Sparring in martial arts - is it mandatory?

Question

I was thinking of taking up Tae Kwon Do this summer. I'm a 15 year old guy. I really don't like the idea of sparring simply because I'll feel somewhat nervous or embarrassed if I lose or make myself look like an idiot.

So I was wondering, if I take a martial arts class, is sparring usually required, or can you choose to sit out and just learn the style for self defense and not completely for the sport? I mean I know you'll need to actually fight someone to really learn the art, but do you have to spar?

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

As far as my own experience goes the answer can be yes in some schools and no at others.  In some schools you won't even be able to think about sparring until you reach upper ranks such as brown or black belt, while in other schools it may be required at least once per quarter for skills assessment or overview conducted by the teacher of a particular school.  There are differences between sparring types as well.  I have heard of this so-called "full contact sparring" that goes full throtle without any protective equipment at all believe it or not and then I've heard of schools that say "sparring should always be light contact" for safety reasons.  Any one can give you an opinion on what their own art does, but let's not foget that art forms and schools greatly differ in all that they do.  The "sir, yes, sir!!" of some Tae Know Do schools  kind of trips me out as at a few TKD schools may have been over run by former U.S. marines.  Sparring all depends on the morals of your teacher and you'll find that holds true anywhere you go.

Answer 2

Most schools will not force you to do sparring, however if you truly wish to defend yourself you should really take up sparring. Most of the time when you first spar you'll be going up against someone higher of rank, thus they'll usually go easy on you. And your probably going to have a lot of protective gear that will soften the blows.

Answer 3

Whether or not your school requires sparring is irrevelant.

If you want to learn how to fight - sparring is mandatory. You cant learn to ride a bike without riding a bike.

Answer 4

The simple answer to that question is...

You will not learn how to defend yourself, or wether you are doing things correctly without sparring.

Being afraid of hitting somebody or getting hit is quite natural and sparring generally helps out with that as one of the aspects.

more to come...

There are a few different types of sparring...

The INTERPRETATION, which is you moving through the kata one move or series at a time having an attacker punch, kick, etc. and you interpret the proper method of retaliation. This helps you to understand the basics of body mechanics and flow.

The BUNKAI is generally a full speed random timing attack in synch with your inerpretation of the kata. They attack, and you perform a move or series giving a little more realism to the kata imprinting the muscle memory, with the situation.

ONE STEPS or SHORT FORMS which are quite self explanatory. They are the prelude to form sparring. A series of moves set forth to retaliate against any attack within the general area of the technique. This builds muscle memory and will add to the effectiveness of the techniques, reaction time, and mental stability of the individuals.

FORM SPARRING this is at first a slower set of exercises. Two people (generally) are paired together and will perform a free thought attack and defense. The attacker will attack, and the defense will retaliate with generally a set of three techniques. Then the two will either reverse roles and the once attacker will retaliate from their current position; then they would reverse the roles again. The other side to that is they will reverse roles and start over. As the two would become more skilled they would increase the speed and intensity of the sparring.

After all that there is the FREE SPARRING. Free sparring is full contact, and full speed, making the defense skills more realistic. After one becomes proficient with one on one, they should then add more opponents and begin to play out scenarios.

Do not be afraid of getting hit... It's going to happen and is the only way to prepare you for getting hit. Don't be afraid of looking bad for losing. That is nothing but ego, which will always get in your way. People of any worth will not make fun of you for losing in a sparring match, and its bound to happen sometime, with EVERYBODY. There is always somebody out there who is better.

So good luck.

Answer 5

everyone feels goofy when they first start sparring. I remember a time when I almost quite martial arts because I was getting owned so much during sparring. Little by little I got better and better. I started training at home , and I became better at sparring than anyone else in the class. Its not a contest, its a drill to help you learn to use your techniques, its an essential part of martial arts. Its not all of it of course, but it is a peice that cannot be ignored. Why miss out on a great way to challenge yourself just because your nervous.

   You will learn so much about yourself through martial arts.

Answer 6

Hello Helper,

In most schools, sparring are not mandatory, but however it is encouraged.  When you choose to train in Martial Arts, sparring represents an important part of that training.  Without it, you're simply practicing a "martial" dance.

Hope this clarifies a bit.

Answer 7

I've done Tae Kwon Do for years, I'm a black belt now, and I was skeptical at first when i began sparring, it's normal. Everyone that takes up a martial art that incorporates sparring, goes through the same problem as you do. Let me just tell you that you have nothing to worry about. Respect plays a major role in the world of Tae Kwon Do. If you lose, you will be respected, for being courageous enough to spar someone with a little more experience. Sparring also helps you to get better. The more you spar, the less likely you are to do bad. Embrace the opportunity to spar, and think of it as something that will help you rather than hurt you. Also, I know the thought of getting hit can be intimidating, but you wear pads that protect you. Just remember to keep your guard up and you'll do fine. Keep in mind that most Tae Kwon Do studios, make their students refrain from shots to the head, unless it's a tournament. So good luck and don't fear sparring, and respect those around you.

Answer 8

You need to get over being tentative or you will never be tough. You should only be looking at martial arts schools that will allow you to do at least a little sparring. You have to test yourself in these sort of things, or you are really just playing around.

You will lose a first, but if you can't learn to accept that, you will never be worth anything in life. However, you will not look like an idiot.  You will look like somebody who hasn't trained. That's what everybody looks like when they first start training. It is unlikely anybody will make fun of you, like in some stupid movie or something. If they do, I wouldn't pay much attention. Anybody who teases a new student at their Martial Arts school has to be a loser.

Answer 9

No good teacher is going to force you to fight, but it would be beneficial to do so.  

You'll learn by experience best.

Answer 10

Sparring is not required for Taekwondo. It's optional, but you should watch and learn from the higher belts for some tips on if you need to defend yourself in the streets. I personally love sparring, and I'm in my school's Competion Team for Sparring.

Sparring is a good way to learn how to correctly kick an opponent, as well.

Hope you have a good time in taekwondo. Enjoy it! ;)

Answer 11

we spar on Tuesday and few show up, only about 4 of 5 often but a 2 are black belts, I was not sure about sparring at first because I'm 24 years older than the 4th Dan Black Belt at 52 I worried about getting hit...I now am the guy there every Tuesday and love the sparring above every other thing we do, the 4th Dan can kill me in 10 seconds if he wanted too, but he doesn't and the other black belts I can hold my own with now, I've had a black eye or two and some bruises but heck that's life, the 4th Dan is going to UFC training and was ranked nationally until a broken foot. so don't worry be happy it's more fun than pain once you get used to it.

Answer 12

The answer is simple, why not ?

If you never learn how to apply what you have learned in the school, how will you ever effectively apply these techniques in the anarchy of a street fight.  If self defense is not a concern, but a requirement for promotion than you have to get in there and do.

Sparring is no big deal, it's just point sparring, what's the worst that'll happen, a bloody nose, you'll get far worse in other arts.  Just stand up and do it.

Evey person looks awkward when learning, it's part of the process, don't be afraid of looking stupid, because you're just learning, the more you do it the better  you'll get.

Answer 13

You have to spar, how can you utilize the techniques you learn without putting them in a live situation? Besides, you wear so much protective gear now-a-days that you won't feel it, worst comes to worst, if it gets too intense, just say you have a head ache or you're feeling sick. But sparring is necessary to learn. If you don't know how to take a punch than how in the world can u defend yourself properly?