Where do I go to spar?

[Tez3]

MMA isn't just a way of saying you use strikes and groundwork, it's what it says it is > mixed< martial arts, the use of many techniques from many styles in a competitive fight environment. It's physical chess, outwitting your opponent and winning the fight, it's knowing what to use when, it's using your opponents weaknesses against him, using your strengths and generally enjoying yourself in a fight! I've no idea what you mean by 'the day of that seems far less simple than it used to be'.

 

[oaktree]

Hi Fluid,

I want to learn application of my art more efficiently through fighting with others.

I think you learn it more efficiently going through drills and tuishou. If you are having trouble relaxing then your shoulders will tense you will be off balance and easy to be pushed. It is much easier to learn to listen, yield, stick with someone else who is doing the same then it is to be trying to apply this to someone who is a boxer.

Wong Kiew Kit said on learning Taijiquan for combat that if you want to learn self defense quick, than study Thai boxing, because to get good at using Taijiquan for self defense correctly takes time. It takes time to develop listening and sensitivity.

 

[Supra Vijai]

I have considered boxing for sport, but I'm not rich and can only stick to so many things at once.

You don't have to be rich to cross train, just need to be able to commit the time and the mental discipline to stick to things. Most places in my experience will offer a range of flexible payment options and packages to suit most everyone. When I tried Krav Maga, the cost was $15 a fortnight on a 1 year contract but that included a full kit of gear (helmet, mouth/shin/forearm/elbow/chest guards, grappling mitts, hand wraps, boxing gloves and the most important thing IMO - a solid groin guard)

I've since stopped KM and have recently looked at a boxing gym - classes haven't officially started yet because of ongoing issues with insurance to do with actual sparring and matches but the cost is $10 a fortnight and I just need my own bag gloves, hand mitts/wraps and mouthguard; all of which I have anyway. That fee also allows me full use to the entire gym plus any other classes they run such as Yoga, Pilates, Les Mills type stuff, Tai Chi and BJJ.

Something like the second if accessible to yourself shouldn't strain the finances too badly and still offer you a chance to face off against other opponents. Keep in mind though, as has been said before: you will not be using Tai Chi Quan against boxing or BJJ, you will be learning a whole new system and adding to your skillset. If you can bring in aspects from your primary art and make them work within the framework of the secondary art, that would be a huge plus

EDITING TO ADD: Final point I'd like to put forth is that while enthusiasm is a great thing, I might suggest choosing several arts to crosstrain with at the outset will actually be detrimental to your learning. You've got a base in Tai Chi Quan, pick one other thing (Boxing/BJJ/Whatever) and stick to just those 2 for another year or 2 at a minimum. Once you get the basics down pat in both, if you still feel the need to, re-explore your options concerning more/other arts you might like to look into and experience. I doubt anyone here will give you flak if after a year you decide boxing isn't your thing and move onto something else.

 

[FluidSound]

You don't have to be rich to cross train, just need to be able to commit the time and the mental discipline to stick to things. Most places in my experience will offer a range of flexible payment options and packages to suit most everyone. When I tried Krav Maga, the cost was $15 a fortnight on a 1 year contract but that included a full kit of gear (helmet, mouth/shin/forearm/elbow/chest guards, grappling mitts, hand wraps, boxing gloves and the most important thing IMO - a solid groin guard)

I've since stopped KM and have recently looked at a boxing gym - classes haven't officially started yet because of ongoing issues with insurance to do with actual sparring and matches but the cost is $10 a fortnight and I just need my own bag gloves, hand mitts/wraps and mouthguard; all of which I have anyway. That fee also allows me full use to the entire gym plus any other classes they run such as Yoga, Pilates, Les Mills type stuff, Tai Chi and BJJ.

Something like the second if accessible to yourself shouldn't strain the finances too badly and still offer you a chance to face off against other opponents. Keep in mind though, as has been said before: you will not be using Tai Chi Quan against boxing or BJJ, you will be learning a whole new system and adding to your skillset. If you can bring in aspects from your primary art and make them work within the framework of the secondary art, that would be a huge plus

EDITING TO ADD: Final point I'd like to put forth is that while enthusiasm is a great thing, I might suggest choosing several arts to crosstrain with at the outset will actually be detrimental to your learning. You've got a base in Tai Chi Quan, pick one other thing (Boxing/BJJ/Whatever) and stick to just those 2 for another year or 2 at a minimum. Once you get the basics down pat in both, if you still feel the need to, re-explore your options concerning more/other arts you might like to look into and experience. I doubt anyone here will give you flak if after a year you decide boxing isn't your thing and move onto something else.

Yeah probably not. And, payment plans for good teachers are... Not so easy around where I live. I've found very few places that charge less. Not to mention, I'm currently in College as well. Anyways, my Tai Chi classes are 60 dollars a month for instance, but that's reasonable compared to other places and prices I've seen. However, I've seen a Tai Chi class that costed less, BUT... Their instruction was very poor. They treated Tai Chi as if it was just some kind of typical Yoga class or something. Not to say Yoga is bad, I just think that I typically see poor instruction for Yoga. It seemed like the person teaching the less expensive course knew short form Tai Chi. Not only that, but it seemed like they didn't know much besides that.

My Sifu trained under the school of Cheng Dsu Yao and went through a lot. He learned a lot from his school and they were strict. Even making him hold the horse stance for more than an hour, with a stick up his backside. *Sigh* Anyhow, I think I will try this, in the future. Once I feel I have the funds to do so and the right school too. I might take the advice of learning Wing Chun.

 

[Supra Vijai]

Yeah probably not. And, payment plans for good teachers are... Not so easy around where I live. I've found very few places that charge less. Not to mention, I'm currently in College as well. Anyways, my Tai Chi classes are 60 dollars a month for instance, but that's reasonable compared to other places and prices I've seen. However, I've seen a Tai Chi class that costed less, BUT... Their instruction was very poor. They treated Tai Chi as if it was just some kind of typical Yoga class or something. Not to say Yoga is bad, I just think that I typically see poor instruction for Yoga. It seemed like the person teaching the less expensive course knew short form Tai Chi. Not only that, but it seemed like they didn't know much besides that.

Yeah it's a fact that you get what you pay for - whether it's a knock off Iphone or a Rolex vs the Real thing or MA instruction. My current classes in my primary art are expensive purely based on a financial scale. $20 a class and a set annual membership fee. That said it's a 2 hour class, I get great instruction from someone with a wide range of skills and knowledge and most importantly, I get along with the instructor. Any art you choose, unless you get along with the instructor on some level, you aren't going to get the most out of your training. FWIW, I'm also a full time student; yes I work but I don't generally have large amounts of disposable income to throw about so for me personally it was a matter of patience and lots and lots of searching to find what I wanted for a price I was comfortable with.

My Sifu trained under the school of Cheng Dsu Yao and went through a lot. He learned a lot from his school and they were strict. Even making him hold the horse stance for more than an hour, with a stick up his backside. *Sigh* Anyhow, I think I will try this, in the future. Once I feel I have the funds to do so and the right school too. I might take the advice of learning Wing Chun.

The stick up the backside doesn't sound too fun, I must say.... Thing is Fluid, no one here will say you shouldn't cross train or look at other options, just to take your time doing things and making sure you do them right. That way you do justice to your primary and subsequent arts and also to yourself. From all accounts, Wing Chun is meant to be quite good in terms of adaptability to street type defense work so yeah that might be a solid choice for yourself. Don't get too discouraged if something doesn't happen straight away, just focus on being the best you can within Tai Chi Quan and keep your eyes and ears open for any options that may pop up in terms of training that suits your needs/wants. All the best

 

[Mz1]

Is there a possible place where I can go to spar with different types of opponents who learn different martial art styles? I don't want to join a gym I won't stay at or anything. I practice Tai Chi Quan and feel that maybe I'll do better at it if I actually try to apply it in sparring. Also, I wish to learn other martial arts as well. Are there any places or ways I can find people to spar with in order to improve my self defense and martial art capabilities? My gym doesn't include sparring in it. We all do pushing hands.

It's almost impossible to find a free place where you can go and spar different types of Martial Artists. I've placed ads on Craiglist and such for years and renewed frequently and ads on Martial Arts board. I rarely get any responses. I've met a few guys and we did spar. Only 2 stuck around with me. One is a girl who I became good friends with. One guy had training and a few fights, so he liked it b/c it was cheaper to meet at a fitness gym vs. paying $120-150/mo w/12months contract for MMA gyms. Like 30 more inquiries never shows up, usually because they're scared.

Sparring is a touchy subject. Most people aren't willing to spar even in their own MA gym, let alone someone random over the internet. Sparring can range from touch sparring, to light and up to going for full knockouts. And things do get out of hand sometimes. Sparring means different things to different people. For me, I want to be able to go for headshots, ranging from light sparring to hard for KO's, otherwise it's not fun.

Good luck in finding a group though. The best group that I've seen is this one in Southern California:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsXrIueNGGU&list=PL305A16E51F7CC2E5&index=1&feature=plpp_video