Chris
Admin
Joined : 16 Aug 2007
Posts : 232
|  Subject: Sparring  Tue May 20, 2008 1:27 am | |
| Some quick questions for everyone.
- Do you spar? If you do then why and if not then why?
- If you do spar, do you feel it is an essential component of an effective MA/SP training regime?
My own views are pretty fluid. I like sparring. I appreciate the conditioning it affords and the inherent benefits of a training session which forces you to give and take shots. I also recognise that there are more efficient ways to reproduce the true nature of physical violence in a training environment.
What are your thoughts? |
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Vic
Joined : 08 Apr 2008
Posts : 27
Location : Riverside ,CA
| | Subject: Re: Sparring Tue May 20, 2008 6:42 am | |
| | I like to spar. I think that it is limited as a training tool. What I think I get out of it would be getting over the fear of getting hit, it helps widen my tunnel vision. We also use the padded assailant suit. I don't know if I can say that when we work in it that is sparing because it is so different than the typical approach to sparing. I think that the suit is absolutely essential. |
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Lito
Admin
Joined : 11 Aug 2007
Posts : 485
Location : California
| | Subject: Re: Sparring Tue May 20, 2008 12:09 pm | |
| Hi Chris et al,
You asked:
| Quote: | | Do you spar? If you do then why and if not then why? |
Yes, I do but in a limited capacity these days.
I do so for the same reasons you and Vic expressed. I believe it's very important to pressure test your skills (not only physically but mentally as well) against a fully-resisting, uncooperative opponent in a dynamic engagement. I feel this way because it offers the opportunity to realistically (in a controlled setting) gauge your skill level and find out what truly works and doesn't work FOR YOU. Moreover, sparring gets you acclimated (when progressed to gradually and properly) to hitting and being hit in a dynamic thus realistic way. All these elements have relevant ramifications to a real-world street fight if it degenerates into a dueling, match-fight situation. Now, the "preemptive attack and (if necessary) follow-up barrage" method of asymmetrical personal combat is the preferred choice when it comes to physical self-protection as it does work extremely well expecially when clinically executed through a deftly managed/manipulated pre-fight set-up. However, as my mentor Geoff Thompson would say, even monkeys fall out of trees sometimes, meaning we may not always be able to preempt or, worse yet, we get preempted ourselves. If you can't neutralize a physical situation in 10 seconds or less, you'll likely find yourself in a match fight where size, strength, skill, stamina, and (p)syche all come into play in determining who will be the victor. In those kind of situations, it's essential to have a solid back-up "support system" and conditioning. Hardcore sparring greatly aids in developing the aforementioned attributes. By the way, a hugely beneficial consequence of having a good support system and being in good condition is that it empowers/reinforces (both mentally and physically) the preemptive attack/follow-up barrage methodology.
You asked:
| Quote: | | If you do spar, do you feel it is an essential component of an effective MA/SP training regime? ...What are your thoughts? |
Yes, see above.
The bigger questions for me these days is not in the vein of is sparring necessary (for me, it definitely is, no ifs, ands, or buts about it) but rather 1) how much, 2) how hard, 3) how often, and 4) for how long is sparring essential? These are quandaries that are still haunting me...
How long are the "benefits" from sparring sustained? Is it like riding a bike, once you learn/experience it, you'll never forget?
I'm in my mid-40's now and, as I've written about in past posts (here and elsewhere), a close friend (who's a world-renowned neurologist) of a close friend (Stan Peterec) advised that at around 40 years of age (give or take a few years depending on an individual's genetic make-up and all-around health) the cerebral fluid in the brain starts to diminish significantly. This fluid serves, among other things, in a protective capacity. As it diminishes over time, the brain becomes more susceptible to injury (short term and long term). Armed with this knowledge, at what point does the risks of hard, realistic sparring outweigh the rewards? How much are you willing to risk brain damage? Hmmm...
Here are some thoughts in no particular order...
I think that people can develop sufficient physical self-protection skills without having to spar. I just think that without some experience with hardcore sparring, a person won't really develop a fully-realized, deep, true confidence in their physical skills.
I think that the general age range for engaging in hardcore, all-out sparring is from 15 years old to 35 years old.
In my opinion, two telltale signs to stop hard sparring are 1) when you start noticing the headaches lasting longer than usual (whatever that may be for you) and 2) you start noticing a significant decline in your ability/reflexes to "pull the trigger" (i.e. your mind and body are not acting as one in a no-mind state).
For those who don't really like to spar but are willing to immerse themselves into the fire anyway, I've found a limited amount of hardcore sparring (can't put an exact number on it) has lasting benefits that will be ingrained in you. The benefits gained are like riding a bike, once "learned/experienced," it's never forgotten by the mind and body.
The one attribute I've found that is significantly affected from a lull in sparring is TIMING, specifically, the sport-based, tactical, give-and-take/back-and-forth timing as applied in MMA, boxing, wrestling, or any combat sport. This is an attribute that needs to be "feed" on a steady, consistent basis to keep razor sharp.
The timing, rhythm, and tempo of a real-world street fight is a different animal from its sport-based cousin. While it is a reinforcing benefit and confidence booster to have razor sharp sport-based timing, it is by no means the end-all, be-all reason to continue sparring, hardcore, all-out sparring past your thirties UNLESS you're a professional combat athlete. Being in my mid-40's and sparring sporadically for the last six years or so, my fight timing in real-world engagements has been surprisingly good. I chalk this up to all the prior fights and sparring experiences I had in "soaked in" throughout the years. In real-world fights, I'm not looking to time an overhand shot over an opponent's jab or counter a round kick with a cross as I would in a sportive-based fight. I'm not looking to analyze my opponent's weaknesses and ingrained tendencies as I would in sport-based fight. In a real-world street fight, I'm all about CONSTANT OFFENSIVE PRESSURE, RELENTLESS ASYMMETRICAL ATTACK irregardless of what my opponent brings to the dance. This does not require the precise timing that a sport-based fight needs to vanquish an opponent. What is needed for street-based fights is the resolve, the violent intention to close the gap and relentlessly, ferociously engage the opponent with a full-throttle attack until he's neutralized. On the street, it's about fighting with an all-out sense of urgency. The timing to execute this kind of attack can be honed and maintained through bag and pad work. The timing to land blows in a street engagement will take care of itself when the gap between you and your opponent is closed. When you're in his face, it's hard to miss your opponent unless you are very uncoordinated and discombobulated/disoriented by the chaotic situation. The main thing with street fight timing is the willingness to uninhibitedly engage an opponent and do so with a self-aware, presence of mind. It's closing the gap and getting in his face to throw bombs at his openings he presents. If you are a decently coordinated individual who has trained properly, your hand-eye coordination will naturally take care of timing issues at this close range. Now, the timing to see the openings "presented" by your opponent can be honed through deft pad and bag work alongside objective-driven light sparring. I don't know if I've conveyed my viewpoints clearly about street timing. If you see redundancy in my writings, it's because I'm having a hard time articulating the differences. Sorry about that...
As I alluded to earlier, while I've always savored hardcore sparring and have engaged in more sessions than I care to admit to myself, I'm doing less and less all-out, full-contact stuff as I'm getting older. I've decided that keeping what brain cells I have left and maintaining my long-term health/clarity is far more important than keeping my sportive-based timing sharp. I want to be able to functionally enjoy my family when I'm a very old man...
Even if I don't do one iota of sparring from this point on (which won't be the case as I'll outline in a moment), I know all the training, fights, and sparring I've engaged in over the years has ingrained/inculcated more than enough to carry me through any fights I'll be engaging in from now to the day I die. I have loads and loads of positive feedback ingrained in me through all my prior experiences that while my sportive timing may be off, I know I can successfully hit while being hit; I know I can take hard shots to the head, body, groin, etc without getting discombobulated and continue fighting with relentless ferocity; I know I can take and fight through pain and broken bones with relentless ferocity; I know I can maintain self-awareness and calmness in the chaos of combat and be target/objective-focused until the job is done; I know I have the "always-fight-to-win/never give up" mentality/physicality, and I KNOW FEAR AND PRESSURE and have successfully conquered both countless times. I don't need to continue to hardcore, all-out spar to know and maintain these things...
With all the above said, what kind of sparring do I advocate for someone in their 40's and beyond? Well, first off, let me backtrack. If you are in your teens to thirties (and in good health), I wholeheartedly recommend engaging in hardcore sparring to really pressure test yourself and find out about who and what you are and what works for you. Okay, back to being 40 and beyond. IF you are of exceptional mind and body, I believe you can get away with hardcore sparring once or twice a year if you're really itching to do it. If you're going to go down this road, I would recommend the following: 1) keep the duration short (five to 30 seconds), 2) wear protective equipment, 3) don't over-match yourself, and 4) don't have an ego, tap when you must. Don't risk unconsciousness or broken limbs because of pride. On a side note, being rendered unconscious through a choke/strangle in your 40's is risky thing too. Your blood vessels and such are not as healthy and pliable in your 40's. Moreover, you don't know how much hardness and occlusion your vessels have at any given spot. Don't take chances, tap when your opponent's got you.
Alright, here's what I advocate for guys over 40 and gun-shy people too. Light, objective/attribute-driven sparring primarily focusing on timing and accuracy in all its guises coupled with as-hard-as-you-can-muster interval bag and pad work, simulating real-world fighting conditions/reactions as much as possible. I adopted this methodology from muay Thai. Very few camps, if any in Thailand, spar all-out. They go hard on pads and bags and light/controlled with their sparring. I think it's a great combo and provides a good balance in training. I believe this is a format most physically healthy people (within their limitations) can do until the day they die.
Oh, one more thing, it's a bit out of context, but one nice thing about grappling-only sparring for those into it (and an advantage it has over striking-based/incorporated sparring) is that it's something you can safely do hard (relatively speaking) until your old and decrepit.
Well, I think I've rambled on long enough. If you've read this far, thanks for indulging me. I was certainly in the mood to write. Anyway, I hope some of you find my musings helpful...
Take care and God bless.
Best Regards,
Lito
_________________
The essence of true love is purposeful effort.
True happiness is attained through fidelity to a worthy purpose.
Winners take chances and perceive pressure as a privilege.
Whatever you believe, it's true. |
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Kobayashi
Joined : 08 Nov 2007
Posts : 10
| | Subject: Re: Sparring Tue May 20, 2008 11:56 pm | |
| Lito,
That was a great read! I'm in my early 40's  and I have been thinking abut this issue for awhile.
| Quote: | | Alright, here's what I advocate for guys over 40 and gun-shy people too. Light, objective/attribute-driven sparring primarily focusing on timing and accuracy in all its guises coupled with as-hard-as-you-can-muster interval bag and pad work, simulating real-world fighting conditions/reactions as much as possible. I adopted this methodology from muay Thai. Very few camps, if any in Thailand, spar all-out. They go hard on pads and bags and light/controlled with their sparring. I think it's a great combo and provides a good balance in training. I believe this is a format most physically healthy people (within their limitations) can do until the day they die. |
This is exactly what I have been doing lately, and it works just fine.
Also, it's no longer appropriate to show up at work with a black eye and a broken nose, especially when meeting clients etc. 
Cheers,
Kobayashi |
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