Miles
Senior Master
Touch Of Death said:I think all types of contact lead to both negative and positive results.
Agreed. The proper technique for the proper target, the proper level of contact in the proper circumstances.
Touch Of Death said:Full contact negates learning in that it puts you in a win lose situation and you are not so much improving but surviving.
I disagree that full contact negates learning-for example, I think it teaches the attacker what the reaction force of her techniques feels like. Along the same lines, it teaches the defender how to absorb a full contact shot. Both are improved by the experience. In the street, survival is winning.
Touch Of Death said:I think the solution is to limit contact to a martial artist level of training. As they develop control and conditioning turn it up, by all means. White belts shouldn't be the meat your upperbelts practice having no control with. They are your schools bread and butter. I wouldn't spend them so cheaply.
Exactly-I think that one needs to teach/learn full contact progressively and there are times, even for experienced martial artists to practice both full and no contact. White belts are both the easiest and the hardest group to spar with-they have no control but they don't know they have no control. They leave themselves open and rarely follow-up. As such, they are probably the best example of who you will meet on the street (in my opinion). No one should be fodder for the upper ranked cannons....
Miles