Be sure to read this entire page!  There is info about purchasing sparring gear below.

As part of our quest to help students reach their potential, 

we must balance the "Scholar" and "Warrior" aspects of training.

Skills & Drills class is designed to cultivate the practical side of your martial art.  It helps you learn to "apply the moves".  

This means fun things like partner drills, pad work, and supervised sparring drills.  

Examples of things we do in Skills & Drills:

• Partner drills (such as shadowing another's footwork or practicing defense vs. half-speed punches)

• Work on pads (focus mitts & kicking shields)

• Practice light-contact sparring drills while wearing protective gear.  Students will not be throwing full power strikes at each other.

Is there any risk of injury? 

Risk of any injury is extremely low - less than you would see in most sports. 

What is sparring and why do we do it?

Sparring activities are introduced at Yellow Rank in the Skills & Drills class. Sparring is a safe way for students to work together to apply techniques they have learned in a more realistic way.  It is the best way to cultivate important Kung Fu attributes like timing, distance, playfulness & resilience.

Through sparring, students learn how to communicate, they learn more about body mechanics and the context of techniques, and they have fun!!

When sparring, it is important to have all required gear. Keep reading for info about sparring gear.

Another valuable lesson students learn through sparring is self-control.  Sparring teaches us to slow down, listen to our partners, and rebalance ourselves when negative emotions come up. 

Students are encouraged to embrace a playful attitude and be eager to learn!

Want to Spar?  Know the rules.

We approach sparring with a SAFETY FIRST attitude...

1. Sparring activities are introduced at Yellow Rank in the Skills & Drills class.  White Rank Students will participate in no-impact partner drills.

2.  You may not attend Skills & Drills as your only class of the week.  Attending curriculum class takes priority.

3. Listen to your partner.  Listen to yourself.  Listen to your teacher.  Always be listening while you spar!

4. Students must wear the required protective gear (keep reading for details).

5. It's the responsibility of the stronger / bigger / more skilled student to ensure nobody gets hurt.

6. No full power striking is allowed to the head.  No contact is allowed to the eyes, neck, crotch or knees.

7. Both participants are responsible for protecting themselves and protecting each other. 

8. If an instructor or sparring partner says "STOP", immediately stop sparring activities and wait calmly for further instructions.

9. Avoid the Negative Zone - when either participant is feeling angry, afraid, or overly excited.  Stay in the Positive Zone - when both participants are feeling relaxed, having fun & learning!

10. If you notice yourself or your partner in the Negative Zone, loudly and clearly say "STOP".  This will give everyone time to calm down and help prevent injuries.

Sparring Gear Requirements

ADULT SPARRING GEAR

If you want to bring your own gear from outside the school, check with an instructor to ensure it will meet our required level of protection.  Required gear:

• A fitted mouth guard

• 16oz boxing gloves

• Head Gear

• We don't sell - Thai style shin guards (suggestion: search Amazon for "Sanabul Thai shin guards", use the sizing chart)

• We don't sell - We strongly recommend that male students wear a cup.  We don't sell these, but they are available for purchase in most retail sporting goods sections.  

PURCHASE ADULT SPARRING GEAR HERE

The Secret to fun, fast learning?

The Secret is simply to spend more minutes sparring each week.   This will maximize your fun and learning.  Injuries are the enemy, as they can severely limit your sparring minutes.  That's why we approach sparring with a SAFETY FIRST attitude.

• Injuries love egos, and we all have an ego.  Work on softening your ego at the door.

• Avoid the "danger zone".  Stay in the relaxed fun & learning zone.  

• Listen to your partner.  Listen to yourself.  Listen to your observers.  Always be listening while you spar!

• Recognize that size does matter.  You're much more likely to injure someone smaller than you, or be injured by someone larger than you (even if you're more skilled).

Curriculum content and media are the intellectual property of Centerline Martial Arts. © Centerline Fitness & Martial Arts Inc, 2022.