There seems to be a prevalent myth that a common martial arts drill is some kind of ultimate drill. That if you become adept at this drill, you’ll be able to defend yourself in any type of attack in the street. Martial arts instructors have developed drills to improve this drill and others have made it an integral part of a sport.
Have you figured out what the drill to which I’m referring? That’s right ladies and gentlemen, the ultimate, the one and only – spaaarrrriiiinnnngggg!
For the purposes of this article, we will define sparring as an abstract martial arts drill in which two or more partners exchange attacking, defensive and counter-attacking techniques and tactics in a non-synchronized manner.
All drills, including sparring, have positive and negative attributes. I’d like to point out some of these attributes, both positive and negative to bring this good but sometimes misunderstood drill to the level and categories it belongs.
Positive Aspects of Sparring
Sparring is an Abstract Drill
The drill is flexible enough to train for a variety of situations and environments.
General defensive, offensive and counter-offensive tactics are developed and improved.
Distances can be experienced and tested of a variety of partner body types.
A variety of strikes and combinations can be experienced and executed.
The timing between blocks and or evasive movements and counter-striking can be observed, executed and improved.
The drill has positive aerobic and anaerobic factors similar to a type of interval training in which the athlete jogs then sprints a prescribed distance or time at intervals.
Sparring is executed by a number of styles and seems a good
basis for different styles of martial arts to both train and compete together.
Negative Aspects of Sparring
Sparring is an Abstract Drill The drill is flexible enough to train for a variety of situations and environments. There is not enough repetition of techniques and tactics to increase learning speed in a reasonable amount of time as compared to single focus drills.
General defensive, offensive and counter-offensive tactics are developed and improved. There is not enough repetition of techniques and tactics to increase learning speed in a reasonable amount of time as compared to single focus drills.
Distances can be experienced and tested of a variety of partner body types. The wide variety of experiences are a positive aspect of sparring, however my own experience is that often times the number of partners are limited.
A variety of strikes and combinations can be experienced and executed. Strikes and combinations can be experienced and executed, however in my experience partners tend to only execute those techniques and combinations the partners are comfortable with in order to avoid being struck. This tends to limit experiences in both observation and execution.
The timing between blocks and or evasive movements and counter-striking can be observed, executed and improved. There is not enough repetition of techniques and tactics to increase learning speed in a reasonable amount of time as compared to single focus drills.
Sparring is executed by a number of styles and seems a good basis for different styles of martial arts to both train and compete together. The schools which spar a great deal will have an unfair advantage over those schools which treat sparring like any other drill. This would be comparable to students thinking their style is better by comparing how well breaking-holds are executed or any other drill.
The drill has positive aerobic and anaerobic factors similar to a type of interval training in which the athlete jogs then sprints a prescribed distance or time at intervals. From strictly a self-defense point of view, anaerobic capacity is more important than aerobic capacity. A long sparring session doesn’t emphasize the intensity of a self-defense situation.
Variations of Sparring to Overcome Negative Aspects
I’m the first to admit, despite its weaknesses, I love sparring. Well they don’t call me The Drillman for nothing. So I developed several variations of sparring to focus on various aspects of self-defense training and compensate for some of the weaknesses.
Repeat Sparring This helps me quite a bit. If my partner tags me with a strike, he/she repeats the same combination over and over until I develop a block and or evasive movement. This benefits my partner as he/she repeats an effective combination and it benefits me as I learn to avoid being hit by an effective combination.
Taking Away Weapons Remember I mentioned martial artists tend use only techniques and combinations of techniques they are comfortable with (okay okay with which they are comfortable for you English teachers out there)?
Now we take away those favorites techniques and combinations by removing weapons.
The possibilities are only limited by your imagination
When attacking you may only use these combinations of weapons
All
Left arm right leg
Right arm left leg
Right side weapons
Left side weapons
Left arm
Right arm
Right leg
Left leg
When defending you may only use these combinations of tools
All
Left arm right leg
Right arm left leg
Right side
Left side
Left arm
Right arm
Right leg and evasive
Left leg and evasive
Add or take away evasive
Evasive only
Now mix them up
You’re attacks and defenses are unlimited
You’re attacks are limited by a set of guideline above but not you’re defenses
You’re defenses are limited by a set of guideline above but not you’re attacks
You’re defenses and attacks are limited by the same set of guideline above
You’re defenses and attacks are limited by different sets of guidelines above.
And the list goes on.
Think think think. Add a safely knife right in the middle of sparing. One student throws another that’s sparring a safety baseball bat another student joins another.
Tai Chi like slow motion free for all with three martial artists.
This is a great drill done slowly. Temporary teams against one student are formed, but you have to keep an eye on your temporary partner as well.
I’ve actually got a lot more drills than this , but many of them do not match the topic of this article, my carpal tunnel hands are getting tired, and the drills don’t match our stated definition of sparring. Feel free however to check out my printable ebook, Bringing the Martial Artist Out from Within for more drills.
Thank you for your support. If you have martial arts drills or articles feel free to share them in any of the martial arts groups below.
Rick Sensei J. Richard Kirkham B.Sc. http://kirkhamsebooks.com/MartialArts/BringingTheMartialArtistOutfrombykirkham.htm
About the Author
Watch the video related to Martial Arts
Help answer the question about Martial Arts
What martial arts style do women fight with in the movies?for example lara croft, charlie's angels…
is there a martial arts style that is best suited for women?
About Author
J. Richard Kirkham is a dual certified teacher and martial arts instructor. He has expertise in alternative teaching methods and positive reinforcement methodology. He’s written several books in the printable electronic format and has made downloadable videos and DVDs. He currently resides in Honolulu with his wife Jan and son Hunter. Feel free to visit Mr. Kirkham’s website at http://KirkhamsEbooks.com/MartialArts or you may email him at help@kirkhamsebooks.com You may post this article in its entirety
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amazing work, i would think it’s a photo!
that is beyond. holy that is amazing. is it a picture or a painting. when you can blur those lines, you know you have something.great stuff thanx
Amazing painting, and love your song also.
Well I can tell you first off a few things from experience and one is that weight is harder to keep off as you get older. Secondly, sometimes people lose their competitive desire and so they quit or retire earlier than otherwise. For you it is partly because of your club closing so the fact that you are now starting to want to go back should in itself tell you that you have not lost your desire completely.
I would start off gradually and not throw anything faster or harder than half to three fourths speed and power for the first two weeks. That way you will avoid potential injuries to start with. Secondly, I would challenge myself to get back into shape and be better than I was before and to build myself into shape. It did not take just a month to get out of shape and put that weight on and I suspect that it will take more than a month to get back into shape and get the weight off. Third, I would do some cross-training picking something non-martial arts related like swimming, biking, rollerblading to do occasionally and substitute occasionally for part of my work outs. As for diet plans there is certainly enough information out there but if you are interested in competing again try to pick one that builds and adds muscle some as opposed to just losing weight. A modified Atkins diet for instance would be my recommendation since it has so much protein. I competed for many years and learning how to deal with some of the ups and downs that come with that or some of the outside factors that can affect that are something in itself that competitors have to learn how to deal with. Good luck.
I agree with everyone saying it is up to the individual to have confidence in themselves, but they also MUST have confidence in their art too. If someone is very confident in their physical capabilities but not in the techniques they are using then their fight confidence will surely suffer. If you just want to know how to fight and stay composed and cerebral I would recommend a mix of Muay Thai kickboxing and Brazilian jiu jitsu. Muay Thai is a devastating stand up style, and it does not take a long time to develop good street effective fundamentals. Like all martial arts the complex techniques, and understanding of actually fighting takes a lot more time. If you learn bjj as well, you will have the confidence to handle yourself on the ground if the fight ends up there.
No TKD is NOT an art of redirection, or of opposing energies. Most of the Okinawan or Japanese styles are good examples of this. Aikido, Kenpo, Judo,even Isshinryu (to some degree) are the types of styles you are thinking of.
I have studied the martial science & martial arts for 28 years and have tried to learn as much as i can about every style I come across. Having fought, taught, and studied since i was 5 gives me a blessed insight on the inner workings of them and the concepts behind their development. I have also been given the honor of being named as a certified martial arts/science historian.
you, sir, are freakishly talented. congratulations.
wow, amazing. Deep is my favorite actor too.
(Brasil)
It depends upon the age of your children. If they are mature enough to handle the discipline of a martial arts school then yes it could benefit them. Children who are meek and timid will gain a whole lot of confidence in themselves. Young children that tend to bully others tend to have a great deal of discipline while in class but have not the maturity to transfer those lessons into the school yard… end up showing off and may still bully smaller children. If the Martial arts school is reputable, gets wind of their behavior… they may take appropriate measures to stop it… if bullying continues they will dismiss him/her from their training.
My son was small and picked on in school, so learning a martial art has tremendously helped his self confidence. Though he wasn't mature enough to start taking his training seriously until he was about 12 years old. My Girl have matured at a much younger age and though they are only 4 and 6 I feel they should be able to train by the time they reach 10 years old.
I believe that he did many years of Shotokan Karate, and in one of the episodes threw in Sambo. If you're considering taking martial arts be sure to find an art that best fits you.
Finding what you like best may take a lot of research. It depends if you like to throw punches, kicks, or grapple. Find what you like best, and what you think you would be able to accelerate in.
The most effective martial arts used by covert ops, special forces, CIA, etc. include, but aren't limited to: Krav Maga, Wing Chun, and Kajukenbo.
Remember, you won't like a martial art unless it's something that interest you. Whether you want to do something flashy, or learn something more practical is up to you!
Good luck on your journey.
AMAZING!! love it!
its like u took a picture@@
there all the best if your tall muay tai is for you, if your athletic choose karate or take won do , if your not strong and have very little striking skill choose aikido.wing Chung and jiu jitsu is for every one.
choosing the best type of martial art is like choose your dream car some might choose fast one ,some big ,on looks it depends on the person just like martial arts that why there is so much argument which one is the best a short person might argue that bjj is better than muay tai because he can kick as good as the tall people in muay tai and a tall person will get grappled easy in bjj because hes got alot of limbs and bones sticking out . no one can tell you the best martial art they would just tell what there good at.
NOTE if your talking about Brazilian ju jitsu it would be the perfect martial art for some one your height .it doesn't have nothing to do with how strong you are I'm 5"11 and I submit people 6-7 feet tall I'm there all so girls in my class that can beat me. if i were you i would choose japanese ju -jitsu NOT brazlian ju jitsu there not the same jjj has strikes and kicks with a little bit of subbmission fighing, bjj is just submission fighting but more in depeth
as many different types as you can,starting with a stand up style.or a style that is well rounded.heres a bit of info.
A good well rounded style would be freestyle Karate.You will learn stand up,ground,grappling and weapons.What a lot of people don't understand is that freestyle Karate is about practical street defence not who can kick the highest or punch a pad the hardest.It's definitely not a sport martial art like TKD or BJJ.The motto of my style is the best of everything in progression.Basically that means we don't care where the technique comes from we improve it and integrate it into our style while still maintaining tradition as do most freestyle Karate's.
The hardest thing is finding a good experienced instructor.I would recommend Bushi Kai or Zen Do Kai, but if your not in Australia or New Zealand you may have some difficulty finding some one who teaches these styles.These styles also usually have separate classes available to everyone in Muay Thai and BJJ/Submission/Shoot wrestling.If you can't find one of these i would suggest Kempo or Enshin or another freestyle Karate.
http://www.zendokai.com.au/countries2/USA/index.htm
AMAZINGGG
Great actor great painting great music ,,lovely for real
fantastic!
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu has a lot of control holds that I use in my day job. Most of the holds are within policy so I use that to my advantage. Below is a paste from the Gracie Academy in Torrance Ca.
Why LEOs Need GCMLE
According to the F.B.I., in 2007 there were 59,201 sworn law enforcement officers assaulted in the line of duty. Over 80% of these assaults (47,495) were committed by unarmed perpetrators who only used their hands and/or feet to attack the officer. It is most important to consider the two biggest reasons why law enforcement officers did not shoot these perpetrators before their unarmed assaults were carried out:
Unjustified – Unless someone’s life is at risk, the officer is not justified in using deadly force.
Unable – Most physical assaults on officers take place so abruptly that the officer does not have the time or distance necessary to draw his or her firearm or less-lethal weapons, safely.
Since it is so common that officers are assaulted in situations where they are unjustified or unable to use their weapons in their defense, it is imperative that they be empowered with a very effective, court-defensible system of self-defense that will ensure their safety in the worst case scenarios that they are so likely to encounter. GCMLE is the solution.
Reduced Liability
It is a fact that any law enforcement officer who is not confident in their ability to control a suspect with their hands is more prone to resort to their weapons, prematurely, and all it takes is one excessive force incident to dramatically alter the stability of a police department and its relationship with the community they serve. Since the GCMLE course is based on controlled pain compliance techniques rather than uncontrollable strikes, the physical damage to the suspect is kept to an absolute minimum. Lawsuits and charges of police brutality decrease significantly when GCMLE is used.
Note: If an instructor of the agency or organization holds a valid certification in the GCMLE and a police brutality case arises involving the usage of the techniques, Rorion Gracie will be willing to testify on behalf of the department.
Try German school of swordsmanship. I got a link here below
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