There is a debate that continues whether one should spar a lot more than practicing basics or drilling combinations or vice versa.
Different schools of thought or maybe just a personal preference of the instructor. But what is truly needed for a well balanced development of a student or practitioner in order to be able to successfully apply what was learnt in training into a real life self defense scenario?
Let's look at what both these training practices bring to the table and understand what is truly needed.
In reality if one is attacked there will always be an element of surprise involved. Yes, we may read the pre attack signs and gestures, but the actual moment when an attack begins remains a mystery and a surprise. When we are attacked, the time it takes for us to process the attack and respond to it, is already much slower than the time taken to execute the attack. So we are virtually up against something that should not be able to be stopped. Any defense is in a constant loop of a time deficit, unless the response comes from muscle memory and reflex rather than a calculated response to stimulus.
Sparing and pressure testing brings out our reflexes and muscle memory under different scenarios and stimulated stress. It shows us where we stand, where we need to improve, where we need to make changes and lots more. Sparing or pressure testing shows us how our training has improved over time. So just making sparing the main focus of training will not be a well rounded approach or get desired results.
Basics and drilling combinations are repetitive, constantly repeated again and again for many repetitions. Repeated often day after day. Some call it basics, some call it flows or drills but they are the same.This is the foundation on which we build. Gradually the repetitions get set into our muscle memory and becomes our reflex action. Just like we swat the mosquito biting us out of reflex, without processing of thought, this constant drilling will show it's result when we spar or pressure test scenarios.
There needs to be a balance of both drilling combinations or basics or flows with sparing or pressure testing scenarios. It doesn't need to be a 50:50 balance, but something around 70:30 makes a good fit. Where 70 is the drilling combinations and 30 is the sparing or pressure testing scenarios.
After all, results can be seen only when we put in the work. A building is built only after the foundation is strong. Let's not get carried away by the lure or the adrenaline rush that sparing gets and build a foundation that supports us when we spar.
Rome was not built in a day, similarly reflexes take time to build. Put in the work first before wanting results.
Train like a warrior to be a warrior!!!
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