Galen,
Let me first say, I appreciate your candor and respect what you are trying to accomplish for yourself and your students.
Believe it or not...I agree with much of what you have said and there is a real philosophical identity that is always advanced in the study of martial arts: the dichotomy presented in self improvement and character building by use of a technical syllabus that originally aimed at stopping an opponent...with no altruism involved.
We are all on this road and I a long time ago tried to get rid of the hubris of dominance. However, I cannot release the idea that to improve myself and make sure my technical repotoire has a basis in functional excellence...that I have to utilize these techniques against opponents to judge myself by.
Generally, when in practice, no ill will is brought from me to anyone I spar. Therefore, my opposition is a tool to be used by me to see the results of my training. I fully recognize that there are bucket loads of individuals who can kick my scrawny ass here to Indonesia...but again, this is outside of what we are talking about. Improvement of self and of technique is the consideration. But what measuring stick do you use to show improvement of technique? If utility is placed as a goal, then aesthetic
and subjective qualities have to be limited. It is in the functional delivery of these techniques that must be the benchmark.
So, improvement to me has to be attended upon by actively practicing with my partners and making sure that they are becoming better as well. Otherwise, my training becomes stagnant...this is a win-win situation. This also means I strive to practice with those that are functionally better than me (but also considering age and injury) so that I can learn to a higher standard.
Practice and sparring, in this case, is the same. Self improvement.
There is a training mechanism that we use...the style that I practice is full contact, no pads...we generally do not go to tournaments..and we practice because we like it. The practice I am talking about is something we call "Body Stamina" (not sparring and not as "enthusiastic" as sparring
) and is designed for three reasons: 1) To measure your resistance to strikes; 2) To make sure you are striking correctly to cause the trauma you intend; and 3) To make sure the participants can think while taking pain.
This practice would use about 50-70 % power on body punches and leg and body kicks. The practice is done sans movements to defend the strikes (accepting all the strikes coming to you) and withoug blocking. You will go back and forth and accelerate and increase the techniques' intensity until one person gives up or falters from a body shot or low leg kick and cannot continue.
Now, this might sound a little harsh...it really isn't and any junior student can ask this training of senior stundents after class. We also do this with time contstraints during class. There is pain and there is impact. But there is also discussion between the participants so that one can ask: Did that have an effect? Was the strike centered correctly? Did you feel the impact?
Without receiving this kind of feedback, your techniques are still in a vacuum for utility. The person receiving the brunt of the impacts will eventually learn this: That a body shot is not the end of the world, you can think through the pain, and you will be able disengage yourself from that pain and react to an attack.
A disservice would be to send a student out and not prepare them as best you can to expect and deal with an attack like this. A body shot is not that big of deal if you could handle it in class...better so to be able to handle something similar outside the class where the results of not being able to will have penalties beyond falling over and saying stop...I'll try to do better next time.
So same goals as far as self-improvement, but I must aim as best I can for utility...and that means sparring...and not so lightly.
Warmest regards,
-B