Sparring as part of the science

I know, I know... I'm guilty of slacking. I was on vacation and, well, I've been stuck on NHL playoff hockey (everyone has their vices).

But let's get back to it:

Sparring is perhaps one of the most incorrectly used parts of training in all combat sports. When beginners think of training they most often associate it with the chance to impress, maybe even beat more experienced fighters with tenacity, aggression, and toughness... that or proving that they can take punishment and somehow still come up ahead (Hint: Don't rely on the thought that "I can take 5-10 shots, but so long as I get in one good one..."). But let's be honest, you are always one bad round of sparring away from serious injury--some fighters can literally hurt sparring partners far worse then they would be in a match situation. It is truly one of those risk/reward scenarios I talk about in class. Is the risk of injury/KO/and frankly embarrassment worth the reward of the experience you will get?

Rather than whatever other ideas you have about sparring you should look at is as more of a football team scrimmage. What's important to remember is that before any type of scrimmage takes place, the offensive and defensive squads learn their respective playbook. A scrimmage doesn't happen until after a training camp. The scrimmage provides the opportunity to put game plans into action, at relatively close to 100%. The goal is not to injure teammates (NOTE: Your training is affected by who is able/is willing to train with you). The goal is not to compensate for mental errors or outright mental abscence with athleticism and toughness. The goal is to get things right and see how practical certain approaches can be.

In MMA we should take lessons from the above. You never want to go into sparring without an idea of what you want to do. An overall gameplan, or maybe even just a few techniques from your toolbox that you want to try (Another blog on this 'toolbox' concept later) will do you most benefit. You don't train wild, and so you shouldn't spar that way either. Putting unprepared fighters into sparring doesn't actually teach them anything. It's just a way of seeing what they have already. Putting prepared fighters into sparring allows them to learn much about themselves. It also allows coaches to dissect their work-in-progress. Sparring should be part of training and therefore you should always look to it as a way of improving. Train safe. Train under observation (a good experienced eye can help make the most out of sparring sessions as they relate what worked, what needs to be improved). Train smart.