Contact In Your Training

[MJS]

Martial Arts training is obviously a physical activity and its going to involve contact. My questions are as follows:

-How much contact do you train with?

-How much contact is necessary to make the training worthwhile?

-Do you include a balance of both hard and soft contact or is it mostly geared towards one in particular?

 

[Shaderon]

In our branch of TKD we train with very little or very soft contact, at least amongst the coloured belts, there's no point in hurting each other to train. When we do contact, we use kick shields and focus pads to contact with.
I believe their may be a touch more contact amongst the Dan ranks but not having seen these train I can't be totally sure, it wouldn't make sense to me to have anyone kicking holes out of each other though when there's other methods of getting the power in your kicks.

I'm sure the hospital has enough to do without patching us lot up too.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Contact is always good. Whether you are working with tools, kicks, hand strikes, trapping or joint locking and finally grappling. In IRT contact is important whether it be light or full contact. Great thread.

 

[Shotgun Buddha]

Light Contact to learn the technique. Whether its Striking, Grappling, or Groundfighting, its all fairly relaxed when learning the move itself, its more important to develop form than power at this point.

Medium-Full Contact to practice applying the technique, in either drills or sparring. We have the form, now up the power/speed/etc and apply it on a resisting opponent.
Attempts to sacrifice form for power usually end rather badly at this point. We're pretty strict on that. The pain makes me weep like little girl. Sob.

 

[MJS]

Contact is a big requirement especially if the goal of training is self defense. The training hall is the place to make the mistakes and correct them, rather than getting a surprise when someone is really trying to knock your head off.

Of course, depending on the ranks involved, contact should be geared accordingly. If two white belts are working together, contact should probably be little to none until that control aspect can be built.

For myself, I like a mixture. Sometimes when running thru a technique, it'll be light contact. The 'attack' is still going to be realistic, just on a slower scale. Then there are times when its good to pick up the pace, and really throw those strikes. Keeps it real and it keeps ya on your toes! :ultracool

Mike

 

[Drac]

Contact is always good. Whether you are working with tools, kicks, hand strikes, trapping or joint locking and finally grappling. In IRT contact is important whether it be light or full contact. Great thread.

Excellent thread..

I'm with Brian on this...When I train with Father Greek at seminars we go at it big time...

 

[kidswarrior]

Light Contact to learn the technique. Whether its Striking, Grappling, or Groundfighting, its all fairly relaxed when learning the move itself, its more important to develop form than power at this point.

Medium-Full Contact to practice applying the technique, in either drills or sparring. We have the form, now up the power/speed/etc and apply it on a resisting opponent.
Attempts to sacrifice form for power usually end rather badly at this point. We're pretty strict on that. The pain makes me weep like little girl. Sob.

Ditto.

 

[Sukerkin]

MJS put it across with nice brevity I think. When I did Lau, sparring was always deemed to be 'as full contact as your rank permits' i.e. the higher you were the more 'physicality' was deemed acceptable.

Of course back then, the concept of being padded up meant wearing shin guards so you soon learned, Sensei Pain being rather efficient .

 

[terryl965]

Contact is always good. Whether you are working with tools, kicks, hand strikes, trapping or joint locking and finally grappling. In IRT contact is important whether it be light or full contact. Great thread.

I would agree with what Brian said

 

[kidswarrior]

Contact is a big requirement especially if the goal of training is self defense. The training hall is the place to make the mistakes and correct them, rather than getting a surprise when someone is really trying to knock your head off.

Of course, depending on the ranks involved, contact should be geared accordingly. If two white belts are working together, contact should probably be little to none until that control aspect can be built.

For myself, I like a mixture. Sometimes when running thru a technique, it'll be light contact. The 'attack' is still going to be realistic, just on a slower scale. Then there are times when its good to pick up the pace, and really throw those strikes. Keeps it real and it keeps ya on your toes! :ultracool

Mike

Agreed, Mike, especially the graduated degree of contact/force. Don't want my higher ranks to go out and be surprised at what reality is like. On the other hand, don't want them to sustain permanent injuries in the training hall, either. As we increase the level of force over time, students are able to handle the increased contact--often even welcome it. This is a good thing. On the other hand, as you said, sometimes it's good just to take it easy. Don't always want to wear the killer face in training; actually can lead to burnout after four or five years, imho.

 

[gixxershane]

i like contact.. unfortunatly at our school we keep it lite contact..i think that i will help condition your body.. im all for it.

 

[KenpoGunz]

Martial Arts training is obviously a physical activity and its going to involve contact. My questions are as follows:

-How much contact do you train with?

-How much contact is necessary to make the training worthwhile?

-Do you include a balance of both hard and soft contact or is it mostly geared towards one in particular?

1. Where I train the level of contact varies depending on many variables, but anywhere from light to full.

2. There are alot of opinions regarding this topic. I feel the whole range of contact is important and has its place and purposes. For example,
light contact can be used when first trying new techniques and hard contact can be used to allow you to learn something about yourself. Medium contact can be used to turn it up but still stay mostly safe.

3. Answered above

 

[kidswarrior]

I feel the whole range of contact is important and has its place and purposes. For example, light contact can be used when first trying new techniques and hard contact can be used to allow you to learn something about yourself. Medium contact can be used to turn it up but still stay mostly safe.

Very astute. :asian:

 

[Shaderon]

Of doesn't it depend on what art you train in also?

 

[KenpoGunz]

Very astute. :asian:

Thank you sir

 

[Bigshadow]

Martial Arts training is obviously a physical activity and its going to involve contact. My questions are as follows:

-How much contact do you train with?

-How much contact is necessary to make the training worthwhile?

-Do you include a balance of both hard and soft contact or is it mostly geared towards one in particular?

There is always contact in our training. It is often between soft and hard contact. Another words, I get alot of bruises, but then I bruise easily. In fact, you can tell if someone trains in the bujinkan by the bruises they carry! :rofl:

I think some contact is important. I think it is part of shugyo "forge the spirit".

 

[tshadowchaser]

I have tried to tell my students that contact must be made when practicing, some understand some just seem to refuse to make contact until hurt or angry. Controlled sparring without contact, to me, is like shadow boxing or fighting oneself in a mirror.
As the old saying goes "if you have never been hit how do you know how you will react when hit".

 

[Xue Sheng]

-How much contact do you train with??

A lot, I do Traditional Taiji and you have push hands and then there is Xingyi applications

-How much contact is necessary to make the training worthwhile??

A lot, I do Traditional Taiji and you have push hands, if you want to understand Taiji and use it as it is meant to be used as a MA you need a lot of push hands

In Xingyi applications, I will just say it appears that most people that train Xingyi are into pain :uhyeah:

-Do you include a balance of both hard and soft contact or is it mostly geared towards one in particular?

Balance is a good thing. But I have seen more of it in Taiji than Xingyi, but then I am fairly new to xingyi by comparison to taiji. But then again, Xingyi tends to be more aggressive than Taiji.

 

[LawDog]

I agree 100% with TShadowChaser. :boxing:

 

[bydand]

We train from very light contact when first doing a technique, to downright jarring your teeth loose. It depends on the persons training together and the technique. Shoot some days I even get to go home WITHOUT a new bruise (not very often, but it has happened.) I do hate the days when the technique is done with a bo staff or hanbo; contact is usually hard and painful, but very quick to remember. Just as an "oh, by the way..." a wooden tanto training knife can cause a fella to bleed don't ask, I stabbed myself in the head because I couldn't let go and was tied up into a pretzel when I hit the mat.