FMAT: Why doesn't sparring resemble training?

[Clark Kent]

Why doesn't sparring resemble training?
By cfr - Tue, 10 Jun 2008 05:02:24 GMT
Originally Posted at: FMATalk
====================

My disclaimer: These questions are meant to inform me, nothing more. I am in no way attempting to insult anyone, just understand....


OK, I've pondered this for a long time now, and never got around to asking. I'll be the first to admit Im quite the FMA newbie... full of questions, skepticism, wonder, etc. Most of what Ive seen thus far is on You Tube, and it's made me wonder. First sit and watch "kali", "kali knife", etc. on You Tube for a while. Pretty cool. Then watch "knife sparring". They don't look much alike to my untrained eye. Very little (if any) checking with the empty hand. No disarms. Nothing fancy it would seem. Merely cut without cutting.

Am I missing something here? Why don't they look alike? The same arguement is made all the time in "TMA vs. MMA" debates on other forums. In those debates the TMA guys always say "I cant do deadly techs in sparring". Fair enough! Valid arguement I suppose. But I don't see how the same arguement could be made here as it's weapons training, it's all supposed to be deadly. Plus most spar with protective gear on.

So what gives? I have an interest in FMA or I wouldn't be dabbling in it. I would say I've learned some valuable stuff so far. But it seems odd to me that training and sparring don't look alike.


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[pesilat]

The specific answer depends on the specific situation but here are some common reasons for this discrepancy.

1) Testing before developing. Sparring is a form of pressure testing. If the material isn't developed adequately then it won't come out in sparring - and if you attempt it then it will almost certainly fail. Tools have to be developed before they're tested. If they're not developed then they will fail when tested but you won't know whether the failure is due to a lack of development or because that tool doesn't really suit you. As a guy I know put it (about his BJJ training), "They started me sparring in my 6th class. Nothing I'd learned had been ingrained into me yet so I couldn't even try it under pressure. I reverted to what I've been doing all my life - I tensed up and used my muscles and tried to manhandle my opponent. Obviously that didn't work and the whole time people were telling me, 'Relax. It's not about strength.' But that's all I had available to me."

2) Rules of engagement. The rules used in the sparring match will drastically affect the way the material comes out. I was in a tournament once where the "knife sparring" rules were, essentially, first cut gets point with no weight put on what actually got cut. I wound up fighting a guy whose reach was twice mine. He stood with his blade up by his head and waited for me to get in range then he slashed at my arm. I moved in low (where he was open) and cut his femoral - there was a big chalk line on his inner thigh. He dropped and cut the back of my forearm. I was sparring as I'd been taught (wrt to blades) - go for the vital targets and don't worry much about surface wounds like cuts to the back of the forearm. The other guy got the point, though, because he cut my arm a split second before I cut his leg. No one with half a brain would actually face a blade-wielding opponent with their arm held up exposing their whole body. But the way the rules of this tournament were laid out that was a good strategy.

3) Equipment used. In my estimation, equipment used should be to protect against injury - not used as defensive tools. But a lot of people use it as defensive tools. This is very common in stick fights (and, unfortunately, I've been guilty of it myself - it's one of the reasons I hate using WEKAF style equipment when I spar; I prefer using padded sticks or, with more seasoned guys, sparring with rattan and minimal body protection [i.e.: a cup, mouthpiece, elbows, knees, head of some sort]). But even with all the gear or with padded sticks it's possible to keep it more realistic as long as everybody is honest about acknowledging the shots their taking - now we're back to the rules of engagement.

Those are the most common causes I've seen for this problem. There are others, I'm sure, that aren't coming to my mind right now but these 3 are definitely the big ones in my experience.


Mike

 

[AJPerry]

Hi Clark Kent

Mike Casto has made excellent points and I'd jst like to add a couple...

It is important to isolate aspects of your sparring training. When you train (not in sparring) you will practice single moves/techniques which is how your body learns the mechanics and they become familiar and flow. It is all controlled and you know what the attack is and how you should handle it.

When you shift this to sparring in a free for all environment you are unsure of what is coming at you and you resort to the safe basics to cover your ***. theirs nothing wrong with that but if you want to move forward you need to segment your sparring as follows

1. Try sparring with a limited number of attacks from your partner so you can practice your counter under a higher pressure, get used to the real speed of it.

2. Look at the reasons why your opponent would use the attack against you. What is the target? are you giving them an opening? Think of it this way, if you are the attacker, when would you do the move, what trigger are you looking for in your victim. Learn to spot it then learn how to offer it.

3. Learn how to bait your opponent by offering the right circumstances for the attack. When you are comfortable with the speed of your attacker you can try baiting them to use the attack on you (remember distance is your friend). Because you have baited them you should have a 90% probability of knowing what is coming at you and you know what your counter will be.

4. Train this way with all of your techniques to sharpen your timing, baiting and attacking skills.

IMPORTANT: This will make you a much more technical fighter but if you ever have to do it in the street be very careful of your opponents timing and their unpredictablity. They may not go for the bait you offer so don't rely heavily on set techniques. in a street fight you are doing well if 15-20% of the fight is technical.

With knife fighting, most importantly protect your heart, throat and main arteries while picking your opponent apart from your closest target to your main goal.

 

[arnisador]

That's some good advice!