Why do so many schools lack good sparring?

So many schools do not have sparring or lack of good sparring. Why is that?

Is it because they have to be family friendly? Afraid people may not come to class.

Go to any boxing or kickboxing and they have really good sparring and also do it hard. But many karate do not.

Why is that and it not getting better but worse.

 

Because....

They think they're too deadly to spar
Some people don't want to actually have to work to improve their skills
Some people hate failure but like feeling superior
They're hung up on the 'woo woo' nonsense
They want to do martial arts but don't actually want to get hit
They think drilling is a substitute for unscripted pressure

Did I miss anything?

 

Here are some more.

- If you are interested in fighting, you should buy yourself a gun.
- Self-defense is different from fighting.
- MA is more than just fighting.
- ...

 

Well, it depends on the goal of the art. As a general rule, koryu do not spar. Iaidoka don't spar. But that's not the point of what they're doing, so no problem. Iaido practitioners are often encouraged to do kendo so they can understand the dynamics of a live, resisting opponent, and vice versa with kendoka taking up iai to learn how to handle a real sword.

Now, if your boxing gym doesn't spar, that's a problem. If your koryu kenjutsu school doesn't spar, that's normal. If your HEMA club doesn't spar, that's a serious problem IMO.

 

But if you look at why Koryu don't spar I think it gives some insight into the wider issues.

 

"Good" sparring and "hard" sparring are not necessarily the same thing - a high level of contact and/or intensity is not always conducive to skill acquisition.

 

Same reason the outfits, yelling and poses are so popular. People value image more than depth of understanding.

Realistic training dispels illusions and fantasies; compliant, theatrical training indulges them. The latter is always going to be more appealing.

For what it's worth, I enjoy and practice both for both reasons. So long as you know what you're practicing and why, it's not necessarily a bad thing.

 

Some styles also seem more into sparring than other styles like Taekwondo and Kajukenbo seem to be more into sparring than Kenpo.

Kids and older people may not be into sparring like younger people.

 

This is a very general statement, and there isn't one simple answer. At the very root of it it depends on the school and their goals.

Are they running it purely as a business?
Are they aiming for kids and family?
Insurance?
Tradition?
Sport specific? (Touch and point sparring?)

Would really depend on a school by school basis.

 

This is spot on
Boxing aside ( I say that because it has a history of hard sparring every week and weeding out those not wanting to go hard) sparring should be largely technical in nature, if you are sparring at a pace and level of contact where you are scared to try new stuff and scared to get hit, you aren’t learning you are surviving and its not sustainable

And I think the answer to the question is a different one, people don’t know how to coach sparring and how to do so progressively and safely. It’s a skill that has to be learned.

But most teachers don’t know the skill so you end up with 1 of three things
1) No sparring
2) Sparring at an inappropriate level of contact which leads to way too many injuries, no one learning and people leaving so teachers drop sparring and go back to point 1
3) Sparring with inappropriate levels of protection which leads either
a. to too many injuries and leads you to point 2 above, then to point 1 above
b. too little actual contact and to slap happy sparring with no power and poor technical levels (which is probably the worst of all the problems because it makes people think they know how to fight and can fight)

If you aren’t in fight prep mode your sparring should be safe and fun, yes you will get hit, but if you are worried about getting a damaged nose, concussion etc in your weekly sparring class you need to find another school because its not a learning environment

If your school has you sparring regularly in fingerless gloves, 4 oz MMA gloves or bag gloves, get out, the vast majority of your striking sparring should be with 14 or 16oz boxing gloves and shin guards, cup and gum shield should be mandatory and this is for all striking training even MMA

MMA specific ground sparring, clinch sparring etc should be with 7oz gloves at the most, 4oz are for fighting NOT training

Personally im on the fence with head gear id prefer to not wear it and have better hand protection, I see way too many TCMA guys using head gear and 4 oz gloves and getting hit in the head over and over because they aren’t covering well enough cant see well enough and pass it off as pressure sparring or realistic street sparring.

I can count on one hand the number of coaches I have seen that can actually coach someone to spar, and that’s in 30 years of training

 

Yeah, my guys either use 7oz gloves and headguards or 16oz gloves depending on what we're doing.

 

Yep its not rocket science, you want the best protection and the best environment which encourages learning and development in a safe manner , the more protection you have and the safer your environment, the more often you can train and the quicker you improve

That’s not to say you don’t have to go hard now and then, if you want to compete then you have to be pushed in fight camp, but if you are training for fun, fitness etc the vast majority of your sparring should be safe as possible it should be a learning environment NOT a survival one.

TMA especially seems to get it wrong, you have two ends of the extreme those guys that don’t hit at all, and those that put on helmets, 4oz gloves and terrible defence and just whack each other in the face mask over and over, how is either of those two things making you better??

 

I think the realisation for me was that solid sparring meant training with full extension rather than with full power. That way you can dial the power up and down as you want, but you're never pulling punches.

 

The thing I think many places miss out is doing sparring in a progressive pattern that promotes development but also expands limits.
Sparring is usually at one pace or format and intensity is not varied much from what I've seen.
IMHO sparring should saw tooth in intensity up and down across the training year. Probably monthly. Start with drilling and light isolation sparring, add intensity and contact as the month progresses and end the month with some (safe) pressure testing and pushing the limits to some degree. Then drop back down to the starting intensity and build back up again.
Much like weight training with periodic rest periods and lower intensity times.
That way people get used to progressively harder sparring, know that a rest period is coming up, can recover bumps and bruises and over the course of training gradually get better.

 

Most people do not do martial arts to learn how to fight. Most people do martial arts to get fit. to do something interesting and to get out of the house. A successful commercial model for a club is to emphasis the exercise, give students an endorphin high, and supply belts to provide the illusion of progress. This formula allows a single instructor to effectively manage a large class.

You don't need to teach sparing to make money. So many people don't.

 

Except which group of martial arts schools in the UK most typically has large full time venues with professional teachers and matching fees?

 

Lack of experience in good sparring. Half-speed sparring and rolling with lighter intensity should be part of training from early on. Heavier contact can happen when the student is ready. Full speed sparring should be more rare and when done, should focus on gaining experience.

When the teacher and other students do not have expertise in ALL forms of sparring, some forms of sparring get neglected and disappear from the training.

Sparring doesn't go away in family friendly. Competitive martial arts have plenty of sparring. What goes away with family friendly is the "hardcore training" such as heavy contact levels, body toughening, and pressure environments.

Afraid that people will not come to class is a reason that hardcore training is not as common in family friendly training.

Edit: Another reason is as we get older, we have to mellow out some for health reasons.

 

not to mention if you want to get fit, honestly stay away from most TMA schools especially those that don't spar

If someone wants to get fit there are much more efficient ways than martial arts, especially TMA as its typically taught

As for the whole people don't want to spar because they don't want to fight argument, thats a misnomer i know plenty of people who spar who will never fight, its a safe fun way to learn to apply what you are learning,

The reason most students who are new are afraid to spar is fear of the unknown and because too few teachers know how to actually teach sparring so students end up getting hurt, or teachers dare not let people spar because they don't know how to control the environment and have it done safely

The irony is the schools that can and do teach people to spar safely end up with fuller classes, fitter students and a much better demographic spread of student ages and genders

 

And that's not an issue as long as your not selling what you do as a martial art or a self defence art and people are aware that without sparring they aren't learning to fight but just training for arts sake.

Now if you are telling people you are teaching them a martial art and they will learn how to defend themselves but not having them spar then you are being dishonest with them and pulling the wool over their eyes to a large extent.