First DB Gathering

Discussion in 'Filipino Martial Arts' started by BahadZubu, Sep 20, 2016.

  1. BahadZubu

    BahadZubu Valued Member

    Hello all.

    I participated in my first Dog Brothers Open Gathering last Sunday. It was a lot of fun and I think I represented my art quite well. I had 4 fights. 1 knife 2 single stick and one stick and knife. I learned a lot from each fight and everyone I had the chance to fight with definitely fought well. I did not sustain any serious injuries and for that I am grateful. I also enjoyed the atmosphere quite a bit. No ego or trash talking. Just people matching up and fighting each other. When your fight was over there were no hands raised or trophies awarded. You simply went to the sidelines and waited to fight again while watched the other fights. It was a very fun and worthwhile experience. Everyone displayed proper control when necessary (IE helmet off and one guy has a stick). I am thankful to Marc Denny and the Dog Brothers who help put on this open gathering. I would encourage anyone who plays stick/blade to go and participate. It is a very worthwhile learning experience and just a good time in general.

    -BZ
     
  2. PsychoElectric

    PsychoElectric Valued Member

    So how did your fights play out?
     
  3. PointyShinyBurn

    PointyShinyBurn Valued Member

    Out of interest, what's the injury rate like at these things? Even without it being strictly "competition", it's difficult to avoid a bit of adrenaline when you're fighting a stranger in front of a crowd.
     
  4. Bozza Bostik

    Bozza Bostik Antichrist on Button Moon

    You know the rule...Video or it didn't happen! :p
     
  5. BahadZubu

    BahadZubu Valued Member

    None of the fighters are allowed to take video of the fights. Also, it is kind of an unwritten rule that you are not supposed to publicly talk about the fights in great detail. The fights are not about who 'won' or 'lost' but rather about learning about yourself and building camaraderie with people of a similar ilk.

    I will say that punching someone in the face with a fencing mask on is not that effective...go figure. Overall I was fairly pleased with my performance. Of course I made mistakes (stabbed to death by a hidden blade) and I was a little surprised at my initial timidness (willingness to engage). I have sparred live stick and padded stick many times before, but this was still something a little different. Also, the grappling was definitely a little bit of a shock factor. I mean obviously I knew we could grapple and I did a few years of BJJ a while back, but knowing something is allowed and doing it are two different things.....again, go figure. ;)

    Over all, very good experience and I took away many things to work on. What more can ya ask for?
     
  6. BahadZubu

    BahadZubu Valued Member

    I think maybe a couple things got broken on a couple people (not entirely sure), but over all no one went home with any serious injuries. Which I know we were all thankful for that.
     
  7. blindside

    blindside Valued Member

    One of my students was the medic for the last two LA Open Gatherings (not this year) so I got a pretty good feel from him. Lots of contusions (shocker), lots of hand injuries, getting two people with broken hands seems to be about average (I was one of those guys at the last Tribal Gathering), a couple of guys every Gathering will get TKOd and that will usually end their day, shoulder and knee injuries aren't uncommon. My first year (2013) about 4 guys had their day ended with knee shots, one of which wound up to be a split patella which was the most serious, and the worst that I have seen in four Gatherings. Several shoulder injuries, some from strikes other from trying to stop being thrown.
     
  8. blindside

    blindside Valued Member

    Great job! I always come home with a list of things to work on.
     
  9. Freeform

    Freeform Fully operational War-Pig Supporter

    Awesome!

    Welcome to the mad house! :)
     
  10. BahadZubu

    BahadZubu Valued Member

    Hah! Thanks!

    Though I do think that the fencing helmets and gloves offer a bit too much protection. I still prefer no armour with a much thinner stick. Though this of course requires a certain understanding between the players as to avoid severe injury. Not something that would be very much suited for an open gathering of strangers in my opinion. Certainly both have their place and much can be learned from both forms.
     
  11. Freeform

    Freeform Fully operational War-Pig Supporter

    You can wear batting gloves and a first generation mask, which is basically just chicken mesh.

    The idea of creating 'gentleman's rules' is going to make it less 'honest' than being able to just attack at will, because then there's no 'might have', you either did or you didn't. This is where we fall in to the habit of thinking that we're deadlier than we actually are ;)

    Those who've been around for a while don't rely on the mask (or gloves) for protection, that's what skill is for ;)
     
  12. BahadZubu

    BahadZubu Valued Member

    Let me clarify that I am not saying DB sparring isn't good. I know I for one certainly learned a lot. However, I am saying that less/to no armour with a skinnier stick is also a good substitute.

    Of course no one should ever purposefully rely on their armour to protect them....I know I didn't and never do. But the fact remains that sometimes you take a hit that would have been a show stopper had it not been for the armour. I totally agree that it is at these times we need to avoid the delusion of thinking we care deadlier than we actually. So it also falls into the same trap that "gentleman's rules" can fall into. Also, whenI live stick spar no armour the people I play with, myself included, are incredibly hesitant to close because we are aware of the danger. I saw my GM just tap someone on the head with very light rattan when he closed, and the guy just dropped.

    Of course you never know. Which is why both armoured and no armoured sparring are important.

    This is also not really a critique of the gathering...as the gathering allows people to match up and spar in whatever form they want. But more so my thoughts on sparring in general.

    That being said was I going to go to my first gathering and do first gen. mask with a baseball bat size stick?......No lol. Might I try to match up with people to do more minimal armour with slightly smaller sticks next year?.....probably.

    Let me also add I talked to everyone I sparred after and they all had very good awareness of what happened. It is also quite a thing to bring people together and just say okay fight each other no winner or loser. That is a lot of fun and I think everyone learns a lot.
     
  13. Freeform

    Freeform Fully operational War-Pig Supporter

    I'd say we don't spar in Gatherings, that we fight. Yes there is the abstraction in that:

    1) Two guys fighting with sticks, when does that ever happen?
    2) We have the mask and gloves.
    3) "Be friends at the end of the day." (But "Only you are responsible for you")

    But it isn't sparring.

    Absolutely, this is one of the huge things in the DB Tribe that a lot of people don't realise. If you rely on the mask you'll never be recognised, it's obvious and clear to those who know what they are watching. Most DB's I know would rather stick their arm in the way and risk the broken forearm than take it on the mask, I've my left forearm fractured at least three times because I'd rather be honest and protect my head. To be asked the question: "Why'd you stick your arm in the way [rather than let the mask take it]?" Makes it obvious that the questioner isn't 'there' yet.



    Play and sparring are different to fighting. Yes, experienced people are less likely to close when playing because it changes the game. If you're a corto guy/school corto is basically the range where people get messed up. If you use the stick as an abstraction of a sword, then of course you don't really want to force the clinch in play.


    Fight ;) But yes there are sometimes 'Gentleman's rules' applied to some fights that are cleared by the Ring Master ahead of time. I've fought double stick against the three sectional staff, we agreed to no minimal clinch grapple because he was also a BJJ Black belt and I have 20 yr of grappling behind me, the distance game is what we wanted to play.

    When you say 'more minimal armour' what do you mean? Lacrosse gloves are heavy enough to be frowned upon as is a Sabre mask. That's about as heavily 'armoured' as you can get away with (and if you were a returning fighter it'd be frowned upon unless you had a good reason, like you were a carpenter and need you fingers to work ;) ).

    Yes :)
     
  14. BahadZubu

    BahadZubu Valued Member


    Sorry for the late reply. Long story short...life.

    At the open gathering I went to almost everyone wore a saber mask and I was told that this was the norm. I wore hockey gloves and then downsized to the kil gloves for my last 2 fights. By minimal armour I mean that wearing any head gear at all completely changes the dynamic of the match. I saw countless people eating shots in order to close. I'm not saying they lacked skill, I'm simply saying that if you wear headgear the fight will continue to such a point where you will probably get hit in the head. It doesn't make this kind of sparring useless but it does require that we all be honest with ourselves. Something that I found in spades at the gathering.

    I am hesitant to call the Dog Brothers a fight because they have the caveat friends at the end of the day. When I do into a boxing match, I'm not trying to be friends with this person. I am trying to win. Obviously I hope I don't injure him severely but when fighting that is none of my concern. Same thing with stick competitions. I don't hope for the opponent to get severely injured but I will try my best in order to win the fight.

    -BZ
     
  15. BahadZubu

    BahadZubu Valued Member

    Thinking a little more on the subject, certainly the DB fights can't be called sparring but they are different from competition fights. So yes fight is an accurate description but slightly different from competition fights where one wins or loses. This difference isn't bad thing...it is just different. Again this was my first gathering and I am sure people (like the poster above) who have much more DB experience look at things differently and have a deeper understanding. Also, this was a gathering so I am sure a lot of the people I saw were not actual Dog Brothers. I am sure going to an all DB gathering would be a much different experience.
     
    Last edited: Nov 17, 2016
  16. DarkComplex

    DarkComplex Valued Member

    When it comes to knee injuries, do participants go for the knees or is it that the strike happened to land at the knees or the person walked into it?
     
  17. blindside

    blindside Valued Member

    yes.

    Sorry if that sounds flippant but different fighters have different personal guidelines, there are no rules.
     

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