Musical Forms

[IFAJKD]

Actually I do reccomend sparring with other systems and have done this as much as possible. The way around it is to discuss it with the schools Instructor and request this time with any student who may be interested. You can go to whatever level they wish to go to. I let them dictate that. Also I have been able to do this in exchange for teaching a certain area of what I do. Knife, Stick or trapping etc. Many schools are not willing to do this and you move on. I encourage my students who are ready to do this to seek it out whenever they can. I find it's easier to do it with Boxers, Thai boxers NHB people and Jujitu students as they appreciate and are use to contact and tend to profit from it as well. The bullitin board is a great idea and so is a small add. If it is your school an open sparring night can work out well. I have a friend who runs such a night in D.C. and he has had everyone from Sambo, to TKD show up. I think you have to train in a functional way outside your style and motion that you are use to seeing. My students already cross train as is the case in JKD but I am not talking about training in this way as much as I am talking about experiential sparring.

Miller

 

[Cthulhu]

From what I've heard, Gordon Doversola (Okinawa-te founder) used to have Friday nights at his school dedicated to open sparring, all comers welcome. I dont' think it's been done for quite some time.

I don't advocate going to other schools to spar based off my instructor's experience doing it in Tampa. Most of the schools were outright refused him. Some would hear him out, eventually only agreeing to let him watch a class or watch the top student go through a form or something. No sparring, though. One tried to get him to sign a contract to join. I think he only got to spar one instructor at a Goju school. When the instructor found out the match wasn't 'going his way', he ended the sparring session fairly quickly under some lame excuse.

I may have better luck where I am now, but my instructor's experience has left a bad taste in my mouth. Maybe one day I'll do it on my own and see if I get a better response. However, since I'm fortunate enough to belong to a university martial arts club, it isn't necessary

Cthulhu

 

[IFAJKD]

Hats off to your Instructor...So much to learn.....So many egos...
Keep trying. It is hard to find willing and open Instructors..
I have had my #$% handed to me enough in the past to have ego come into it anymore. REALITY: anytyhing can happen at anytime
Miller

 

[GouRonin]

Some people have too much too lose...as my friend once told me, everyone needs to eat some humble pie once in a while.

 

[Cthulhu]

I'm fortunate enough to be training with people of various skill levels so that whenever my head does start to swell a bit, there's always somebody who can pop it.

Cthulhu

 

[IFAJKD]

There is much to be said for not being hampered by ego. When that and other fears are gone there is little to loose and nobody to impress. This alone changes our performances...

 

[Cthulhu]

This sort of parallels what I told some beginning students a while ago.

They were all worried about their performance during sparring. Particularly, how I could seemingly tag them at will yet they couldn't land a solid blow on me.

I told them that I simply go into a sparring match not caring about the match. I just attack, not caring whether I look good or bad, or whether or not I get tagged or not. I just try to trust that my training will kick in to protect me. Simply put, I spar like I just don't care.

Of course, it's kind of hard to do this if you don't have any defensive abilities under your belt. They probably shouldn't try it until they've had more training so that their defensive responses are automatic.

Babbling again. Sheesh.

Cthulhu

 

[GouRonin]

Careful. I have a friend who is very fast and tags me a lot when we spar. However from boxing I sorta ignore these and then he gets a little confident and when he does I clock his @ss. reminding him that tags don't always cut the mustard.

Sparring is fun.

 

[IFAJKD]

I love it. Taking a blow and not showing it can be really devestating to an opponent or sparring partner. I enjoy getting hit to some extent. Though I have been hit by my first JKD Instructor so hard I had whiplash....No @#$%!...Didn't enjoy that one too much, or the two raccoon eyes that came with it. It can be fun to let yourself be hit when sparring...not fighting for real...and then just take it and let them come in feeling so good then bam.


So much fun

 

[GouRonin]

When sparring it always used to take one or two shots to my melon before I realized that I needed to get going. That's when you get that big grin on your face and start "Stalking Proceedures."

 

[IFAJKD]

Can relate. However, not a good habit. depending on the size of the blow.....Best defense....not being there

 

[Cthulhu]

Just because I use the mentality of not caring whether or not I get hit while sparring doesn't mean I want to or like to get hit

Cthulhu

 

[Bob Hubbard]

I usually prefer to spar with higher ranked individuals. 50% I prefer to learn from the more experience, and 50% its real embarassing to have your head handed to ya by a white belt....again.

I've noticed that somtimes, when they are "taking me to school" if I start laughing every time they land a blow, it tends to disrupt their flow a bit. Or, alternate the laughter with the stone-cold look.... Course, if it was anywhere near full impact I'd only last 2-3 min with this tactic, but when sparrin for fun, seems to work.

Just gotta stop blocking with head....

 

[Cthulhu]

The only problem I have with sparring white belts is they keep throwing feints expecting me to fall for them. Then they get upset that I don't fall for them. At least I call them feints...I'd hate to think all those strikes a foot away from me were supposed to hit. I give them the benefit of the doubt.

I remember sparring one girl who kept throwing feints (or missing...again, benefit of the doubt) who was getting frustrated that I wasn't attacking. Well, far as I was concerned, she wasn't attacking me, so what the hell? Anyhow, I ended up closing the gap with feints and combos (PIA, anyone? ) and she kind've lost her nerve after that. She had good spirit, but lost it when a concentrated attack came at her. Too bad she's not training anymore.

One thing I usually try to do after I spar a lower ranked student is to tell that student how I got to them and how to better their defense against me. Basically, I try to help that student learn how to beat me. This way, hopefully his sparring gets better and I also get a better workout the next time.

Cthulhu

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Thats exactly why I prefer sparring higher ranked folks.

They tell me where to improve, where as with lower ranks, they either aren't a challenge, or have'nt learned control yet and ya get hurt. Or spend 10 min playing tag. ><

 

[Cthulhu]

Sparring with lower ranked students with no control used to aggravate the holy spit outta me. Now, I take one of several approaches.

1) Show them what control is. When the opportunity presents itself, I launch the fastest, most powerful punch I can at their face, stopping just short of knocking their block off. Even if they don't understand that they need to control themselves better, they usually back off in fear. A nice kiai at the same time can add to the effect.

2) If the above doesn't work, pop 'em one. Usually not to the face. A good sharp hook punch to the stomach or a roundhouse to the body will work. Don't try to kill them, but put enough behind the blow to make them think about it.

3) Go completely defensive. Just work on your parrying/blocking/slipping/trapping. Locking them up can be fun. Well, fun for you, demoralizing for them.

4) We actually had a student kicked out of the college class for sparring with no control. He'd just start hitting harder and harder. After two warnings, the teacher told him to leave. He came back about a week later, when we were sparring with 'judges'. As usual, he had no control. To make things worse, he'd whine like a 4-yr. old whenever he thought a judge missed a point. Unfortunately, I never got to spar him. I could've had fun. Vindictive, I know...I ain't perfect He never came back after that, anyway. Eventually, everybody runs into someone like him.
Oh, the point is, if you have to, kick 'em out. If they can't gain control, they can't spar.

Heh...wasn't this topic originally about musical forms?

Cthulhu

 

[Bob Hubbard]

I whistle while I spar?
Class I'm in usually has some music playing...need to bring in some good German Metal...Running Wild, Ramstein, etc.

I'll save the Enya for my Tai Chi class.

 

[GouRonin]

Note: The upper part of the forehead is good for breaking those punshes you just don't feel like blocking.

 

[IFAJKD]

just checking what you guys are calling feints...Too often I see people throw stuff from two maybe three miles away just to do it. I typically have a process in my sparring intercept or destroy apply pressure (PIA or ABC) and terminate. The terminate for us is No contact as it is elbows knees and headbutts but if we then go to the ground then locking or general ground and pound is great...

Oh yeah...Mega Death "Crush em" or sim music for this type of training. we train with music all the time....Drum music when training Kali or Escrima

 

[Cthulhu]

Well, technically a feint is only a feint if it makes the other person respond. Whether or not that happens depends on who you're sparring. I've seen people flinch from hand attacks made beyond kicking range. Just depends.

Cthulhu