Declared techniques, sparring & sport competition

Master Kongling All, 6DKF School, Sparring, Training boxing, Karate, Kung Fu sparring, MMA, Shaolin, Shotokan Karate, Wing Chun 2

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The first 3 types of fighting

Continuing the discussion about the various types of martial clash (read The 6 types of martial clash), let’s start to analyze the peculiarities of the first 3:

Declared techniques
Sparring
Sportive fight

Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend our home study classes here Learn Kung Fu online: a beginner-to-expert course).

1. Declared techniques

The (direct or implied) exchange of (more or less controlled / agreed) declared techniques is the most basic learning method: it is common to every type of martial art (or combat system) and it represents the best way to understand any kind of new move (read A scheme to quickly learn any kind of technique).

Born in traditional martial arts (read also Is traditional Chinese Kung Fu practical for fighting?), this approach allows the necessary initial acquisition of a combat mechanism:

Sometimes there are protections but, except for (rare) errors, the practitioners do not risk any type of injury
Often this kind of training occurs in adapted environments, protected and muffled (mats, padded walls, etc.)
Hits are brought to sign with technical care but without force, intensity or excessive speed (punches, kicks, ground fighting, etc.)
In case of use of weapons (read Learning the use of real weapons) they are modified in a way that does not hurt and / or there are consequent protections (in some cases, there is not even real contact)
The goal is to gain a basic understanding of the theory behind the techniques (read 4 Tips to effectively apply any fighting technique)
The fight can end at any time (with voice calling, knocking on the ground or on the opponent)
The spirit of this confrontation is to work together to learn the techniques as a common aim (read 5 effective ways to find a training partner)
The voluntary exchange of declared techniques is (of course) legal, non-violent and often followed by an instructor and / or training partners
The emotional stress is null

A note by Master Kongling – What the inexperienced rarely understand is that excelling in these types of practices has nothing to do with being able to face real combat (which is anything but schematic, read Why martial arts do not work: 5 reasons). The problem is that often the bad teachers (read Recognize a good / bad master: 5 characteristics) tend to exploit these types of “exhibitions” to delude the naive to be formidable warriors. People see (real) precision and speed in performing complex and aesthetically pleasing actions (read Are Karate’s Kata, Kung Fu’s form (etc.) useless?) against “adversaries” who appear to be unable to do anything to defend themselves and imagine that those who perform them are capable of achieving similar results in a real fight: false. People become good at what they do and never what they don’t do. Without proper preparation for the fight (read How to learn to fight: all the steps), this kind of person often fails to deliver a single blow or even to move maintaining their balance (read for example MMA vs Tai Chi 10 seconds knock out: an explanation).

2. Sparring

Sparring (read Martial arts sparring [MINI-GUIDE]) is a typical activity that follows (should follow) the study of technique, to provide a (more or less) controlled but concrete application:

In some cases, there are protections (face, hands, genitals, teeth, etc.), in others not
Typically these “confrontations” occur in adapted environments, protected and muffled (mats, padded walls, etc.)
The attacks are brought to sign with good speed and technique but without too much force (punching, kicking, ground fighting, etc.), no dangerous targets, no intent to hurt
If done properly, the risk of serious damages is relatively rare but not impossible
In case of use of weapons (read for example Sparring with Nunchaku), they are modified so as not to be too dangerous and / or solid protections are worn (in any case the intent is never to cause the biggest damage)
The aim is to improve our technique of struggle and not to prevail over the opponent
The fight can end at any time (with voice calling, knocking on the ground or on the opponent)
The spirit of sparring is to work together to share experience and eliminate defects
Sparring is legal, non-violent and often followed by an instructor or training partners
If done with the correct spirit the emotional stress due to the clash should be low (in this case it is the instructor who must be in a condition to convey this attitude)

A note by Master Kongling – Who excels in sparring has certainly most of the necessary capabilities to address a real fight. The only limit is that it is always and in any case, an abstraction of real combat: with precise safeguard respect rules (agreed in advance between the participants, read Dojo (guan): rules, respect and etiquette), with the idea of never pushing to the maximum and above all never aimed at harming our training partner. Many schools (legitimately) avoid sparring but this means practicing only for wellness / health: the students cannot learn to fight for real.

3. Sportive fight

In many martial disciplines (eg. Kudo) is scheduled a sports application of the fighting techniques:

In some cases, there are protections (face, hands, genitals, teeth, etc.), in other not
The confrontations occur in limited environments, adapted, protected and muffled (mats, padded walls, etc., read What is the difference between real fights and combative sports)
The attacks are brought to sign with high speed, power and technique but not with a deadly purpose (permanent damages are nevertheless possible)
In case of use of weapons, they are modified so as to not be lethal and / or large protections are worn
The goal is to prevail on the opponent with competitivity but with almost “partial” attention to his / her physical safety (thanks to strict regulations)
In general, the clash ends with abandonment, the end of a predetermined time, a knockout, a prolonged immobilization or the inability to continue of one of two challengers
The spirit of a sports confrontation is to apply fighting strategies in a competitive environment but limited by well-defined rules of respect
The sportive clash is legal, needs correctness, mutual respect and is always followed by a referee who ensures safety and correctness
Emotional stress due to the clash may be high (the higher we climb the category)

A note by Master Kongling – Who excels in sportive fighting is normally a high-level martial artist with so refined skills that even if not aimed to kill can be certainly spent even in other more dangerous fields of combat.

In the next article of this series, we will analyze the last 3 types of martial clashes: self-defense, martial clash and war clash (read Self defense, martial clash and war clash).

In-depth video courses

Basic 6 Dragons Kung Fu exercises – The 4 fundamental exercises to build real combat skills
Advanced speed and reflexes training – The advanced martial path toward real combat speed
How to develop a good timing – A video course about how to exploit time to prevail in combat
Fa Jing: how to develop explosive power – The last martial skill to develop: power
Basic free hand fighting techniques – The fundamental combat system of 6 Dragons Kung Fu
Basic 6 Dragons Kung Fu weapons – The core path of 6 Dragons Kung Fu’s martial weapons
Advanced combat tactics – The most advanced combat tactics of our school

In-depth articles

Best martial arts for self-defense – The sad secret behind the wrong type of preparation
The best way to fight – How to mentally address a fight to obtain the best results

Questions

Reply in the comments and share your experience:

What types of martial fights did you take part in?

Author: Master Kongling

Founder of 6 Dragons Kung Fu.

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