I need to find a place with a large emphasis on sparring. There seems to be none in my area. How the F am I supposed to learn how to fight?

[Oily Dragon]

Dutch Kickboxing Mcdojo. Imagine that.

If that was some sort of fast food like the McRib, yes. I'd eat it.

Did you know the original meaning of "spar" was boxing without really boxing?

That's because just like fast food, sparring is best done in controlled amounts. And people who are too consumed with sparring for sparring's sake will end up the same as the people who consume fast food regularly.

For that reason I suggest choosing slowly grilled chicken over fried, and training more than sparring. Can you run 10 miles without stopping? IF not, forget sparring for now. You are probably not ready.

 

[_Simon_]

If that was some sort of fast food like the McRib, yes. I'd eat it.

Did you know the original meaning of "spar" was boxing without really boxing?

That's because just like fast food, sparring is best done in controlled amounts. And people who are too consumed with sparring for sparring's sake will end up the same as the people who consume fast food regularly.

For that reason I suggest choosing slowly grilled chicken over fried, and training more than sparring. Can you run 10 miles without stopping? IF not, forget sparring for now. You are probably not ready.

..................... now I just feel like chicken...........

 

[mjw1]

Dutch kickboxing typically spar hard at least 1x weekly. You must be intimidating all the teachers or something....

 

[auntlisa1103]

I would submit that what you actually need at this point instead of free sparring is step sparring. Choreographed sparring. Everyone knows the attack and everyone knows the defense. Build muscle memory (and self-confidence) through attack-and-defend drills so that responding becomes instinctive and you are less likely to freeze.

If you are anything like I was before I entered TKD, you freeze because neither your instincts nor your limbs know what to do.

And also you need to give a gym longer than two months before you skate.

 

[auntlisa1103]

Another note. Six weeks into TKD, I down blocked my 50 lb lab puppy to the chest out of pure instinct because he was taking a running leap at me (playfully/excited). I gave it zero thought. It just happened. And the only free sparring I had done was to use black belts as punching bags a couple of times. That instinct was far more due to one step sparring than free sparring.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

What so I should just ignore red flags.. like a moron?

What makes it a red flag? Being patient isn’t being a moron. If I have a new student, I never allow any sparring with them until they demonstrate a sincere desire to learn. That means swallowing the ego, doing the work, and being polite. To become strong you must have the courage to be weak. Accept that you don’t know the process that you are attempting to engage in. You must trust the instructor, and they must be able to trust in you. It takes time to build that trust.

 

[MrBigglesworth]

The answer to your question is "no." At least for the Dutch Kickboxing place. There was a guy there who had been training for a year and they still didn't let him spar.

Dutch Kickboxing Mcdojo. Imagine that.

Maybe they know the guy by now and realise that if he spars, someone (either himself or his opponent) is going to get hurt unnecessarily.

As for the OP, they probably realised after 5 minutes that whoever gets in the OP is going to want to knock his head clean off, which is bad for the club's insurance premium. ;-)