can waiting too long to spar be a bad thing?

[pete]

it was just a little over 1 year (at purple belt) before i was permitted to spar in kenpo. i guess one should develop some level of understanding of the basics in a controlled setting before attempting to apply them in real time.

whether that timeframe is 6 months, 1 year, or 2 1/2 years is a judgement call to be made by the head instructor, but should be consistent for all students. it would depend on the type of training a student receives leading up to sparring, to be prepared and avoid injuries.

pete

 

[greyghost]

It depends. I'm of a mind that 2 and a half years is too long. I think I'd go crazy from anticipation.

Is there something more dangerous about your school's style of sparring? Do you not wear gear? In which case the instructor may be wanting to be sure that everyone has the control they need - before someone gets hurt.

It is, however, better than schools where you are thrown into sparring as a white belt. White belts don't know anything yet. As an instructor, most of my sparring injuries came from yellowbelts. Why? They don't have control yet. They don't have enough moves to choose from yet. Golly jeepers, if they aren't all cautious and afraid of everything, they go in with both guns blazing and hit as hard as they think they can. Takes until green belt before those guys realize I'm not the practice dummy, and try technique.

 

[cfr]

Is there something more dangerous about your school's style of sparring? Do you not wear gear? In which case the instructor may be wanting to be sure that everyone has the control they need - before someone gets hurt.

I dont know how most schools do it so its hard for me to say. I know that our guys do strikes, sweeps, takedowns. The instructor has told me that we spar how we train and we do all that stuff in training.

 

[TigerWoman]

I dont know how most schools do it so its hard for me to say. I know that our guys do strikes, sweeps, takedowns. The instructor has told me that we spar how we train and we do all that stuff in training.

So, you don't wear protective gear? If you do takedowns, its better to learn well how to fall. If you strike without gear, you should know well the control involved. TW

 

[sifu Adams]

I have two takes on this. Master Mark of the southen Prayingmantis told us once. "if you wont to learn to play the piano you have to have a piano, if you wont to learn to fight you have to have a parner" Now let me explane. You said you do drills. do they involve take downs, throws, strike, kicks ect... are they taught in a "What if..." mind set. (example what if they throw a round house to the head? her is what you do.) if they are done this way then you are learning to spar. I would tell you to stay in the art your instuctor is teaching you to react to what comes at you. this is the best way to learn to fight. we start sparing in our white belt ranks but it is slow 10-15% sparring. this lets the student start reacting to a kick and punch. If this is the training you are doing then My guess is when you start free sparring you will be vary good and probly surprise yourself with some of the tech. you pull off.
second take. going back to master mark. if you are standing in one place kicking and puchings with no interaction with another students. then when you start sparring you will be way behind. You will have to learn distancing and timeing that you can not get without a parner. good luck in your training

 

[sifu Adams]

one more thought. If you are doing drills with your parner make sure your parner is trying to hit you!!! don't let him walk through the movement or throw the tech. slow, to the side, ect. he should make it just like the guy who is out to kill you. (make sure you build up to this, don't wont anyone getting hurt) the mind set is vary important. the more real your parner can make it the better it will be for you. Example we have two man forms. and yes when I do them I know what my partner is doing. but I wait to the last minuet to block the punch or kick becaues in a fight that's how it will be. we also don't set a pace. we break the timeing. example: If I am throwing a punch, kick, punch. the first time I might throw Punch, Palse, Kickpunch. the next time I might throw Punchkick, palse punch ect... this makes my parner think and time the attack. At first you should make all the attacks at the same spot, head-chest-stomic what ever this way you train the reaction. after you learn that you can change it up and make your parner think.

 

[cfr]

You said you do drills. do they involve take downs, throws, strike, kicks ect... are they taught in a "What if..." mind set. (example what if they throw a round house to the head? her is what you do.) if they are done this way then you are learning to spar. I would tell you to stay in the art your instuctor is teaching you to react to what comes at you. this is the best way to learn to fight. we start sparing in our white belt ranks but it is slow 10-15% sparring. this lets the student start reacting to a kick and punch. If this is the training you are doing then My guess is when you start free sparring you will be vary good and probly surprise yourself with some of the tech. you pull off.
second take. going back to master mark. if you are standing in one place kicking and puchings with no interaction with another students. then when you start sparring you will be way behind. You will have to learn distancing and timeing that you can not get without a parner. good luck in your training

All of our drills involve two people. Yes they involve strikes, sweeps, takedowns. In the beginning we would stand in one place but after that we definatley mix it up with footwork. We dont stand in one spot.

 

[cfr]

one more thought. If you are doing drills with your parner make sure your parner is trying to hit you!!! don't let him walk through the movement or throw the tech. slow, to the side, ect. he should make it just like the guy who is out to kill you. (make sure you build up to this, don't wont anyone getting hurt) the mind set is vary important.

I always push other students to really try to make contact. (lightly of course)

 

[sifu Adams]

Then you are sparring. Maybe not free sparring but you are learning how to spar. stick with it sounds like you have a good instructor.

 

[TigerWoman]

Then you are sparring. Maybe not free sparring but you are learning how to spar. stick with it sounds like you have a good instructor.

Ditto on that...you are doing sparring. TW

 

[greyghost]

Then you are sparring. Maybe not free sparring but you are learning how to spar. stick with it sounds like you have a good instructor.

I agree. Especially if you love everything else about the school, except for the free sparring delay. 2 1/2 years will fly by.

 

[Bod]

The title of the thread is a loaded question. Of course waiting too long to spar is a bad thing. Waiting too long for anything is a bad thing.

 

[cfr]

The title of the thread is a loaded question. Of course waiting too long to spar is a bad thing. Waiting too long for anything is a bad thing.

Uhhh... OK. Guess I'll work on my "how to create a proper title for MartialTalk.com forums" skills. :ultracool