About sparring
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This leads to a discussion about the usefulness of full-contact sport sparring. Full-contact sparring is not for everyone. It does take a toll. Look at boxers. Some survive years of boxing unscathed while others have had their quality of life severely reduced. However, full-contact sparring is useful is useful, at least for a portion of a martial artist's career. Full-contact sparring as several benefits:
- It demonstrates a fighter's ability to perform under the stress of receiving actual pain or possible injury for any mistake.
- You learn to adapt to different opponents and different techniques quickly and calmly.
- Since injuries, mostly minor, do occur, you learn to hide your injury and protect yourself when injured.
- You learn how to withstand an opponent's blows and respond calmly without anger.
- You learn to face fear and think clearly while under duress.
- You see the need for mental and physical endurance.
- By seeing the effects of your attacks and feeling the effects of your opponent's attacks, you quickly learn what techniques are effective and which ones are hype.
- You learn how to move quickly to avoid attacks since they hurt and, after awhile, even blocking hurts.
- You learn to sport weaknesses in your opponent and to exploit them.
- It gives you an opportunity to apply all you have learned in as realistic a situation as you can have without it being a real fight for your life.