I've only trained at relatively small clubs where you train with whoever is there, but I imagine that in larger clubs people tend to partner off with people their own size/sex? Not exclusively of course but more often than not I would imagine?
I imagine dealing with your own idiocy is a full time job, so we can appreciate why you don't have time for the idiocy of others as well.
If that were true, MMA, boxing, Judo, etc. wouldn't be predictable. Anyone could step in the ring with anyone, and anything could happen. Skill does have a huge overriding effect in a fight (not necessarily in an attack), though luck can swing that the other way in a small percentage of cases.
It fully depends on the kick, doesn't it? I've taken shots to the groin that slowed me down, and I've taken shots that put me down. Most of us have seen footage of MMA fights where someone took a HARD kick, and about a second later they are on the ground, completely done.
So, your base assertion is that one can either fight or cannot. And no amount of training can change that fact?
Agreed. This is one of the practices that becomes ingrained and protects us from the natural inclination toward Cooper's "condition white". A few easy habits like this give us better awareness, even in times when we're not really paying attention.
Those things are taught because, somehow, some people haven't learned them. I've taught variations of Cooper's color codes, and had people ask actual questions about them - indicating they hadn't thought of awareness that way (if at all) before. I've also taught customer service, and had people ask questions about things I consider very rudimentary and common-sense.
The same tends to happen in self-defense oriented schools, too. The big folks want to practice against big folks. Everyone* prefers to learn against their own size and skill level.
Which is why I believe my instructor will purposefully mis-match people, not only by size but experience, so he will make the 6'3" level 6 practice with the 5'6" level 2. The level 2 learns obviously from the bigger more experienced person but the level 6 learns as well. Applying techniques to someone smaller can add complications and the lack of experience can result in "surprises" because they are more apt to do something unexpected and "outside" what is taught in the school.
hmm, you can teach people the mechanics of fighting, you cant teach them to be a fighter, its an intrinsic personality trait, in ether combat or life generaly.
its the same extreme position that the guy is putting forward as being sensible,only sit with your back to a,wall, so no one can come up unnoticed and WATCH the door. That is pretty extreme behaviour
Agreed. I purposely pair people sometimes with a size/skill match, and sometimes with a size/skill mismatch. It's important to get both. I imagine the same experiential advantages apply for MMA training, as well.
Absurd. I've seen people progress from being afraid to punch someone, to being sufficiently aggressive to make them a fun opponent in sparring (meaning they became unpredictable and willing to go on the attack). In short, I've seen people go from "freezer" to "fighter".
