During free sparring how hard should you be hitting the opponent?

This is a genuine question. & I figure I cant be the only person to have this question go through there mind before

During free sparring how hard should I be hitting the opponent? ITF rules

Previously with last organisation it went as follows
Green = no contact - all attacks where to stop within a inch of the opponent (particularly those aimed toward the head)
Blue = touch contact only (no force was to be applied , no penetration )
Brown / Red = slight contact (light force was to be applied , max ¼” penetration )
Black = medium contact (medium force was to be applied, (medium force was to be applied , max 1” penetration ))

So during a recent class I was placed in the following situation
The 2nd degree class member – politely pointed out, to me, that he considered my lack of force during free sparring with himself to be disrespectfully to himself and his rank, and that I should bear in mind that we where practicing a Martial art (emphasis on the Martial).

I have to admit I have always found this sort of thing a bit of difficult one, as it is only when I sparred regularly with people have I been able to gauge the acceptable amount of force during striking

For example most old the 20+ blokes want to go all out, whilst most women seem to comfortable with only minimum force (for example an exercise in speed and precision), not mention that for some reason most women don’t use chest protectors, which immediately limits the legal targets available.

So any advice on this one would be really appreciated / general rules of thumb

 

I figure just go with the following then

Follow the lead of the higher ranking student

But if your high ranking student, then gently increase the intensity and force until it is apparent that they are out of there comfort zone (bearing in mind we need to be fit enough to get into work the following day) and then back it down slightly to suit (which is fine if the bouts are about 3mins, but if they are less i figure just guess at it)?

Does that sound about right

 

Don't give what you're not prepared to take back and all should be good. It really does depend on the club and even down to the partner. Start low and see what you get back

 

Like Moi and Mitch are saying a lot depends on your partner. The reason we have weight classes is because, on average, big people take damage and deliver it better than smaller folks. So obviously if you are with a 110 lb woman you don't use the same contact level as a 200 lb guy. And, btw, as long you use control the chest is a target area (male or female). It is good if a high ranking woman points this out to the female students. Hard for a man to get away with, but my wife flat out tells people who complain, "The chest is a target area." When I was younger I used to avoid it at all costs (leaving only the mid section and head open). But over the years I realized most women don't want you to do that. They don't want you to blast away, but they want to know if they are open.

Personally I've always liked and encouraged people to give me a good thump (again not to the point of injury, but to the point of 'here I am'). But you definitely need to modify that based on the size and abilities of your opponent (and what they are looking for).

 

Agree Moi with OR just ask the guy or girl your sparring with how hard they want the contact.

 

I don't see it as disrespectful. Gen. Choi did not want contact but control in sparring. If you were new to this class the 2nd degree should have explained how he liked to spar since each school allows different contact.

 

I have to say, i could actually see his point, please bear in mind he was still be polite about this, but also highlighting he'd prefer it if didnt treat him like a white belt

although in this kind of situation i have also felt this to be very much a tiger by the tail, kind of affair, particularly when sparring against 2nd through to 4th degree's

 

Lord forbid that common sense ever replace machismo and a lack of common sense in a martial arts class.

 

That would make perfect sense, but the often quick change over of partners and starting of a new round normally prevent this.

 

Isn't thus just a short sharp shock of a learning curve of a problem that soon goes away on it's own as you get to know the other club members and their style? Every person out there is different and will react in different ways to whether you go light or hard. Pick your style and let them meet you

 

Not read the whole thread, but I think seniors should spar at the contact level of the lower grade. The BB should of encouraged you, but it was NOT disrespectful IMO.

In my classes, the BBs regular knock the crap out of each other - thats fine - but if they did it to a lower graded I`d roll them over the cobbles. In fact I did once with one of them, but thats another story.

Rule of the thumb we use - start light - if the opponents step it up - follow suit. We use this for class and comps.

Stuart

 

He sounds like a fool and very full of himself. At every school I've trained at you spar/free practice at the level of the lower ranked person, not higher.

I suppose he would whine about disrespect if you hit him to hard too, expecting you to have the same level of control as a black belt too.

 

What he needs is a ringer in the club from another art, maybe full contact kickboxing, somebody real good. That would have home singing a different tune.

 

I would have hammered him in the groin and then apologized for the low kick & asked if that was enough contact. I think it's foolish for an experienced black belt to ask a new person in the class, who is a coloured belt, to use full force.

 

LOL to that.

Foolish indeed!

Stuart

 

Or maybe the 2nd degree was telling the lower grade he was allowed to put it in, doesn't neccessarily mean the 2nd degree was doing it back......

We're making him out to be a baddie!

 

As others have said - start at the lower end.

Where I train, the level of contact is almost instinctive, but I've been there for years and I know 90% of the students quite well.

I have had to warn people about excessive contact - but that's almost exclusively been coloured belt kids who were getting a little over-excited. I'd expect an adult student to know the difference between a national tournament and a club sparring session and be able to temper their contact accordingly - but it's my experience that the kids sometimes see they're the dominant sparrer. When they figure this out, they're learning little, other than that they can give someone a slapping - that's when I've stepped in and told them to pull back a little, try some different combinations and encourage their opponent to attack back so they can improve their defence.

I digress - start softer and build up until you get a feel for the class

 

Hit each other hard. Let A 'n' E sort out the aftermath.