Pros/Cons of Point Fighting

[TigerWoman]

Someone said earlier that point sparring is great for building stamina (?)...continuous sparring is much more effective in building up stamina/endurance, IMO.

I was going to say, until you did. One of the negatives about point sparring is the constant start stop start stop. It is NOT cardiovascular unless you are overweight, out of condition or not breathing right. I much prefer continuous sparring as it simulates real fighting more as in class we can use hand technique to the head. I can work on technique, timing, distance, all of that just as much in continuous sparring actually more as it is more variable. I can also use my conditioning to wear down an opponent who doesn't like to move much. I stopped doing point sparring or chess moves in tournaments, I would rather just spar continuous in class. TW

 

[terryl965]

Everybody does relize they have continues point sparring where they do not stop the fight to award points on contact, they keep score and they judges deermines who wins at the end of the match.
Terry

 

[HKphooey]

Thanks terry!

 

[green meanie]

I hate point fighting. Hate it. Hate it, hate it, hate it. I'd rather have students in thicker padding than have them pull their punches.
It's as simple as that.

 

[jgrimm01]

I was going to say, until you did. One of the negatives about point sparring is the constant start stop start stop. It is NOT cardiovascular unless you are overweight, out of condition or not breathing right. I much prefer continuous sparring as it simulates real fighting more as in class we can use hand technique to the head. I can work on technique, timing, distance, all of that just as much in continuous sparring actually more as it is more variable. I can also use my conditioning to wear down an opponent who doesn't like to move much. I stopped doing point sparring or chess moves in tournaments, I would rather just spar continuous in class. TW

It makes a huge difference in how you strike, as well. Point sparring is good for teaching speed, but it does temper the actual striking and can detract from following through. Pulling punches is sometimes drilled into those who only point spar, and my fear is having that bleed through if a real world conflict should happen...

 

[still learning]

Hello, Point sparring will not teach you real fighting skills? It is not the same.

In a real fight? ..anything goes and most of the time none stop until someone is out of the fight.

No rules and you can do anything..rip , claw ,bite,spit, use a club,knife,anyone can join in, anything on the ground or around will be use to fight with. The idea is to keep the attack on and take the advantage when you can (if the other person is hurt)..you keep up the attack. Till you can escape. You don't want to be around when it ends. and you will want to be the person walking/running away.

Point sparring will teach you skills not use or needed and you will form bad habits in a real fight? Most people find out the hard way....but getting a lesson from a real fight (if you survive it) will make you understand this..now no two fights will be the same here? ..sometimes the other person is not a train street fighter..and you can still win point sparring style.

Loren christensen books mention this! and so does "Marc the Animal MacYoung books!

This is coming from experience people in the real world of what happens in a street fight.

Some street fighter I knew(long ago) tells me they will keep hitting you until you cannot move...then they know you will not get up to fight back....they learn this from experience growing up in a very rough neighborhoods. They still fight this way, killing you and going to jail (they being there and out) does not scarce them anymore.

Can you take it to this level? ..and believe your sparring skills and drills will work here? .....soldiers train for wars ....the real thing is always different.

That is why I do not like sparring too much,( I do have fun sparring the other students). It is a requirement to sparr.
Lots of people will disagree on this? ....but the more you seek information from experience fighter (especially the street fighter)...they love to fight people who only knows how to spar? .....cause they know they will have the advantage here.

Best to avoid and run away..life will be longer and more enjoyable...Plus no worries about revenge from the other person/persons.....Aloha

Running up hills is better than down hills? ...Why? ..do both and you will find which one is harder to catch a person on? the "art of war"....study this....Aloha

 

[HKphooey]

So I will pose the question...Do we beat the heck out of our students in the dojo with clubs, knives, chains, etc or beat the heack out of them until they cannot move to teach them what the real world is like? I believe most of us that found "pros" in sparring are not saying it is the end all, or reality. We (or at last I) was saying it is something that should be worked into their training. Most students are not lookin to become the next "Gladiator".

 

[HKphooey]

I will also add that I have dislocated a shoulder, broke a rib (mine twice and another persons), had my nose broken in some black belt point sparring matches. As you go up in the ranks shots get harder and quicker.

 

[DeLamar.J]

It will not prepare you for a real fight, but it sure is good fun. There are alot of skills you can gain from point fighting. Just remember that point fighting is just like sparring, exept you get prize at the end.

 

[stickarts]

I will also add that I have dislocated a shoulder, broke a rib (mine twice and another persons), had my nose broken in some black belt point sparring matches. As you go up in the ranks shots get harder and quicker.

That's for sure! The bruises, aches, cuts, etc.. over the years that I have gotten have helped me to be conditioned to not freeze up when I have gotten hit. That's a pretty valuable skill.

 

[Robert Lee]

Point fighting Or say spar Its ok on a small concept. Now some people compete do ok. Think they can really fight. Some can many when they get hit for real loose by not learning the other person is fighting not playing. In the early stages noncontact such as point is ok to start with. Then move on to at least light contact. this lets you find that range that can make contact. As point range is not a good fighting range. Every so often you should consider fare contact to know how to think and do in a real time action based fight. Live resistive performance test you better then any point spar ever could. You do not have to try and beat each other down but decent contact. To grow from. Just as self defence drill training. A person moves on to reaction drill no prearranged movements. They learn better. They get whats real and what not And what really needs more work. Might get a few more bumps and bruises but thats better in traing then on the streets where mistakes cost you dearly. And besides if a person never wants to train some kind of contact Then why did they really join a M/A in the first place. I know a certion amount of training should be done befor contact training is introduced But not years worth maybe at least 3 to 4 months for beginers.

 

[still learning]

Hello, Just want to add this...sparring is necessary! but train in sparring to attack like in a real fight! ...without hurting your partner. You do not need to go all out, or beyond....touch-hit can be useful. (upper ranks in our school hit harder as we move up). You will need to learn what it is like to get hit too!

To keep training in only POINT sparring, may form some bad habits. You
will hear this all the time? The way you train is the way you will fight....Why? ....because you had never practice any other way.

Learning kata's by the numbers is totally different when you do it without the numbers? ....do you agree? Real fighting....most likely will end in seconds.......Do you have the time? .........Aloha