Sparring Conditions and Equipment

[DeusTrismegistus]

I an curious what kind of equipment do people use when sparring? I like to use only gloves and occasionally spar bare handed. However contact is usually kept light to medium and speed as well. As for conditions I have seen other schools that stop the action and restart it frequently, becuase the participants got to close to a wall, or because someone got knocked silly, or because someone went down. Also do you practice on a padded mat or normal floor or grass?

Another think I am curious about is when you do your sparring practice do other people watch the action? Are there other groups of people up practicing at the same time in the room?

Also do you get your practice in a school environment or in a casual environment with friends?

[mixjourneyman]

Depends who I'm sparring with really.
At the local karate club we usually spar "light" with only body shots and fakes to the head.
With my regular sparring buddy we spar with gloves and depending how heated the exchange gets hit each other from light to fairly hard.
With the MTL guys we usually go fairly light but with a lot of intensity, which is really an eyeopening (especially when you are not wearing gloves and get hit in the eye).
Others I usually just try to do whatever they like since different situations are always a good learning experience.

[qiphlow]

I an curious what kind of equipment do people use when sparring? headgear, glovesI like to use only gloves and occasionally spar bare handed. However contact is usually kept light to medium and speed as well. As for conditions I have seen other schools that stop the action and restart it frequently, becuase the participants got to close to a wall, or because someone got knocked silly, or because someone went down. Also do you practice on a padded mat or normal floor or grass?grass

Another think I am curious about is when you do your sparring practice do other people watch the action?it's a public park, so occasionally, yes Are there other groups of people up practicing at the same time in the room?

Also do you get your practice in a school environment or in a casual environment with friends?casual with friends

answers in bold text above...

[DeusTrismegistus]

I an curious what kind of equipment do people use when sparring? headgear, glovesI like to use only gloves and occasionally spar bare handed. However contact is usually kept light to medium and speed as well. As for conditions I have seen other schools that stop the action and restart it frequently, becuase the participants got to close to a wall, or because someone got knocked silly, or because someone went down. Also do you practice on a padded mat or normal floor or grass?grass

Another think I am curious about is when you do your sparring practice do other people watch the action?it's a public park, so occasionally, yes Are there other groups of people up practicing at the same time in the room?

Also do you get your practice in a school environment or in a casual environment with friends?casual with friends

answers in bold text above...

Thanks.

Do you think having people watching effects how you spar? Do you think about different things when people are watching vs when people aren't? Personally when I have been up in front of class sparring someone else with my classmates watching I always feel like I really need to look good. Not showing off or anything but really do my best. There was never a thought of beating the other guy or anything like that but I think an audience helps me be more focused and driven.

When it comes to training casually with friends. I have tried that and it seems hard to keep serious We do a lot of joking around and often I spend more time showing things than actually training things.

[novamma]

We always spar with hand wraps, 16 oz. gloves, mouth piece, cup, and shin guards. elbow pads optional if using elbow as a weapon which is legal in competition in our state.

[Teazer]

Back before I moved out West: face cage head gear, mma style gloves, cup & mouthguard also recommended. Usually on lightly padded floor. Contact depended on what you negotiated with your sparring partner beforehand. Usually if people weren't restraining themselves a bit we calmed them down some before continuing. Generally a bit lighter to the head & other delicate bits, but still enough to feel a good thump. The people around watching were waiting to spar. 2 minute rounds, only stopping to replace protective equipment or if things got tied up on the ground for an extended length of time. Mostly it was people I was training + an occasional assortment of people who knew them or me & practiced other stuff.

[DeusTrismegistus]

Anyone else? I know more people gotta practice sparring around here...

[qiphlow]

Thanks.

Do you think having people watching effects how you spar? Do you think about different things when people are watching vs when people aren't? Personally when I have been up in front of class sparring someone else with my classmates watching I always feel like I really need to look good. Not showing off or anything but really do my best. There was never a thought of beating the other guy or anything like that but I think an audience helps me be more focused and driven.

When it comes to training casually with friends. I have tried that and it seems hard to keep serious We do a lot of joking around and often I spend more time showing things than actually training things.

usually i'm trying hard not to get knocked upside the head by troy (a difficult thing to do), so i'm not really paying attention to the looky-loo folks that happen to be in the park. we sometimes will work on specific stuff, but mainly we just go at it and try not to cause any damage that would prevent anyone from attending the post-sparring coffee shop meeting.

[Darth Rock&Roll]

head gear, mouthpiece, 14 oz gloves, wraps, cup.

some guys like to wear shins as well.

This gear allows you to actually experience as close to a real fight as you can get in a training situation.

but, if you wanna go bare knuckles all out, then by all means be my guest! But I gotta go to work in the morning and prefer to keep the visible injuries to a bare minimum.

[Walk the Torque]

I rarely wear anything these days. I know what is connecting and what isn't, and whether any power exists in the shots. My shins take a beating some times, but i'll live I guess. I just haven't gotten around to wearing shin pads. Grappling without equipment is good when the sweat flows things are more...well slippery, and adds a degree of difficulty that I find appealing.

I never hit really hard to the head (gloved or not); I don't think it is necessary. Taps to the head suffice to let them know you were there. Good solid body shots and strikes to the legs are OK in my book co's they are good reminders to protect yourself. Take downs, throws and trips can all be done in a mild but meaningful manner, especially if your partner knows how to fall. (even on hard surfaces).

[mrtoes]

I go to a san shou class atm to get my sparring fix. For that I've just been using 14 oz gloves, but I'm going to get a mouthguard and shin pads. Someone blocked my low kick with a muay thai type shin block last week and it was murder! My legs are not conditioned at all. Don't feel the need for headgear as long as people aren't putting full power shots there - we do fairly light contact though some people . Haven't done much takedowns because wooden floors but I think they're planning to get floor mats soon which will mean more work on throws.

I like sparring with the big muppet gloves because you can work with stuff and there's very little danger of being hurt. However I'm a bit worried about getting into the habit of relying on big gloves for blocking (such a big area to block with). The mma style gloves are much more realistic for that (and having fingers free is a prerequisite for much grappling of course) and I'd like to go back to that at some point. When I stop getting smacked in the head so much probably

[Darth Rock&Roll]

Hey guys, just a side note in regards to conditioning.

Take up running for your legs. It's a simple and easy way to condition the shit out of your legs in a relatively small time window.

run 3km on first day, take walks when you gas but pick it up right away. Run through the splints as best you can.
day 2, run 5k
day 3, run 5 k
day 4 run 3k
day 5 run 5k
day 6 run 7k
day 7, take a bath.

the bone density is increased from teh constant pounding and shock impact on the concrete or asphalt.
It is one of the fastest ways to set a foundation of conditioning for your legs.

It also is great cardio and a great way to burn fat.

[RobP2]

We sometimes use light bag type gloves and train on normal floors or outside. Very occasionally for some specific drills we use 14oz gloves and headgear. In general though we aim to minimise the use of equipment. We always work contact, though of course speed and power levels are variable. The better at moving / dealing with body strikes, the harder it can go. In fact watch this space I may have some footage following this Sunday's workshop!

[mrtoes]

Hey guys, just a side note in regards to conditioning.

Take up running for your legs. It's a simple and easy way to condition the shit out of your legs in a relatively small time window.

run 3km on first day, take walks when you gas but pick it up right away. Run through the splints as best you can.
day 2, run 5k
day 3, run 5 k
day 4 run 3k
day 5 run 5k
day 6 run 7k
day 7, take a bath.

the bone density is increased from teh constant pounding and shock impact on the concrete or asphalt.
It is one of the fastest ways to set a foundation of conditioning for your legs.

It also is great cardio and a great way to burn fat.

Thanks for the tip Darth, it never occurred to me that running would help that. I'm not sure I'll take it up though - I used to run all the time back when I lived near cliffs and beaches but stopped when I got to the city as I don't really like running on tarmac. Doesn't it mash up your joints, or is that only if you do it wrong?

It makes sense that it toughens up the bone but I always thought thai boxers kicked down trees and suchlike

[yusuf]

hi

Mostly use harbingers, a nut cup and a head guard with plastic face cover. For weapons training i like just the head guard only.


yusuf