A while back, I was talking to a friend of mine and he was telling me that he doesn’t want to tell people the truth….about themselves. At first, I was curious to know why, but then it hit me: Being the flawed individuals we are, we have a tendency to do things that people are not comfortable with. Even our closest friends and dearest relatives see us this way at times. However, because they are our friends and they don’t want to hurt our feelings out of fear of being yelled at and rejected, they tell us want we want to hear, sometimes.
Now, I know what many of you are thinking: what does this have to do with sparring? Well, here it is: Martial arts sparring helps us put into form the techniques our instructors have drilled into us since day one. As we progress through the ranks, we become more advanced and coordinated, thus being able to spar effectively. I’ll admit I was never a fan of sparring because I didn’t want to get hit too hard, especially in the head! lol.
Anyhow, as we become better at sparring, our instructors will pair us with students who are on the same skill level. If anything, sparring should be fun, and above all, a learning experience. But, there are those who enter martial arts schools wanting to prove themselves. They’ll challenge the instructor just to see how skilled she is. Keep in mind, most schools would not tolerate this type of behavior and utter disrespect to the teacher, students, and the school itself. But, there are always exceptions….
Let’s just say Macho John, a 6’3″ former football player jock, comes into the class one evening. The instructor may be getting ready to start class or the class is about to pair off for self-defense practice. So, here’s Macho John, taunting the head instructor, daring her to hit him as hard as she can. Against her better judgment, she accepts. Well, before he knows it, he’s flat on the ground, gasping for breath because she nailed him in the solar plexus with blinding speed. He recovers, but he never doubts her again, and most likely leaves the school for good.
At the end of the day, we must be careful about asking people to “hit us as hard as they can”, whether its verbally, emotionally, and most especially, physically. Because nine times out of ten, we will get much more than we bargained for.
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