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Martial Arts Sparring - Is Sparring Practice In Martial Arts A Waste Of Time?

Author: Marshall Buchholz
Date Posted: March 20, 2007

Does non-contact point sparring actually decrease your ability to defend yourself in a real situation?

After all, you’re pulling punches, avoiding eye gouges, bone breaking, wrist locks and the like. How can you learn to defend yourself when you’re restricting your options?

And what if the fight ends up on the ground? All your skills at dancing around in a padded helmet isn’t going to help you get out of a brutal rear mount arm crank!

Or Is It…?

If you take a good, objective look at it…

Sparring May Be The Most Perfect Martial Arts Exercise Ever

I won’t lie to you—I’m in favor of sparring. I think there are no other exercises in Martial Arts that can accomplish as much in as little time as good sparring practice.

Here’s why…

(And bear in mind, I had to keep this article short to prevent it from turning into a book-length discourse!)

What If You Could Combine All Your Training Needs Into One Easy Exercise?

Think I’m exaggerating? Sparring practice improves a wide variety of essential Martial Arts requirements all at once.

Consider this short list of Benefits:

Faster Reflexes

The ability to react instantly gives you the freedom to think and plan under pressure. Quick reflexes allow you to take control of the situation.

Improved Timing & Distancing

Trains you to eliminate unnecessary movement by moving only when and as fast as you need to. This makes you less predictable and harder to read. You seem faster to your opponent. Your ability to accurately judge distance increases your speed because you do not have to consciously stop and assess the situation.

Improved Accuracy

It is relatively easy to attack a stationary target. It takes a special, acquired skill to attack a moving target with exact precision. Fighting practice of this kind develops the skill to make your attacks at the right place, at the right time, and with minimal margin of error.

Instinct

Helps you develop the ability to sense, or "just know" how to move in on, or around your opponent. The more time you spend in simulated fighting practice, the better able you are to "feel" what your opponent is going to do.

Increased Endurance

This might just be the perfect cardio workout. You're in continual motion, or, sometimes, holding perfectly still as part of your strategy, then engaging in sudden, explosive movements. Watch the competitors at a tournament. By the end of a good match, they are usually very winded.

Also - during all that movement and bouncing around on your feet, you’re playing a game of physical chess in your mind, and that game is FUN! Because you’re mind is into the game, you don’t as easily notice the effect the workout is having on your endurance.

Improved Balance

Repeated shifting of your weight develops better control of your movements, which translates into improved balance. High kicks and spinning attacks all require good balance.

Stress Release

Combine the cardio benefits of with the mental discipline and you have the perfect stress reliever. It teaches you to accomplish difficult tasks while in a state of practiced, relaxed energy.

Quick Thinking Under Pressure

Forces you to learn how to make quick choices while under pressure. You become adept at considering options and remember useful information during stressful situations.

Having Fun!

To put it bluntly, good Martial Arts Sparring practice is just plain fun! It is, after all, a game much like chess where your various techniques are the pieces on the board. It requires strategy and acquired skills. As you learn these, and become adept at using them, the exercise aspects of point fighting are more enjoyable when they become aspects of a game.

All of which mean...

Sparring is the perfect way to improve your martial arts skills!

Of course, you might think all of these benefits can be attained in other ways. Well, you’re right, they can. But what other Martial Arts exercise helps you to develop all of these skills—and more—all at one time?

About The Author

Marshall Buchholz is a Martial Arts instructor and school owner. He teaches the Wu Ying Tao style of Martial Arts in Salem, Oregon. Visit his web sites at: http://www.professionalmartialartsofsalem.com and http://www.learn-practical-self-defense.com

Article Source: JKD Street Combat - online collection of General Interest articles.

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