Self Defense Without Sparring?

[JakeTKD]

A school that I am considering does a lot of different styles and I wanted to get people's opinions of pros and cons.

They do a lot of Japanese Ju Jitsu, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu techniques without rolling however, Kali stick/knife fighting, Judo, and self defense stuff that looks like Krav Maga. But the only issue is that they don't do any sparring at all, and you wear a judo GI at all times.

My goal is self defense but I without sparring I wasn't sure if I would be better off with a boxing/Muay Thai school. So my question to you would it be effective without a resisting opponent?

 

[Soggybiscuit]

Everyone has a plan until they get hit Mike Tyson.

 

[JeetKunDoGuy]

If you want to know how to punch/kick somebody, hit them with a stick, stab them with a knife, or wrestle/submit them, you need to spar. If you do not spar you skill will only improve to a certain degree - and then you just get good at scripted moves that only work when your partner is letting you do it. It may look slick but almost guarantees failure under fire, and it is not nearly as fun. Granted, there is a place for drills, but if you want to become adept at fighting you absolutely must spar IMHO

 

[JakeTKD]

That makes sense. Honesty I'm a poor college guy who cannot afford the top Denver CO schools that charge $200 a month. I can go to a BJJ school that's cheaper, but it's only BJJ. I guess I will learn BJJ and just buy a knife and gun for self defense haha.

 

[JakeTKD]

So I asked the guy of this school his thoughts on sparring and this was his reply.

"We dont do "sparring" per say as a fully resisting partner and the other person going full out as well leads to injuries. *What we do is meant *to break, blind or KO someone - not something anyone wants to do for real. *Knees to the face and groin, arm snapping techniques, smashing heads into floors and walls, stomping limbs that are on the ground are not things that you want to do for real, even advanced people will not have the control to keep people safe if this was all out. *What we teach is not for sport - sparring is for sport. *We run drills and pressure test techniques. *There isnt anyone in colorado who offers what I do in terms of combatives, jujitsu and kali - not for sport.

When you understand fight dynamics and awareness you will either avoid the conflict or preempt the fight and it's over. *It is actually very simple, and this is explained in classes. *The movie fights where 1 person gets hit, then hits the guy back is neither effective nor reality. *The way we train is I hit you I hit you I hit you you dont get up - done. *If you feel the need to resist in the jujitsu or kali stuff, once you are experienced enough to do so - be my guest, just *realize *the more you resist the more likely it is that you will be injured. *If someone has the chance to resist the technique was probably not done correctly or it was slowed down to avoid injury."

 

[Beavis5000]

To be honest his way of thinking seems like it could his students hurt in a situation in which they would really have to defend themselves.

I've heard about classes like this before and it seems like they teach just enough to get their students hurt in a real life situation.

Its probably better to have no information than this information so your actually fighting back rather than trying to think about how to do some move.

I've done MMA and boxing for many years and before when I was very young I did Shotokan. I've never been to a school or gym that didn't spar.

If your attacker puts up little to no resistance then what you learn at that school might be ok.

 

[j123]

Find another gym. If not, you could talk with some of the others students to do sparring/rolling after class. But for now, I'd say learning at the bjj gym would still be better than what you have currently (despite it being bjj only).

When I first started sparring, I thought I would start wrecking people since I was good on pads and partner drills, but I was wrong. It ended up with either shelling up for too long or crap technique. Now that I've done it more frequent, its better. The point is, sparring and rolling is a must (esp. for self defense purposes -- as you've implied thats your long term goal).

 

[lts5025]

A school that I am considering does a lot of different styles and I wanted to get people's opinions of pros and cons.

They do a lot of Japanese Ju Jitsu, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu techniques without rolling however, Kali stick/knife fighting, Judo, and self defense stuff that looks like Krav Maga. But the only issue is that they don't do any sparring at all, and you wear a judo GI at all times.

My goal is self defense but I without sparring I wasn't sure if I would be better off with a boxing/Muay Thai school. So my question to you would it be effective without a resisting opponent?

Red flag #1 "We don't spar"

Red flag #2 A single instructor is an expert in a lot of very different martial arts

Good luck getting anywhere in grappling without sparring. Whether it's Japanese jujitsu, BJJ, judo, wrestling, sambo, catch, etc. you MUST practice against a resisting opponent.

How do they practice kali without sparring? Every single arnis/kali/eskrima school I've been to has you put on the helmet and pads and get swinging.

If you're on a budget, I think you'd be better off learning judo and boxing.

 

[zapataxiv]

So I asked the guy of this school his thoughts on sparring and this was his reply.

"We dont do "sparring" per say as a fully resisting partner and the other person going full out as well leads to injuries. *What we do is meant *to break, blind or KO someone - not something anyone wants to do for real. *Knees to the face and groin, arm snapping techniques, smashing heads into floors and walls, stomping limbs that are on the ground are not things that you want to do for real, even advanced people will not have the control to keep people safe if this was all out. *What we teach is not for sport - sparring is for sport. *We run drills and pressure test techniques. *There isnt anyone in colorado who offers what I do in terms of combatives, jujitsu and kali - not for sport.

When you understand fight dynamics and awareness you will either avoid the conflict or preempt the fight and it's over. *It is actually very simple, and this is explained in classes. *The movie fights where 1 person gets hit, then hits the guy back is neither effective nor reality. *The way we train is I hit you I hit you I hit you you dont get up - done. *If you feel the need to resist in the jujitsu or kali stuff, once you are experienced enough to do so - be my guest, just *realize *the more you resist the more likely it is that you will be injured. *If someone has the chance to resist the technique was probably not done correctly or it was slowed down to avoid injury."

sounds like a snake oil salesman do yourself a favor and save yourself some money and dont give him any business
you live in denver why the fuck are you looking at a school like that we have plenty of options in the metro area for good training, keep looking and find a school that actually spars

 

[apizur**]

You get what you pay for.


You'll be fine until you get into an encounter with someone who has sparred or fought before. So you're pretty much all set against 10% of the population.

 

[Beavis5000]

Red flag #1 "We don't spar"

Red flag #2 A single instructor is an expert in a lot of very different martial arts

Good luck getting anywhere in grappling without sparring. Whether it's Japanese jujitsu, BJJ, judo, wrestling, sambo, catch, etc. you MUST practice against a resisting opponent.

How do they practice kali without sparring? Every single arnis/kali/eskrima school I've been to has you put on the helmet and pads and get swinging.

If you're on a budget, I think you'd be better off learning judo and boxing.

Judo and boxing, the poor mans combat sports lol.

 

[snowbro]

If you want to know how to punch/kick somebody, hit them with a stick, stab them with a knife, or wrestle/submit them, you need to spar. If you do not spar you skill will only improve to a certain degree - and then you just get good at scripted moves that only work when your partner is letting you do it. It may look slick but almost guarantees failure under fire, and it is not nearly as fun. Granted, there is a place for drills, but if you want to become adept at fighting you absolutely must spar IMHO

not true at all, you definitely can improve your fighting significantly without sparring. the method used in old boy, would def work for boxing in the street.

draw a T on the wall face and chin level, imagine an opponent throwing strikes and slipping the strike and countering. combine that with watching fights and seeing how pros slip and counter, when the fight happens, you will do it. and it will work.

does sparring give u a chance to perfect it and get the timing down? yes. but that does not mean that you can not win fights without sparring. I have so I would know

 

[apizur**]

I mean everyone has a "fighting chance" but what are you willing to risk on an assumption?
Your money?
Your safety?
Your family?

 

[dryingpole10]

This is clearly nonsense find yourself a cheap judo or boxing gym if you're on a budget.

If you can't do anything, just lift weights that will leave you better off.

 

[Phlog]

Nope nope nope.

Sparring is the only realistic self defense.

The idea that he's so deadly no one will hit back is complete nonsense.

 

[sh1tehawke]

So I asked the guy of this school his thoughts on sparring and this was his reply.

"We dont do "sparring" per say as a fully resisting partner and the other person going full out as well leads to injuries. *What we do is meant *to break, blind or KO someone - not something anyone wants to do for real. *Knees to the face and groin, arm snapping techniques, smashing heads into floors and walls, stomping limbs that are on the ground are not things that you want to do for real, even advanced people will not have the control to keep people safe if this was all out. *What we teach is not for sport - sparring is for sport. *We run drills and pressure test techniques. *There isnt anyone in colorado who offers what I do in terms of combatives, jujitsu and kali - not for sport.

When you understand fight dynamics and awareness you will either avoid the conflict or preempt the fight and it's over. *It is actually very simple, and this is explained in classes. *The movie fights where 1 person gets hit, then hits the guy back is neither effective nor reality. *The way we train is I hit you I hit you I hit you you dont get up - done. *If you feel the need to resist in the jujitsu or kali stuff, once you are experienced enough to do so - be my guest, just *realize *the more you resist the more likely it is that you will be injured. *If someone has the chance to resist the technique was probably not done correctly or it was slowed down to avoid injury."

alarm bells are ringing reading this, find somewhere else to train.

 

[Bat Parry]

not true at all, you definitely can improve your fighting significantly without sparring. the method used in old boy, would def work for boxing in the street.

draw a T on the wall face and chin level, imagine an opponent throwing strikes and slipping the strike and countering. combine that with watching fights and seeing how pros slip and counter, when the fight happens, you will do it. and it will work.

does sparring give u a chance to perfect it and get the timing down? yes. but that does not mean that you can not win fights without sparring. I have so I would know

No, just no. Most people don't know what it's like to be hit in the face/body or wherever. You know what they usually do? The reaction in most cases I have seen is to turn around and close their eyes. You learn to not do that only in sparring while getting used to it. What if the opponent attacks in a totaly different way you imagined it in your head while slipping punches of an imaginary opponent? It just doesn't work like that unless you are some kind of fighting prodigy maybe. Fighting is not as static as you people on here often times make it out to be.

To the OP, just go to a Boxing/MT/BJJ/Judo or whatever gym and learn what actually works and not some made up choreographed shit that won't be of use at all with a resisting partner.

 

[Billy no mates]

My goal is self defense but I without sparring I wasn't sure if I would be better off with a boxing/Muay Thai school. So my question to you would it be effective without a resisting opponent?

It would be like learning to swim on dry land,sure you could practice your strokes but you might very well struggle when you get in actual water .

 

[Phlog]

Great analogy.

 

[jcandoitbig]

not true at all, you definitely can improve your fighting significantly without sparring. the method used in old boy, would def work for boxing in the street.

draw a T on the wall face and chin level, imagine an opponent throwing strikes and slipping the strike and countering. combine that with watching fights and seeing how pros slip and counter, when the fight happens, you will do it. and it will work.

does sparring give u a chance to perfect it and get the timing down? yes. but that does not mean that you can not win fights without sparring. I have so I would know

lol no. you will not be able to defend yourself if you've never sparred. you need to learn timing/distance control/footwork which can only be learned through sparring a fully resisting opponent.

not too mention learning how to deal with feints and other ish