Clashing limbs during sparring

[Kung Fu Wang]

clash out limbs against anything other than the intended target.

Of course your opponent won't let your fist to hit on his face. He will try to use his arm to stop your punch.

- In sword fight, your sword will clash against your opponent's sword. You try to swing your sword to cut your opponent's head off. your opponent tries to use his sword to block your sword.

- In fist fight, your arm will clash against your opponent's arm. You try to punch your opponent's head. your opponent tries to use his arm to block your punch.

If sword clash sword is normal, arm clash arm should be normal too.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Also more likely if you are south paw facing authodox because you keep going across each other.

One should be able to switch dominant sides freely, like a switch hitter. I haven’t met someone who can tell if I’m right or left handed. I shoot better with my left but can write with either hand( my writing slant tells which hand I used). I switch sides to confuse people. I do Tai chi to both directions as well. I think I am more inclined to the right, but it depends on the activity.

 

[Buka]

I recently sparred with a white belt and I think I know the problem: white belts throw techniques too slowly. When I spar with a black belt, we're both moving too fast to even clash out limbs against anything other than the intended target. White belts, on the other hand, throw these very slow techniques (and because I need to exercise control with white belts, I go slow too), so the chance of clashing is much higher.

The problem I see with white belts in a lot of the striking schools I've been to is - often times they're not taught to how to spar. When a sparing session is part of a class, they're often paired with another white belt, verbally coached by the instructor and just stumble along with each other. In effect, it's having white belts teach each other.

I taught for a lot of years. Either myself, or one of my black belts taught the white belts how to spar. It's completely different than in the grappling arts, as it should be. But in striking of any kind, I feel the onus is on the Chief Instructor.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

The problem I see with white belts in a lot of the striking schools I've been to is - often times they're not taught to how to spar. When a sparing session is part of a class, they're often paired with another white belt, verbally coached by the instructor and just stumble along with each other. In effect, it's having white belts teach each other.

I taught for a lot of years. Either myself, or one of my black belts taught the white belts how to spar. It's completely different than in the grappling arts, as it should be. But in striking of any kind, I feel the onus is on the Chief Instructor.

Yes, I pair the most experienced with the least experienced. They help each other.

 

[drop bear]

One should be able to switch dominant sides freely, like a switch hitter. I haven’t met someone who can tell if I’m right or left handed. I shoot better with my left but can write with either hand( my writing slant tells which hand I used). I switch sides to confuse people. I do Tai chi to both directions as well. I think I am more inclined to the right, but it depends on the activity.

From memory point fighters will tend to sit across from each other though.

Maybe not.
I don't point spar.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

From memory point fighters will tend to sit across from each other though.

Maybe not.
I don't point spar.

My first sensei is in that video! Looks like he's a coach for the guy with the white pants; he's the guy standing behind him. A bit bent over hands on his knees at 1:11.
Trying to figure out if the guy is someone I used to train with or not, he looks a bit familiar.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

From memory point fighters will tend to sit across from each other though.

Maybe not.
I don't point spar.

I wouldn’t know, I have never point sparred. I haven’t a clue What that means. Sit across from each other? Could you explain?

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

I wouldn’t know, I have never point sparred. I haven’t a clue What that means. Sit across from each other? Could you explain?

I think he means "uniform stance" that both persons have the same side forward. You have the least amount of opening this way.

I assume

- uniform stance,
- mirror stance,
- front door,
- side door,

are all commonly used MA terms.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Still, nobody has responded to my question, "When your opponent blocks your punch, is that clashing limbs?"

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

I think he means "uniform stance" that both persons have the same side forward. You have the least amount of opening this way.

I assume

- uniform stance,
- mirror stance,
- front door,
- side door,

are all commonly used MA terms.

I haven’t heard those before. There is a lot I don’t know about.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

I think he means "uniform stance" that both persons have the same side forward. You have the least amount of opening this way.

I assume

- uniform stance,
- mirror stance,
- front door,
- side door,

are all commonly used MA terms.

Thank you.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Still, nobody has responded to my question, "When your opponent blocks your punch, is that clashing limbs?"

It doesn’t have to be. I don’t have to use limbs to block. I can turn my body to block and avoid the clash altogether.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I wouldn’t know, I have never point sparred. I haven’t a clue What that means. Sit across from each other? Could you explain?

There's no one set of rules for point sparring. But most commonly, it's the sort of thing you see in the Karate Kid movies. Limited contact, fighting stops when a point is scored, match ends when time expires or the required number of points is scored.

Still, nobody has responded to my question, "When your opponent blocks your punch, is that clashing limbs?"

Sometimes. If my block causes you pain, then it probably was. And it was probably intentional.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

There's no one set of rules for point sparring. But most commonly, it's the sort of thing you see in the Karate Kid movies. Limited contact, fighting stops when a point is scored, match ends when time expires or the required number of points is scored.

Sometimes. If my block causes you pain, then it probably was. And it was probably intentional.

Thank you. I’m ignorant to a lot of what is common to most MA folks. I appreciate your help.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

There's no one set of rules for point sparring. But most commonly, it's the sort of thing you see in the Karate Kid movies. Limited contact, fighting stops when a point is scored, match ends when time expires or the required number of points is scored.

Sometimes. If my block causes you pain, then it probably was. And it was probably intentional.

I can’t imagine myself doing well in a start/stop limited contact situation. Do people train specifically for that type of competition? On the surface it seems to me that that could build bad habits. I was always taught that what you do in the gym during training is what you will do in the street. I wouldn’t want to teach myself to stop after a contact point, nor would I want to pull punches. Obviously, I don’t know a thing about that type of training, so I’m asking your opinion. Thanks again for the response.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

I haven’t heard those before. There is a lot I don’t know about.

1. uniform stance - both persons have same side forward.
2. mirror stance - you and your opponent have different sides forward.
3. front door - space between your arms.
4. side door - space outside of your arms.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I can’t imagine myself doing well in a start/stop limited contact situation. Do people train specifically for that type of competition?

People who are sport-focused tend to train for that particular ruleset.

On the surface it seems to me that that could build bad habits.

Sure. If that's all you do. There are plenty of stories about BJJ people turning loose in a real fight because their opponent tapped. Or police disarming someone and returning the weapon. I've personally had a student ejected from a WT-rules tournament because he couldn't resist the urge to punch his opponent in the head. The other students in the same event had no difficulty adapting.
But this is really only a problem for people who train extensively for a particular ruleset. You can always mix up the rulesets in your training.

I was always taught that what you do in the gym during training is what you will do in the street. I wouldn’t want to teach myself to stop after a contact point, nor would I want to pull punches.

I would turn it the other way. I expect control, and I expect students to develop control. If I hit someone hard, you can assume it was because I intended to do so.
It's also one reason I've generally favored pairing up brand new people with experienced people for sparring. They're less likely to hurt the experienced student while they learn control.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

1. uniform stance - both persons have same side forward.
2. mirror stance - you and your opponent have different sides forward.
3. front door - space between your arms.
4. side door - space outside of your arms.

Thank you.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

People who are sport-focused tend to train for that particular ruleset.

Sure. If that's all you do. There are plenty of stories about BJJ people turning loose in a real fight because their opponent tapped. Or police disarming someone and returning the weapon. I've personally had a student ejected from a WT-rules tournament because he couldn't resist the urge to punch his opponent in the head. The other students in the same event had no difficulty adapting.
But this is really only a problem for people who train extensively for a particular ruleset. You can always mix up the rulesets in your training.

I would turn it the other way. I expect control, and I expect students to develop control. If I hit someone hard, you can assume it was because I intended to do so.
It's also one reason I've generally favored pairing up brand new people with experienced people for sparring. They're less likely to hurt the experienced student while they learn control.

That also makes sense, learning to have brakes is useful in every way. I never thought much about point sparring or competition in that way. I appreciate your response, thank you.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

My first sensei is in that video! Looks like he's a coach for the guy with the white pants; he's the guy standing behind him. A bit bent over hands on his knees at 1:11.
Trying to figure out if the guy is someone I used to train with or not, he looks a bit familiar.

Update-don't know either of their names, and they're from california so probably not. There's a chance I trained with them for a month or two as there were often people from cali that came to our dojo to train, during the summers, and I left that dojo in probably 2009ish. Just wild seeing my teacher in an old video from 2011.