i know wing chun that i used to go(10 classes) dont have sparring, just wondering about jkd? and if yes? is it with protective gear? im about to enroll to jkd any advice would be appreciated thanks guys
In my opinion considering how much emphasis was put on sparring in "Tao of Jeet Kune Do" you would think that it would. But this all depends on the instructor and their situation. You have to understand that there are liability issues when it comes to sparring and lawyers out there who specialize in finding excuses to sue people. This is unfortunate. Because I think that not sparring is itself a liability.
The high school Kung Fu class that I attended didn't have sparring. It didn't stop those who loved sparring to stay and sparred after the class. If you enjoy sparring, there is no way that your instructor can stop you. Whether a MA system has sparring or not is not the issue. The issue is whether you want to do it outside of your class or not.
thanks guys, im not into sparring but maybe is just nice to have a light spar sometimes for experienced
JKD as a rule absolutely SHOULD have sparring of some form; now the exact can vary from school to school but there has to be pressure testing of some kind. Without that you are simply not learning a system of combat you are just doing phys ed
Stolen by Bruce lee from Jack Dempsey: "Training has two objectives: (1) to condition your body for fighting, and (2) to improve your workmanship as a fighter. Although some exercises help condition and others speed improvement, there's one all-important activity that assists both. That activity is sparring. THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR SPARRING. You must spar regularly and often to becom e a well-rounded scrapper, regardless of what other exercises you may take. Sparring not only improves your skill, but it also conditions your body for fighting by forcing your muscles to become accustomed to the violent, broken movements that distinguish fighting from any other activity."
This is fairly terrible advice. Using the right intensity, trying the right things, working through the roadblocks are skills that have to be coached. People "doing a bit of sparring" who don't know them will absolutely 100% of the time either end up playing tag or in a mindless brawl.
Shadow boxing or practicing in front of a mirror is very different from sparring though. Sparring and resistance work develop things that those activities don't even touch... Which is why there is no substitute for it.
It's not optimal but then neither is studying an art that doesn't include pressure in its training. It might be less beneficial for skill development without coaching, it has the potential to be less safe; but it's not a terrible idea IMO.
I was responding to this, really which suggests that playing grab-ass with your friends is an adequate substitute for actual coaching. While it's possible to get a bit better at fighting by this method, I don't see any reason you'd want to adopt it unless you're stuck on a desert island with one Shotokan school.
Dear, Knee Rider: I have sparred in the past, quite freqently. I got to the position where I could not be beaten. Sparring is a phase one goes through and one comes out the other side. Both me and bruce lee arrived at this point or level, from then on one just sharpens the tools. If I did sparring now I would still win but the efficiency would be higher. pink lady
You wrote this (essentially) in the other thread. I replied there. But I will paste it here in a sec. Here: Sparring is a constant not a phase. If you don't spar how do you sharpen and maintain the core skills which sparring develops? Do you think shadow boxing ( working out in the mirror) is the same as sparring? If so why?