow would be decisive, just like if the contest were with live swords. But like so many other things in karate and the martial arts, that concept was misconstrued into a "self defense" philosophy by those who consider themselves "traditionalists", hence the secret death blow mentality and the subsequent deer in the headlights reaction when the secret death blow doesn't work.
 

SPX

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Most karate tournaments that I've been to are points competitions, where points are given for strikes. I've not seen a one strike to win comp, sounds as if it could be intense.

I would imagine it could be. Personally, I'm not sure if I'd want victory or defeat to be determined by a single strike. Lots of pressure.
 

SPX

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Forget...as any good Dim Mak "master" will tell you...."My techniques are too deadly for the ring." ;)

I guess if there's ever a fighter whose opponents all start mysteriously dropping dead then we know what's up. . .
 

Tez3

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I guess if there's ever a fighter whose opponents all start mysteriously dropping dead then we know what's up. . .

As long as they made the fight last a bit, a promoter's nightmare is when every bout ends in the first minute of the first round! You end up with a lot of long intervals lol.
 

SPX

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As a fan, I can certainly say that the best fight cards have a good mix of explosive knockouts and exciting decisions.
 

Tez3

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As a fan, I can certainly say that the best fight cards have a good mix of explosive knockouts and exciting decisions.


Decisions not good, you always get one fighter who disagrees lol. The answer to that of course is ...finish it! which sort of fits in with a thread about when you are too old to spar/fight! If you can't finish it don't start?
 

SPX

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At least with a finish there is no question as to who the real winner is. That is, unless it's a TKO where the ref jumps in too early, and that causes all sorts of consternation.

Personally, I don't mind a good decision as long as the fight is exciting. There have been a few legendary fights that have gone the distance, like Henderson/Shogun just recently.
 

RobinTKD

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I know it's a couple of pages ago now, but i haven't been able to get to a computer for the last few days, but in respect to knee kicks, it depend what part of the knee you strike, and what you strike with. I think you'd be more likely to take the knee out with a roundhouse using the ball of the foot to the side of the knee than a side kick to the front. A sidekick to the front will only bend that knee backwards if the leg is already completely straight, which isn't a natural stance for most people, that's why I'd go for the side/roundhouse.
 

Buka

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I've never found a roundhouse using the ball of the foot a high percentage strike to the knee. To exact a distance.
 

ETinCYQX

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A couple of years ago we brought a fighter across from America to fight on one of our MMA shows, he was nearly 60 then, I believe he has only just given up fighting. He's amazingly fit and only his grey hair gave away that he was older than he looked. Skip is a lovely man too.

http://realfighting.com/skip_hall.php

Off topic I'm sure but I'm about 90% convinced that Skip makes a cameo in Forrest Griffin's book "Got Fight?" when Forrest talked about reffing in Alabama. Guy around that age named Skip fighting in Alabama, almost has to be him I would think.

Sorry for derailing :D
 

Tez3

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Off topic I'm sure but I'm about 90% convinced that Skip makes a cameo in Forrest Griffin's book "Got Fight?" when Forrest talked about reffing in Alabama. Guy around that age named Skip fighting in Alabama, almost has to be him I would think.

Sorry for derailing :D

Skip does live in Alabama, though the last email I had he was working away somewhere sandy as a security consultant. I think he's a good example of the 'keep going' thing, that you only really lose your edge when you stop doing things or slow down. If you keep at what you are doing (within reason I guess!) you can keep going! I watched the Windsor (by the castle) triathlon the other night and a 75 year old year was doing it, got a good time too. He looked young than his age something else I think keeping going physically does for you so I don't honestly think you ever have to give up sparring!
 

MariaK

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At our dojang we spar 10-20 minutes at the end of each class, I mean really each class, no exceptions. Sparring starts with day one of training - it's always full contact and there is no difference whether you are young or old. And yes, we have 50 and 60 year olds who would spar you on a regular basis and some of them (especially former professional fighters) are much way better than any kids who started in their 20s. I mean I still can't understand how people in their late 50s or early 60s can have such flexibility and do head kicks, flying kicks etc. Our master instructor had an ad for the intra-school competitions "all ages (4-100) are encouraged to compete".
 

mastercole

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At our dojang we spar 10-20 minutes at the end of each class, I mean really each class, no exceptions. Sparring starts with day one of training - it's always full contact and there is no difference whether you are young or old. And yes, we have 50 and 60 year olds who would spar you on a regular basis and some of them (especially former professional fighters) are much way better than any kids who started in their 20s. I mean I still can't understand how people in their late 50s or early 60s can have such flexibility and do head kicks, flying kicks etc. Our master instructor had an ad for the intra-school competitions "all ages (4-100) are encouraged to compete".

That is interesting, young 20 something athletes are permitted to strike with full force against 60 year old practitioners, breaking ribs and concussion knockouts. amazing, first I ever heard of that. How often are the elders injured?
 

SPX

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Sparring starts with day one of training. . .

I like that. It's very frustrating to be involved with a school where you have to train for six months before they actually let you throw a punch at someone.
 

SPX

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That is interesting, young 20 something athletes are permitted to strike with full force against 60 year old practitioners, breaking ribs and concussion knockouts. amazing, first I ever heard of that. How often are the elders injured?

Well she did say that some are former pro fighters who frequently school the young bucks. . . I hope that when I'm 50 I won't be so fragile as to be scared to spar someone younger.
 

MariaK

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Hmm, what's the difinition of full force? I mean we wear protective vests all the time and people get kicked hard - you do not tap the vest. I tried to kick lightly at the beginning (like when I was a white and yellow belt) but was immediately ordered to kick harder because of two reasons: 1) in competitions you will not get scored for such a kick and 2) in real fighting situation this kick will not cause any damage. Maybe it's not full force, you are right, maybe 50% of force, but you feel the kick. Kicks to the head -we are advised on 30% of full force in order not to knock the person out. Regarding injuries - well, no idea. I have been training for about 10 months - nobody was injured except of younger guys - mostly when they hit each other accidently in the face, like breaking lips or hitting jaws. Regarding 50-60 year olds - my guess is that many of these people are doing tkd for years - not starting at the age of 60. My perception is that they are not injured often - younger people are injured way more often.
 

ralphmcpherson

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Well she did say that some are former pro fighters who frequently school the young bucks. . . I hope that when I'm 50 I won't be so fragile as to be scared to spar someone younger.
My instructor is 50 and I would not to spar him, he would tear me apart. We also have a 6th dan who is 60 in my class and he goes really hard and gives the younger guys a really good run. I certainly dont regard 50/60 year olds as fragile. The older guys are just better at conserving energy and kick and punch real hard so if they hit you, you stay hit.
 

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