The
Myth of The Ultimate Martial Arts Drill
http://kirkhamsebooks.com/MartialArts/MartialArtsArticles/UltimateMartialArtsDrill.html
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There
seems to be a prevalent myth that a common martial arts drill is
some kind of ultimate drill. That if you become adept at this
drill, you'll be able to defend yourself in any type of attack in
the street. Martial arts instructors have developed drills to
improve this drill and others have made it an integral part of a
sport.
Have
you figured out what the drill to which I'm referring? That's
right ladies and gentlemen, the ultimate, the one and only -
spaaarrrriiiinnnngggg!
For
the purposes of this article, we will define sparring as an
abstract martial arts drill in which two or more partners
exchange attacking, defensive and counter-attacking techniques
and tactics in a non-synchronized manner.
All
drills, including sparring, have positive and negative
attributes. I'd like to point out some of these attributes, both
positive and negative to bring this good but sometimes
misunderstood drill to the level and categories it belongs.
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Positive
Aspects of Sparring
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Sparring
is an Abstract Drill
The drill is
flexible enough to train for a variety of situations and
environments.
General
defensive, offensive and counter-offensive tactics are developed
and improved.
Distances
can be experienced and tested of a variety of partner body types.
A
variety of strikes and combinations can be experienced and
executed.
The
timing between blocks and or evasive movements and
counter-striking can be observed, executed and improved.
The
drill has positive aerobic and anaerobic factors similar to a
type of interval training in which the athlete jogs then sprints
a prescribed distance or time at intervals.
Sparring
is executed by a number of styles and seems a good
basis
for different styles of martial arts to both train and compete
together.
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Negative
Aspects of Sparring
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Sparring is
an Abstract Drill The
drill is flexible enough to train for a variety of situations and
environments. There
is not enough repetition of techniques and tactics to increase
learning speed in a reasonable amount of time as compared to
single focus drills.
General
defensive, offensive and counter-offensive tactics are developed
and improved. There
is not enough repetition of techniques and tactics to increase
learning speed in a reasonable amount of time as compared to
single focus drills.
Distances
can be experienced and tested of a variety of partner body types.
The wide variety
of experiences are a positive aspect of sparring, however my own
experience is that often times the number of partners are
limited.
A
variety of strikes and combinations can be experienced and
executed. Strikes
and combinations can be experienced and executed, however in my
experience partners tend to only execute those techniques and
combinations the partners are comfortable with in order to avoid
being struck. This tends to limit experiences in both observation
and execution.
The
timing between blocks and or evasive movements and
counter-striking can be observed, executed and improved.
There is not
enough repetition of techniques and tactics to increase learning
speed in a reasonable amount of time as compared to single focus
drills.
Sparring
is executed by a number of styles and seems a good basis for
different styles of martial arts to both train and compete
together. The
schools which spar a great deal will have an unfair advantage
over those schools which treat sparring like any other drill.
This would be comparable to students thinking their style is
better by comparing how well breaking-holds are executed or any
other drill.
The
drill has positive aerobic and anaerobic factors similar to a
type of interval training in which the athlete jogs then sprints
a prescribed distance or time at intervals. From
strictly a self-defense point of view, anaerobic capacity is more
important than aerobic capacity. A long sparring session doesn't
emphasize the intensity of a self-defense situation.
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Variations
of Sparring to Overcome Negative Aspects
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I'm the first
to admit, despite its weaknesses, I love sparring. Well they
don't call me The Drillman for nothing. So I developed several
variations of sparring to focus on various aspects of
self-defense training and compensate for some of the weaknesses.
Repeat
Sparring This
helps me quite a bit. If my partner tags me with a strike, he/she
repeats the same combination over and over until I develop a
block and or evasive movement. This benefits my partner as he/she
repeats an effective combination and it benefits me as I learn to
avoid being hit by an effective combination.
Taking
Away Weapons Remember
I mentioned martial artists tend use only techniques and
combinations of techniques they are comfortable with (okay okay
with which they are comfortable for you English teachers out
there)?
Now
we take away those favorites techniques and combinations by
removing weapons.
The
possibilities are only limited by your imagination
When
attacking you may only use these combinations of weapons
All
Left arm
right leg
Right
arm left leg
Right
side weapons
Left
side weapons
Left
arm
Right
arm
Right
leg
Left
leg
When
defending you may only use these combinations of tools
All
Left arm
right leg
Right
arm left leg
Right
side
Left
side
Left
arm
Right
arm
Right
leg and evasive
Left
leg and evasive
Add
or take away evasive
Evasive
only
Now
mix them up
You're
attacks and defenses are unlimited
You're
attacks are limited by a set of guideline above but not you're
defenses
You're
defenses are limited by a set of guideline above but not you're
attacks
You're
defenses and attacks are limited by the same set of guideline
above
You're
defenses and attacks are limited by different sets of guidelines
above.
And
the list goes on.
Think
think think. Add a safely knife right in the middle of sparing.
One student throws another that's sparring a safety baseball bat
another student joins another.
Tai
Chi like slow motion free for all with three martial artists.
This is
a great drill done slowly. Temporary teams against one student
are formed, but you have to keep an eye on your temporary partner
as well.
I've
actually got a lot more drills than this , but many of them do
not match the topic of this article, my carpal tunnel hands are
getting tired, and the drills don't match our stated definition
of sparring. Feel free however to check out my printable ebook,
Bringing the Martial Artist Out from Within for more drills.
Thank
you for your support. If you have martial arts drills or articles
feel free to share them in any of the martial arts groups below.
Rick
Sensei J.
Richard Kirkham B.Sc.
http://kirkhamsebooks.com/MartialArts/BringingTheMartialArtistOutfrombykirkham.htm
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About
the Author
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J. Richard
Kirkham is a dual certified teacher and martial
arts instructor. He has expertise in alternative
teaching methods and positive reinforcement methodology. He's
written several books in the printable electronic format and has
made downloadable videos and DVDs. He currently resides in
Honolulu with his wife Jan and son Hunter. Feel free to visit Mr.
Kirkham's website at http://KirkhamsEbooks.com/MartialArts/
or you may email him at help@kirkhamsebooks.com
You may post this article in its entirety.
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