# hard or soft?



## striker (Jun 5, 2005)

please enlighten me,I train in silat which is purely self-defence not sport orientated so we have to slow spar.This is so there are no serious injuries.I am just chasing outcomes of hard sparring and how far other styles go to train in this area.Any insight appreciated.


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## silatman (Jun 5, 2005)

Its a self defence art and you have to SLOW spar, doesn't sound right to me maybe your instructor doesn't think you can handle the real thing....just a thought.


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## Shane Smith (Jun 5, 2005)

You must engage in intense freeplay to be competent in any martial endevour in my opinion and experience. A reasonable amount of safetly gear allows this to be done, even with wooden simulators or steel blunts
.


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## searcher (Jun 5, 2005)

When we spar with self-defense in mind or "street-fighting" I let the students go pretty hard.   I will let them go until someone taps out if thewy go to the ground.   I allow throws and take-downs at full-speed.   As for the level of striking contact I make them keep it at a moderate level.   There are the occasional testerone pumping teenagers or early 20's guys who try to kick the crap out of each other, but most of the time everyone spars at a level they can handle.

The thing to remember for class is that no matter why you train most of us, if not all of us, have to go to work the next day.


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## BlackCatBonz (Jun 5, 2005)

striker said:
			
		

> please enlighten me,I train in silat which is purely self-defence not sport orientated so we have to slow spar.This is so there are no serious injuries.I am just chasing outcomes of hard sparring and how far other styles go to train in this area.Any insight appreciated.


i think sparring for self defense must contain some level of realism and danger, this is the only way you will find out if your practicing the right stuff.


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## FearlessFreep (Jun 5, 2005)

Sparring should include speed and some degree of pain.  Striking an opponent is going to hurt a bit and getting struck is going to hurt so it's important to know how it going to feel, on both ends, as much as you can.  Speed and the threat of pain causes the adreneline to go up, and dealing with that rush and the 'fight or flight' syndrome is very important  We train self-defense slow to fine tune the techniques, we train self-defense fast to know how to execute fast, we spar light contace but we also spar heavy contact.

Anything you can do to get used to keeping calm and relaxed and focused under pressure is good.


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## MJS (Jun 5, 2005)

striker said:
			
		

> please enlighten me,I train in silat which is purely self-defence not sport orientated so we have to slow spar.This is so there are no serious injuries.I am just chasing outcomes of hard sparring and how far other styles go to train in this area.Any insight appreciated.



I feel that its important to have an equal balance of both.  Slow sparring, just like working a new technique slow at first, will enable you to work on the fine points.  Gradually adding speed will give you more of a realistic feeling.  

You didn't mention how long you've been training?  If you're fairly new to the arts, its always good to start off slow.  Too many times, beginners will get into the ring and just starting swinging their arms with no real technique.  As I said above, its always best to go slow at first and build the fine points! :ultracool 

Mike


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## searcher (Jun 5, 2005)

If you are wanting to test what you have learned I would suggest going to a Gathering Of The Pack that is put on by Dog Brothers Martial Arts.   If you go out to CA and fight it will give you an idea of whether or not what you are doing is paying off.   But be prepared to feel some pain.   As I already stated, nobody wants to get hurt while training in class.


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## striker (Jun 5, 2005)

searcher said:
			
		

> If you are wanting to test what you have learned I would suggest going to a Gathering Of The Pack that is put on by Dog Brothers Martial Arts.   If you go out to CA and fight it will give you an idea of whether or not what you are doing is paying off.   But be prepared to feel some pain.   As I already stated, nobody wants to get hurt while training in class.


searcher my missguided friend,with all due respect i have tried and tested what i have learned on a number of occasions and know that it has paid off! The question I was asking was how hard DO people out there spar.If I lived in U.S.A not AUSTRALIA I  would love to take it to DogBrothers!!! :ultracool


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## BlackCatBonz (Jun 6, 2005)

striker said:
			
		

> searcher my missguided friend,with all due respect i have tried and tested what i have learned on a number of occasions and know that it has paid off! The question I was asking was how hard DO people out there spar.If I lived in U.S.A not AUSTRALIA I would love to take it to DogBrothers!!! :ultracool


so you guys fight full contact wearing only a hockey mask and maybe some gloves?


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## silatman (Jun 7, 2005)

BlackCatBonz said:
			
		

> so you guys fight full contact wearing only a hockey mask and maybe some gloves?


Australia is a great big island in the southern hemisphere. We are the place with the kangaroos and the koalas and the army that comes to bail out the U.S.A when you get in over your heads.
 I think your mistaking us for that landlocked country in Europe called AUSTRIA. There is snow and ice in Australia but generally it is inside and made by a machine.
Our national sport involves a ball some goal posts and no fibreglass pads! 
Thus endeth the geography lesson.


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