The misconception of sparring.

[Mallic]

A lot of people are saying that sparring is bad because it causes permanent brain damage,but wouldn't it be a simple fix to...oh I don't know, stop trying to punch people in the head?

Like looking back at Victorian boxing, they had goofy stances sure but they were made that way because their fighting style was focused on body shots rather then trying to punch people in the face.

Wouldnt it makes sense to just go back to that? Or is it just not violent enough for people?

 

[Fungus]

A lot of people are saying that sparring is bad because it causes permanent brain damage,but wouldn't it be a simple fix to...oh I don't know, stop trying to punch people in the head?

Like looking back at Victorian boxing, they had goofy stances sure but they were made that way because their fighting style was focused on body shots rather then trying to punch people in the face.

Wouldnt it makes sense to just go back to that? Or is it just not violent enough for people?

Thats is what kyokushin does. Full contact, but now hand or elbows to the head. But knees or kicks to head are allowed in competition, but such kept low power in friendly sparring. But all body attacks in principle at full power, or whatever your partner can accept and still come back next week. It can be violent enough, body shots at full power can break ribs so there is still room to go hard if you want and your partner agrees on the level.

 

[windwalker099]

Like looking back at Victorian boxing, they had goofy stances sure but they were made that way because their fighting style was focused on body shots rather then trying to punch people in the face.

Not because they didn't want to...

This is because bare-knuckle fighters would aim for the softer parts of their opponent’s body as a punch to the head could result in the fighter’s hands being broken or injured.

Queensbury rules. Initially, fighters would remove some of the glove’s stuffing to minimise the padding. Aside from this, though, the simple fact a fighter’s hands were padded meant the sport became more dangerous.

According to W. Russel Grey in his essay For Whom the Bell Tolled: The Decline of British Prize Fighting in the Victorian Era, boxing was “virtually legalized in Britain” when in “1901, the last year of Victoria, the [National Sporting Club] sponsored a bout that resulted in the death of a fighter… [and the] Club was found not guilty of manslaughter.”

 

[Mallic]

Not because they didn't want to...

Isn't that ironic though? The fact that making it so you didn't break your hands made it more dangerous.

 

[windwalker099]

Isn't that ironic though? The fact that making it so you didn't break your hands made it more dangerous.

Reading the history, think maybe they felt it was more dangerous getting knocked out,
then having ribs and other things broken..What we call boxing was quite different
back in the day....simple rule set,,,fight until, you can't.

The basic Roman cestus was made of hard leather straps, which enclosed and protected the fighter's lower arm and fist. The straps could be studded, or more extremely, spiked.[6] Caestūs were usually worn in pairs.

now that must have been a boxing glove

 

[drop bear]

Isn't that ironic though? The fact that making it so you didn't break your hands made it more dangerous.

And I don't think it is true.

We have modern bare knuckle.

I know people who fought bare knuckle NHB back in the day.

I have never heard of someone who has done bare knuckle say bare knuckle is safer.

My guess is that it was a marketing device from modern pugilist. Who wanted to justify their system without having to hit anyone.

Coaching from a reputable bare knuckle fighter.

 

[Gyakuto]

 

[drop bear]

Side note. Breaking your hand hitting their elbow going for that body shot is still a boxing injury that occurs. Even in gloves.