Too often martial artists spend the vast majority of their time working on kata or weapons-based kata. Parents, especially at McDojos, view their child’s success and skill based on how many trophies little Johnnie can win while doing everything in the air. Even worse, martial art studio owners can boast of how many “world champions” he has produced in point-sparring, a type of fighting which is highly conducive for kids of all ages. Why? Because it is very possible that little Johnnie could outpoint an adult 5-3, but wouldn’t be able to defend himself against the same opponent for more than 30 seconds if there were no stops.
I know what your thinking. I must be one of the guys who have not had much success in kata or point-sparring in tournaments. Not true. I too have “played the game” with a considerable amount of success, but this whole sport karate thing is really starting to get carried away. Kids as young as age 7 or 8 are obtaining their black belts. By the time these students are 16, some of them are as high as 4th degree black belt!
In a real street encounter, there are no stops every time a punch or kick makes contact. There are no warnings or disqualifications if someone kicks below the waist, or for punches too hard to the body or the head. There are no “time-outs” so that your instructor can give you a few pointers of how to land a quick reverse punch or lead leg side kick for the final point. No, I am not recommending that full-contact sparring is a necessity for everyone, but I do advocate continuous fighting with a certain degree of heavy contact.
Kenpo Karate (and many other arts for that matter) is known for its practical and lethal street self-defense techniques. But there is a big difference from being able to move fast, and hit with considerable accuracy when the attack is choreographed and your uki moves exactly as planned. It is a whole different ball game trying to make it all work in continuous sparring when nothing is choreographed and the guy staring back at you is trying to take your head off.
We need to spar, and we need to spar often. We need to make our fights more “real” so that we are better prepared for an actual street encounter. Through continuous fighting, we build up endurance, learn to put our combinations together more effectively, and truly learn what it is like to have to take a few hits and then come back. If the vast majority of our sparring sessions are point-fighting, we aren’t getting the real deal.
Martial arts is about many things, but the last I checked, self-defense is one of its top priorities. Is it not?
