Aliveness / Sparring FAQ

[shinbushi]

I was thinking that along the lines of the grappling FAQ, a Aliveness / Sparring FAQ might be useful , to help counter the same old arguments. I realize some of the arguments might be similar abut the too deadly techniques, but I think there is a good amount of non overlap that could warrant this. I will get things rolling with.

1. Sparring is not like real combat as your training partner is not trying to kill you.
Reply: And kata or forms are? In sparring you are pressure testing you techniques against someone who is unwilling to let you do them. Compliant partner training is useful to develop the initial mechanics of a technique but if a person is not trying to resist a technique, or punching (or throwing) back you will never know if you can really pull off a technique with real timing, energy, and movement.

2. You don't try to do techniques on a resisting opponent. If an opponent if fighting you you flow to a different technique. Resisting doee not mean forcing a technique with brute strength but applying a technique on a training partner who is trying to actively counter you, apply one of his own techniques and or defend your technique.

[Ronin]

Sparring, traditionally, comes in 3 forms:

Step sparring - This is either 3-step, 2-step or 1-step, prearragned attack and prearragned defence drills

Semi-freestyle - This is where the role of both the attacker and defender are know, but has a few variations:
Attacker attacks at will with predetermined attack - defender defends with predetermined counter.
Attacker attacks at with unknow attack, but gives hint of attack (kiai) and defender counters
Attacker attacks at will with unknow attack, defender counters
Etc.

Freestyle sparring - partners attack and counter each other at will,within the following categories:

Non-contact
Light contact - game of tag
Semi-contact- sometimes called "controlled contact".
Hard contact - Goal is to win by points or incapacitate opponent/partner, but with limited striking areas and techniques
FULL contact - Aim is to Knock-out opponent or submit him, can also win match by points.
( rarely used as a "training method" and more for competition).

[jaychiu]

I want to clarify Aliveness.

Aliveness does not simply equal sparring!

You can drill with Aliveness but the drill has to contain timing, energy (resistance) and motion.

So you can have a drill where one guy is going to work the jab only.

The feeder has to move around and then hold up the target ever once in a while. (Movement and timing.)

The feeder, every once in a while, throws a shot back to make sure the jabber is covering properly. (Resistance.)

So while this is still just a very "light" drill it's one done with Aliveness.

You then add onto it...jab, hook...etc. which will eventually lead to sparring.

Make sense?

[WingChun Lawyer]

Someone here proposed a definition of sparring which I found interesting: it is the use of both attack and defense techniques against a resisting partner, where BOTH PARTNERS HAVE THE SAME GOAL (KO, win by points, throw to the groung, submit, whatever).

[shinbushi]

I want to clarify Aliveness.

Aliveness does not simply equal sparring!

Agreed but the same people who tend to argue against sparring also tend to argue against aliveness.

[Phrost]

Put one together and we'll host it.

[jaychiu]

Agreed but the same people who tend to argue against sparring also tend to argue against aliveness.

While this may or may not be true we should still make the distinction between the two because they are two very seperate things.

You have people who do forms, MAS drills and then do light contact sparring and, because of this, believe that they train "alive".

[shinbushi]

While this may or may not be true we should still make the distinction between the two because they are two very seperate things.

You have people who do forms, MAS drills and then do light contact sparring and, because of this, believe that they train "alive".

True again. Do you think there should be two seperate FAQs? Or just include what they each mean in one faq?

[jaychiu]

True again. Do you think there should be two seperate FAQs? Or just include what they each mean in one faq?

From the two original examples that you gave on this - it was never really a FAQ about sparring. It's an FAQ about the benefits of training with Aliveness.