sparring is fun.

[dc]

i think sparring is fun. that is why i like sparring. the being able to defend myself thing is great, but my main reason is cause i enjoy doing it. i think that if you learn sparring and say to yourself, "i can beat up anyone who dares attack me," you are having grandiose delusions akin to those of timothy treadwell in "grizzly man" and you also take yourself way too seriously.

discuss.

[Flip]

the only other person in my class is my girlfriend. And (fortunately for me) she doesn't like sparring. But (unfortunately for me) that only leaves Sifu, who is about 1000000000 steps ahead of me.

[Inga]

dan, do you reckon there are people out there sparring that don't enjoy it? not sure finding it fun and thinking you are INVINCIBLE are mutally exclusive..i think sparring is a lot of fun, i enjoy it but it is also stimulation, a challenge..to do better than the time before, to apply what i have learned, modify it to serve each situation as it arises. i don't really ever think about using martial arts in everyday life and if i needed to, i'm sure it wouldn't be a "my dad's bigger 'n yer dad" (pick a fight) situation, it would be a "i'm going to hurt you as much as i can as fast as i can so i can run away even faster" (help!) situation. but then i am a girl. :) unless of course i ran into someone from class in town, i might throw 'em a few punches to say hi.

[scramasax57]

i have to agree, i think the chances of getting into a SERIOUS conflict are fairly rare, and the chances of anyone being able to solve the situation with just their martial arts skills are pretty low. any one who really wants to hurt you will come with a gun or with friends. i think it's mostly useful in that, by being more skillful, it lets us handle smaller situations (drunks, people with mental or emotional problems who become violent, shoving matches, etc) without having to hurt the other person. i know i've been in some situations where someone was technically attacking me but was not really a serious threat, and i wanted to defend myself without hurting them. my training came in handy because i could deal with the situation without overreacting.

plus, like you said, sparring is just fun. good exercise, good way to build friendships (oddly), leaves you feeling good afterwards.

[Walter Wong]

Sparring is the bread and butter of training.

[scramasax57]

i might say that basic training is the bread and sparring is the butter. you need basic training, just like you need the carbs in bread, but its rather tasteless and boring with out the butter. plus butter is salty and so is blood. i carried that metaphor way too far.

[Inga]

haha.. brill..except that muscles built during basic training are not squidgy like bread (one hopes). how about they go together like pb & j? training is peanut butter (protein) and the sparring is the jelly (sweet), no? ..yeah well, i didn't start this, walter did.. see dan, sparring is fun, even when ya just talk about it :)

[zipwolf]

Well i suppose this somewhat dashes my hiatus into pieces. And i havent even been to the london YMAA yet ONCE! Damn you start of term late endings! And damn the YMAA being in HOLBORN! I mean seriously...

Anyway, now that rant is over, Sparring is the most fun thing in the universe except for guitaring. Which kicks a little bit more rear in relation to things. (everythings). Sparring with friends rocks, especially if they do a different martial art to you, because you have to try and use yours vs theirs and that can be hard, awkward, and takes lots and lots of work. And man the rush is great. My friend Luke (i may have mentioned it once or twice) is a kickboxer, and was second in the world in his class at one point, (he was a brown belt, and got beaten by a canadian. Funnily enough though, he beat a canadian black belt. Do their belts go in reverse?) and he also did a ton of judo, so sparring with him in summer on the beach is heaps of fun. I always end up in the sand, but hey, it does rock, and occasionally i manage to bring him down with me (not often..). I know a few people who do other arts too, and without sparring, hanging out with them would just be boring. My best ever sparring matches have been with my friend Kurt, who although (currently) stronger then me, is also a novice in the world of gongfu, so we are both trying our very best to pull of stuff that we arent quite used to, so it can lead to long, painful, and exhillarating sparring matches. We also do pushing hands, which rocks.

All in all, i wish there was more sparring in the world, as its fun as hell, regardless of pain, and it is one of the best ways of building skills. One suggestion i have for everyone is restrict using what you are best at until you are losing royally. Always use things you need practice on, because bringing them into play in an outside drilling context is a fantastic way of getting a feel for them, even if it gets you a bloody nose.

[dc]

i didn't mean to imply that having fun while sparring and becoming a master of the universe (go he-man and she-ra!) were mutually exclusive. for example, i plan on attaining master of the universe status within six months while STILL mentioning things like masters of the universe on an internet chat forum.

i'm sure there are people out there who spar just so they can learn the art of the beatdown. mere husks. they miss the chitiny goodness of the ripe corn kernel i.e. having fun. i've mentioned this example before, but someone i know was encouraged by his instructor to start fights for more practice. now that's just not fun in my book.

zipwolf, you should just start wailing on your guitar during ymaa class. i think it would go over really well.

[Inga]

hang on dc, are you encouraging fights by telling zipwolf to play his music in class? :) you have heard his music, haven't you? oh, i can say this tobar, 'cause you're 3,000 miles away mate!! still, i can't play the guitar or last 5 mins sparring with you so i'll stop taking the michael out of your talents before you buy a plane ticket.. i am glad we do not have any 'husks' in our sparring class. we may range in ability, but we all have fun, don't we chaps?

[zipwolf]

Dan, in film-making you are already a master of the universe! BTN really showed us all the secret powers of awesome you posess!

The art of the beatdown is just silly, as people who just try to learn that are missing out on all the other tiny interactions and possibilities that make sparring so bloody awesome. You go in just trying to grab legs and/or punch face, if you are lucky you do well, until you then get someone who kicks your face while you try to grab leg, or who repels a fist, follows through with a lock, hits your ribs simultaneously with an elbow then sweeps with one leg and BLAM! One of a million possibilities that could happen! And its all so AWESOME! (as long as ribs dont break). As i stated before, the hitting the ground part of a takedown is just as fun and educational as taking someone else down, or stopping them take you down, because its your reaction when you hit the floor thats vital, etc. And if you do do all this in trying to learn to beat-down, but are missing out on fun, then why do it? Husks, pfah!

Going out and starting fights for practice is just plain silly, because of the fact you may accidentally annoy a guy with a bunch of friends with knives (especially if you live in dangerous areas) and isnt particularly clever. The only fights i'd ever go out and start, would be friendly sparring matches with friends etc. When i was a kid, a friend of mine and myself would beat the hell out of each other with cushions, as it didnt hurt as much in our heads; in reality however we left probably more damaged then if we were sparring with fists (bloody noses, black eyes, etc.) But the whole thing was incredibly fun. And never as dangerous as going out to someone i never met and thwacking them with a pillow to test how good i was.

Oh, and Dc, so far i havent had anyone fight me over my music. My hair, yes, people have threatened me over (Aaah chavs) but music, no. But still, i'd rather not play it in class, it may annoy olivier a little. And i'm not sure everyone else would like it either.

And this brings me to you Inga, you may be 3,000 miles away, but you are forgetting just how often i come to the American place known as America . And the Michael has already been taken, when i next come to michigan, i'll just make a side-trip to see you , then we'll see what my guitaring can REALLY DO! (Screw sparring, your ears will EXPLODE! )

I only ever knew a few husks personally, and i dont think any are at the london branch of the YMAA, but most of them are always like "YEAH BUT I COULD JUST DO THIS IF YOU PUNCHED ME!" and just run in to you repeatedly... very irritating.

[Inga]

ah, well put like that i nominate scramasax as my second, and in fact, he can duel guitars with you on the common..and dan can film it! that would rock! i promise to watch from a safe distance wearing ear defenders. :) and maybe we can all spar kf afterwards..hmm, bring some ymaa london friends, cd be some serious FUN.

[zipwolf]

lol, i'll put yatish and bro (i cant spell his NAME!) in a suitcase and smuggle them across with me for sparring! Muahaha! And i shall de-feet scram and his inferior wailing! But Dan shall DESTROY my movie-ing and my choreography!