How many of you practice besides WTF/Olimpic Style Sparring (no hands allowed) another kind of sparring like the ITF where hands can be used even to the head/face area? or something else where even in a safely way the use of sweeps and takedowns and pins for example used too.
In my city the TKD dojangs only practice WTF/olimpic sparring and we don't have any ITF dojang.
I am trying (if samboning allows me) to implement in the adult class some kind of ITF sparring using only the helmet,the globes and shin/instep pading plus the mouth piece and and groing cup.
Manny
Okay, a couple of things that need to be addressed here.
Firstly, hands
are allowed. Techniques are limited to closed fisted strikes to the torso.
Secondly,
if you are looking to do this for self defense reasons, keep in mind that General Choi (since you mentioned ITF style sparring) did not consider the sparring to be self defense, but implemented it to foster a spirit of competiton. He considered the hoshinsul to be the SD element, which does not resemble ITF sparring.
Thirdly, and I'm not sure if this has ever come up in conversation with you, but if you are looking for a more free form style of fighting with kicks, punches, throws, sweeps, takedowns, and grabs, you might be served better by going to an MMA gym once or twice a week in addition to your TKD training, or a karate club, which will resemble ITF rules with regards to hands more than WTF rules do.
Lastly, while I don't see anything inherently wrong in what you are looking for, I question whether or not you have the expertise to implement it. Have you learned sweeps, and takedowns and break falling? If you're going to start tossing opponents onto the mat, falling is pretty important. Does your school teach this already? If not, have you learned falling and rolling? And if so, are you proficient enough to teach your students to fall and to roll?
Anytime you change the sparring rules, you need to do more than just change the rules. The students need to be trained to fight in that style, whatever it may be, and someone needs to be able to train them to do so. If nobody in the school presently fights in any style other than WTF, then there really is nobody there qualified to effectively implement it.
Which brings me back to the MMA gym. If this is something that you are looking for for your own personal enrichment (which is what it sounds like), then an MMA gym will likely have people on hand to train you in those areas (boxing coach, judo/BJJ coach, etc.).
Keep in mind that aside from TKD, I do not know your level of training in other areas, so I am erring on the side of caution in my post rather than assuming you to be deficient in any way.
Daniel
Less pain..!:angel:
