Evolution of Sparring

In the beginning

It all began a long, long ago in a place and time much unlike the present.

“In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.” -Genesis 1:1

This was a bad place, certainly not a place for humankind, or any other form of life. However, God changed all that. He created the heavens, the earth, and, on the earth, he created plants and the Garden of Eden, and in the garden:

“…God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.” -Genesis 2:3

To accompany man, God created animals and gave man dominion over the animals. However, man was lonely so:

“...God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.” -Genesis 2:21

Man and woman brought forth children, two of whom were Cain and Able, and all lived in harmony until the woman ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This brought disharmony and pain upon humankind, which culminated in Cain killing Able. Since that time, humankind has thrived upon fighting and killing each other to attain power and position in society.

To make fighting more effective and efficient, mankind developed methods of hand-to-hand fighting, and, to practice these methods of fighting in a relatively safe manner, mankind developed sparring.