How can you test a martial art's effectiveness?

Question

I'm a newbie. I know sparring is a common answer but it seems that alot of safety rules limit the amount of things you can test in sparring. i.e. How do you test deadly techniques that cant be used in sparring and how do you defend against such techniques? Or atleast in general, how can you test yourself to see if the martial art you practice will work on the street?

Answer 1

Reconsider your motive. Martial arts out of the dojo is strictly for self or others protection, not for deadly conduct. Laws in the states can prosecute you if you don't have a concrete reason to maim or kill another. In addition, the permanently disabled or deceased family members can civilly sue you as you are not a cop. The objective of sparring is to perfect your technique and go peacefully in the community, but be prepared to defend in the event of danger. If there is one thing that any legitimate martial arts sensei teaches is never be the aggressor. Besides, what are you going to do if you're facing the barrel of a gun man who's over 10 feet away? You're not Walker, Texas Ranger.  

Answer 2

i did tae kwon doe for 3 years, and during that time i had the same problem. i eventually decided to challenge a good friend of mine to a fight and set some guidelines. we went at it, and he was on the ground in no time. it was all thanks to what i had learned. good luck

Answer 3

Tough to answer in short form.  The most common thing is to square off with a partner and mix it up....but this isn't all there is, is it?

Two people stalking each other around in head to head competition leaves out a lot of the other aspects of martial arts, but it is a starting place.  The truth is you have to be willing to accept pain or injury to find out sometimes.

Tony Blauer told a story once that he and his buddies would rent a hotel room and he would stay there.  At some point unknown to him, his buddies would break in and jump him.  He said he learned to always untuck the sheets from the bed after that because he almost died from being smothered as he could not get his legs free.  

So it depends what your personal threshold for experimentation is.

Go work in a jail or prison,that's what I did at first after reading about Sokakku Takeda would go to the local lockup and have his students fight prisoners.  It all depends on how dedicated you are.

Answer 4

spar with a member of another martial art

Answer 5

When competing, you can never compete one style versus another, only one student versus another.

If two students enter the ring with the both of them having equal time to train. You still are not comparing styles but teachers.

If these two students were trained by the same instructor in two different styles with same time to train. It still is not the style, but the style the instructor likes (or understands) the best.

This is why I say, look for a style and school that you enjoy training at and will stretch you. This will keep you interested and pushing hard, and that will make you a great fighter.  

Answer 6

Sometimes it comes down to faith.  If you are asking the question you must feel that the art you are training in has holes (all arts do).  Instead of getting your *** kicked in a bar fight, maybe strengthen the area you are concerned about by cross training in a art that specializes in that area.

For example, my "core art" is Aikido.  I asked myself what would I do if I got put on my back.  My answer was I'd be pooched so I trained for 3-4 years in Judo and Ju Jutsu to plug that hole

Answer 7

Put on a pink shirt with a peace sign, spike your hair, adopt a lisp, and then walk into any bar in rural Alabama. . . .

Answer 8

Application. You can do what I used to do; go from school to school and challenge some of their best to a friendly fight. Sounds like your sparring is not really sparring. Have minimal equipment - your only "safety equipment" should be fingerless gloves. Organize a "fight night" with other practitioners. This is where rules are limited but respect is ample. Or you can do it the old school way and get in a bar fight (that's the only way my teacher gave out black belts).

Answer 9

In a quick nutshell, jump in the ring.  Kickboxing matches depending on the school, not sparring will give you a real good idea short of going out on the street.