That was the first time you reasoned it in a technically productive manner (I'll disregard the fact that there were not strikes incoming). So, if all your points are proved true, I should be telling my students they're learning a Chinese MA? Which one? I presume you would discount sparring other Marbo members (even though many have studied other arts), but I've not been KOd sparring with people from other arts, so I must have some idea of what I'm doing. Or am I just a very lucky LARPer?
I can see any opponent I need to in front of me by either moving my head or eyes, yes. All I'm trying to say though is it isn't true that you cannot move your head when tucking the chin (like a boxer vs. looking down), you still have quite a bit of movement to work with. For example when you throw a jab you are looking down the path your arm is going, since your body is bladed you have to turn your head and your chin is still tucked. As far as looking over your shoulder, that's obviously not the same situation as dealing with an attacker that is in front of you that you are yourself attacking.
By the way, although I am interested in hearing about David Harrison's background and experience as everyone else is, I find it a little ridiculous that this much judgment and debate over one photo of him hitting a heavy bag is happening, as if it will tell you anything about how he actually fights. : P
Yeah, I get that. I got drawn in to the pedantry, sorry. One-on-one does require different ways of moving to multiple opponents though. But there was only one bag in the photo, so point taken. Though obviously I'm talking out of my bottom, because it's impossible that tactics and techniques exist that address fighting multiple opponents, just like it's impossible that someone could move off-line whilst simultaneously attacking...
Since you yourself have said you do not use gloves in sparring then as most full contact arts do use gloves, I would assume you havnt sparred full contact with people from other arts. Its simple logic really.
(from memory) On that thread another poster said that the entire marbo 'system' was created in the 70's from a groups collective martial art training, if so why the strange persian lies?
I thought you said mitts were gloves? Anyway, sure. It's kung-fu dressed up. Whatever you like. I'm not going to go over all the same dead horse-flogging as before.
So you sparred students in the same school as you with bag gloves on, was this full contact to KO (as you assert that your effectivness was such you weren't KO'd) or was it less then full contact (which there is nothing wrong with)
I've been concust, had the world spinning round me, dropped on my spine hard enough to get pins and needles in my whole body for an hour, plexus shots that made it feel like I was breathing in lightning, black eyes, split lips, black and blue shins, I'm blessed with a very squishy nose or that would've bled a lot more, nearly spat my testicles out of my mouth etc. etc. But no-one has got that sweet-spot on my jaw hard enough to KO me, no. Most of our sparring is light to medium though, and often the power will be appropriate to the target to minimize damage. I'm not claiming super awesome skillz, people better than me have had worse, including fractured jaws & bust ribs, but it has just not happened to me.. yet.
If your sparring that hard, would not the occasional use of heaver gloves be appropriate? Especially since your talking about fractured jaws, and concussions.
No, the restriction of repetoir would make it pointless, IMO. Better just to go lighter than use heavier gloves. Our injury record is very low on the whole, and only students wanting to progress through the intermediate syllabus have to spar hard. Otherwise, in theory, a student who stuck at the lower levels would not have to go beyond medium pace if they did not want to. Edit: and it was my mistake, I should be clear that I only know of 1 incident of a fractured jaw in the past (roughly) 15 years.
Why not do both, at different times, or even mix it up so one partner has bag mitts, one larger gloves. or even use MMA sparring gloves.
One of my students has used MMA gloves, but they aren't that much different to bag mitts really. Another member used to have what I think were Thai boxing gloves, but they soon moved to lighter ones. If we used heavier gloves, we would be training something different. Lighter sparring is often done without gloves of any kind, when it gets heavier mitts are used as a courtesy to prevent lots of facial cuts.
Try MMA sparring gloves, not MMA fight gloves. As you said your advanced level includes hard sparring, it might be worth looking at how you can reduce the concussions and cuts associated with low oz gloves.
Thanks, I'll check out the difference between the MMA sparring & fight gloves. I do appreciate the suggestion, but I can't see us adopting anything heavier.
