OldRed wrote:CJW---This is the basic problem. How does a person know that they can inflict serious damage or maim another if they can't survive play fighting, or rolling on the ground in the ring with a referee present?
I am not saying that any form of realistic sparring training/ free-fighting shouldn't be done. In fact, I am all for it. Still, free-fighting and realistic sparring training still aren't equal to combat sports. It's not a matter of which one is better, the mentality invovled is just different.
In sport fighting, there are rules that protect the participants from being bitten, eye-gouged, kicked in the groin, pinched on the throat, and attacked with various objects found in the surrounding. (chair, brick, stick, belt, pocket knife,etc) When one side is about to get his face smashed in, the referee ends the fight or the coach throws in the towel. At the end of the day, it's still a game - a game with heavy contact but various levels of protection - rather than real fighting. If you lose in sport fighting, in most cases you walk away with a few bumps and bruises; if you lose in a real fight against someone who aims to do damage, it could very well land you in hospital for weeks or even cost your life.
In traditional systems like the Praying Mantis and certain Hakka systems, there are movements found in the forms where you'd go low, slap the ground with the palms, and thrust the hands forward. When I asked the old-timers what those moves are for, they told me that the original application was to grab a handfull of sand, a pile of cow manure, a rock, or whatever's on the ground and throw it to the opponent's face; "Water Hand," an arm whipping move found in Fukien Whtie Crane system, was once used for throwing coins at the opponent with deadly power and accuracy; In the Bagua style I do, there is a self-defense technique (application of turning body palm ) passed down for generations where you'd move in high and low while piercing to the opponent's eyes, throat, and groin one time each. Once you manage to get pass his guard and touch one of those three areas, grab on and squeeze as tightly as possible for a split second before releasing and using your footwork to turn around and run off.
Can you see how this is different from sport fighting? It's not about who has the endurance to go for 10 rounds of kicking and punching or who is fast enough to take someone down to the floor and make him tap out in under a minute. Only thing that matters is survival.