How to still have fun in competition through your old age

[Kung Fu Wang]

You may stop competion during your old age. But you don't have to if you can just modify the competition rule as:

One person play offense. The other person play defense.

For example, in 1 minute (or 30 seconds) timeframe, if the attacker can

- land his punch/kick on the defender,
- take the defender down.
- ...

the attacker wins that round. Otherwise, the defender wins that round.

If you

- feel good today, you may try to be an attacker.
- don't feel good today, you may try to be a defender.

It's not a real fight. But you can still test your offense/defense skill in a safe environment.

What's your opinion on this?

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

This method is also a good way to develop a certain technique.

For example, if you want to play as an attacker, you can keep using the same technique over and over. Since your opponent only plays defense and won't fight back, you can just concentrate on making your particular technique work.

 

[MetalBoar]

This method is also a good way to develop a certain technique.

For example, if you want to play as an attacker, you can keep using the same technique over and over. Since your opponent only plays defense and won't fight back, you can just concentrate on making your particular technique work.

We did a lot of this sort of thing at my Hapkido school and I think it was really valuable. I agree that it's a great way to practice against something like real resistance with a greater degree of safety. Either for those who need/want to really minimize their risk of injury or as a bridge to develop skills to prepare for free sparring.

 

[isshinryuronin]

Don't like this idea. May work for a grappling art, or boxing if the defender is a good dancer. But a minute, or even a half minute, is a long, long time to defend against multiple attacks with hands and feet flying and the attacker not having to worry about counters. The attacker would invariably win this scenario.

This is not competition but could be an OK beginner practice or drill against a predetermined attack of a particular technique, as you mentioned.

A big problem I have with this idea is that it goes against basic tactical doctrine of simultaneous defense and offense, or at least countering ASAP. I teach to be able to launch a counter after two attacks at the most. More than this, you are either going to get hit, or are letting the attacker off the hook by not taking advantage of his openings. Both these results are not good habits to foster.

A better idea IMO is to just (playfully) spar with agreement to modify the rules to go easy on the power and speed, leaving the tactics and mindset intact. As old guys, ego and domination should give way to just having some fun and keeping the body in good shape. This, along with some heavy bag or pad work, will allow a 60+ year old still be a "martial artist." If one's condition is such that injury is a major factor, kata/forms done with some intent will do.

A number of tournaments now have senior divisions, but in my experience is it's no cake walk, with many of the fighters having a lot of experience and still possessing good physical skills. I will try to push myself thru "old age" for as long as possible before reluctantly throwing in the towel - maybe at 80-85 years if I'm still around.

 

[MetalBoar]

Don't like this idea. May work for a grappling art, or boxing if the defender is a good dancer. But a minute, or even a half minute, is a long, long time to defend against multiple attacks with hands and feet flying and the attacker not having to worry about counters. The attacker would invariably win this scenario.

This is not competition but could be an OK beginner practice or drill against a predetermined attack of a particular technique, as you mentioned.

A big problem I have with this idea is that it goes against basic tactical doctrine of simultaneous defense and offense, or at least countering ASAP. I teach to be able to launch a counter after two attacks at the most. More than this, you are either going to get hit, or are letting the attacker off the hook by not taking advantage of his openings. Both these results are not good habits to foster.

A better idea IMO is to just (playfully) spar with agreement to modify the rules to go easy on the power and speed, leaving the tactics and mindset intact. As old guys, ego and domination should give way to just having some fun and keeping the body in good shape. This, along with some heavy bag or pad work, will allow a 60+ year old still be a "martial artist." If one's condition is such that injury is a major factor, kata/forms done with some intent will do.

I agree that it shouldn't be used in a vacuum. When my instructor had us do these sorts of drills in Hapkido it was just a piece of the puzzle, primarily used to practice applying/countering joint locks and throws. I think this can be a useful tool to have in your tool chest. Similar to light contact sparring, you learn certain valuable lessons in a safer context at the cost of some realism. If you treat it as the be all and end all of your art you're going to develop a lot of bad habits, but that's true of a lot of drills and training methods.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Don't like this idea.

Let's look at this way. Assume you have trained spin hook kick for many years. In sparring, you are afraid to turn your back into your opponent. For the rest of your life, you may never use it in sparring.

If your opponent only plays defense. You can remove your fear and keep trying to use it. The more that you can use it successfully, the more confidence that you will have and the better your skill will be.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Let's look at this way. Assume you have trained spin hook kick for many years. In sparring, you are afraid to turn your back into your opponent. For the rest of your life, you may never use it in sparring.

This is another one of those things you say that don't make any sense. I mean, I have only been training for 50-some years, but I cannot think of a single person who had trained the spinning hook to even a moderate level of skill and was then afraid to throw it while sparring. And I seriously doubt you've ever seen this happen either.