How much training is needed before sparring?

[TimG1990]

In your opinion how much training is needed before sparring? Should beginners be thrown into the deep end? In more complex systems, before a semi-decent knowledge of the system is ingrained in the head, would sparring be counter-productive, forcing the participants to revert back to their natural instincts under pressure or stress without properly applying the techniques meant to be practiced during sparring? Whilst it is undoubtedly the only way to becoming truly proficient at an art, when in a students life should sparring begin?

[Tofudog]

Got the vaseline? Good. Wait here, someone will see to you in just a sec.

[Necroyunus]

In a MT ebook on my pc it says that "If you want to throw a punch "right" you have to do it 10000 times in front of an experienced instructor"

But sparring...I think it would be even the first day , based on training style.

Oh by the way welcome to bullshido.

[wanabeshinobi]

If I would teach someone MA I would put them to spar even before any techniques were taught. Most likely with very light contact. For example for a warm up they could do movement /distance drills.

[Virus]

First day. Of course common sense applies, don't need to go 100% on a new guy on his first day. Of curse, if your style ceases to exist as soon as the sparring starts then it's a moot point.

[hpr]

Our beginners class took about a month before we got to sparring. I think that was a good decision. By then we all knew how to move correctly (well, in theory at least), a few techniques and a few submissions. Less chances of learning bad habits.

[Rubberduck]

Few weeks to beginners class in our judo club. But just groundfighting, since people are still somewhat shy about being thrown. But people have pretty fun with few pins and escapes.

[kultist]

Second lesson where i do judo. You learn two forward throws, two backwards throws, maybe a pin or two and then you spar.

[Askari]

First or second day. Go a bit easy on them though.

[Rab]

I think if you start sparring right away most people are scared off I didnt spar fully for a least a month ( just the pads) and I don't think I would have sticked it if i got beat up the way i do now on the first day.

[kihap]

I sparred in my very first class. I didn't tell them I had boxed before; they didn't tell me punches to the face were "illegal". We all learned something important that day, so I'd recommend jumping right in.

[Scott Larson]

It just depends on the person. The reason I would say that it is not a good idea to spar too early is the development of bad habits. It's very easy to forget about proper technique when you are getting smacked around. Of course, this doesn't happen to everyone.

[Rab]

My friend trained boxing before, he sparred the first day at thai and loved it but he is naturally agressive and strong, not built like a starving somalian refugee like me.

[ronaldk]

in TKD, i did about a month before i started sparring. at that time tho, it was only 2 of us in the class that were viable sparring partners for eachother (small school, bunch of kids and old guys). it was either spar eachother, or our 5th degree blackbelt instructor. our instructor's decision not to rape us at the time was probably for the best in the case of my friend, he probably wouldn't have been able to take it at first. we were basically trained to have a few decent kick drills/routines that we could improvise on ingrained into our style before we began kicking eachother.

in BJJ, i was run through the basic positions the first class, and really basic escapes/passes from these positions, and practiced them on eachother (with another beginner). second class more of the same practicing at first, then i sparred all the other students (where the least experienced had been in BJJ for a year). the idea was even though i wasn't taught any subs, for me to learn what it feels like to really roll, when to tap, how to try to pass guard, try to squirm for a dominant position, and work out my own difficulties, so the stuff i was then taught made sense and i knew where to apply immediately, given my previous difficulties, according to my instructor.

[Rancid Pantaloons]

I think it depends on the style and context.