Striking "alive"

**shinbushi** · Posted On: 2/01/2006 7:59pm

I went from Kata only classes with bad sparring once per month to a full alive program in 6 months. The key is to do it progressively. Like another poster said start with something like jab vs jab and then add to it. You can even do alive pad work. For that go to a good boxing gym or Muay Thai school that does a lot of boxing to see what this is like. Most if not all TMA don't train pads alive.

**Roidie McDouchebag** · Posted On: 2/01/2006 9:20pm

Not everybody has to spar all the time...as long as the option is there for those who want it and are willing to hit and be hit...who cares?

**Ke?poFist** · Posted On: 2/01/2006 9:39pm

Originally Posted by I Choke You

Not everybody has to spar all the time...as long as the option is there for those who want it and are willing to hit and be hit...who cares?

The problem then lies in credibility within the belts. Those that train with balls so to speak will become capable fighters, while those that choose to do compliant partner drills, kata and swing dancing will obviously not. Are we to let people progress at the same speed and attain the same ranks if some choose to train hard and others opt out? I already know the answer for my school, but for the other guy back there I'm not sure it's so cut and dry.

**Lights Out** · Posted On: 2/01/2006 9:43pm

Whenever I heard the "but if we introduce sparring in our class, we´re gonna lose students!" complaint, I aske myself "why styles as boxing, kickboxing, MT or kyokushinkai are comercially succesfull?".

My take: sparring is fun. Introduce it progressively and sooner everybody will be asking for more.

After all MA's are for fighting, and sparring is much like fighting.

I´m almost sure that not all people are a pussies as we depict them on this site.

**Ke?poFist** · Posted On: 2/01/2006 10:03pm

Originally Posted by Lights Out

Whenever I heard the "but if we introduce sparring in our class, we´re gonna lose students!" complaint, I aske myself "why styles as boxing, kickboxing, MT or kyokushinkai are comercially succesfull?".

My take: sparring is fun. Introduce it progressively and sooner everybody will be asking for more.

After all MA's are for fighting, and sparring is much like fighting.

I´m almost sure that not all people are a pussies as we depict them on this site.

You'd be surprised. Once they get to sparring level, you find out real quick who's worth teaching and who's not. That goes for kids right up to adults. If I hear another student give any of these excuses again for not bringing gear or intentionally dodging sparring classes...;

"Well...I just don't really like this whole 'sparring' thing. It's just so violent. Isn't karate supposed to be about defending yourself without being so violent?"

"Well we don't get tested on that anyway do we?"

"I think I'll just work on my material, after all there's a test comming up in a few weeks and I need to get this stuff down to get on it"

...I will rip my friggin hair out!

**Lights Out** · Posted On: 2/01/2006 10:09pm

Well, I can´t speak for adults, but my flatmate has a degree in Physical Eduation (I don´t know the proper translation of titles from spanish to english).

Currently he´s writting a series of articles on teaching the sportive practice and vaious sports to kids for a local newspaper.

I´ve been helping him with the style, so I´ve read them all.

They key seems to be the game, try to introduce the sparring as a kinda game... altrough i´m not sure how can you do that.

As somebody said, start with jab-jab, you have to jab the other kid and avoid getting jabed, or something.

**Torakaka** · Posted On: 2/01/2006 10:18pm

Originally Posted by Lights Out

Whenever I heard the "but if we introduce sparring in our class, we´re gonna lose students!" complaint, I aske myself "why styles as boxing, kickboxing, MT or kyokushinkai are comercially succesfull?".

My take: sparring is fun. Introduce it progressively and sooner everybody will be asking for more.

After all MA's are for fighting, and sparring is much like fighting.

I´m almost sure that not all people are a pussies as we depict them on this site.

actually, boxing gyms tend to NOT be terribly successful, perhaps for this very reason.

**Ke?poFist** · Posted On: 2/01/2006 10:21pm

Originally Posted by Lights Out

Well, I can´t speak for adults, but my flatmate has a degree in Physical Eduation (I don´t know the proper translation of titles from spanish to english).

Currently he´s writting a series of articles on teaching the sportive practice and vaious sports to kids for a local newspaper.

I´ve been helping him with the style, so I´ve read them all.

They key seems to be the game, try to introduce the sparring as a kinda game... altrough i´m not sure how can you do that.

As somebody said, start with jab-jab, you have to jab the other kid and avoid getting jabed, or something.

Nah, not to toot my own horn but I'm great with the kids. There's nothing they can't do, and most of my more dedicated kids are at that point that they push themselves as hard as they can simply out of fear of disappointing me. Last week I had some of my 8yr olds sparring in a continuous sparring format. Rules were no groin shots, and no face shots. Contact to head/thighs/shins all good. So two of them moved forward and they both drove their knees up to shield themselves as they moved in, clashing shins togethor. As one of them dropped his leg in pain, the other kid clocked him square on the jaw sending him bouncing backwards on his ass. The assistant running the ring was about to let him sit down and take a break, but the kid saw me watching and it made my heart swell to see him shamble back up onto his feet obviously in pain and step back up to the line waiting for the match to be restarted. The assistant just shrugged, called 'go' and the injured little guy drove forward with such speed and intensity, especially for someone his age and floored the other kid into the ground. :icon_thum

Anyway, it's the over-protective parents, and the "I wanna fight like Jackie Chan in Rumble in the Bronx" women I have giving me headaches.

**Ke?poFist** · Posted On: 2/01/2006 10:24pm

Originally Posted by Lights Out

Whenever I heard the "but if we introduce sparring in our class, we´re gonna lose students!" complaint, I aske myself "why styles as boxing, kickboxing, MT or kyokushinkai are comercially succesfull?".

As Kidspatula said, boxing gyms don't tend to be so successful. Perhaps in Spain it's different, but here in America violence is a major 'no no' unless of course you're watching primetime TV or playing video games.

Boxing, kickboxing, MT, and Kyokushin are hardly commercial successes here in the states and the main reason is because it goes against the as I call "Miyagi complex" that Americans are afflicted with. One of my students parents today was talking about how the Karate Kid was on TV the other day, and how much she loved it, and I told her flat out that if that ever comes across my TV again my shoe will be going through it. :ninja2:

**Lights Out** · Posted On: 2/02/2006 9:22am

Originally Posted by Kidspatula

actually, boxing gyms tend to NOT be terribly successful, perhaps for this very reason.

Well, maybe no terribly succesful, but they´re doing well, regarding the actual state of MA gyms in Spain currently.

I mean, MA's in general are not making big cash right now, but the situation is worse for the MacDojos and the like. I mena, people who really are into MA's look for kickboxing, MT, BJJ, Kyokushin (whose level in Spain is pretty high, I must say) and the like, while people who would look for a MacDojoish Ma tend to join the aero-box, cardio-kickboxing and such classes.

So, while boxing and others still get their share of true practicioners, the McDojos fail against those new trends.

EDIT: Besides, all over the world are millions of boxing and MT practitioners, it´s not like we´re talking about unknown sports here.