Anonymous at Fri, 15 Sep 2023 13:53:52 UTC No. 166848

>>166847
You can spar hard every now and then, you can even take a few amatuer fights, without major risk of brain damage. Of course, there are always risks. There’s no combat sport that is wholly safe. Even if you wanted to do a grappling art you’re still at risk of breaking your neck or taking a bad fall that can leave you paralyzed. There are no zero risk ways to practice fighting, only ways that are more and less risky than others.

Anonymous at Fri, 15 Sep 2023 14:01:46 UTC No. 166853

Being alive isn't sustainable as you get older. Thems the breaks.

Anonymous at Fri, 15 Sep 2023 16:34:13 UTC No. 166883

Even with only light sparring and padwork you will be significantly better off than an untrained person. Granted, you won't be truly pressure tested and your composure will probably falter. But at least you'll have a gameplan and know how to keep your hands up. It's the difference between getting your ass kicked and sloppily fending someone off, probably.

You just have to be realistic about your goals. If you want to get in shape and not be totally helpless, muay thai with no hard sparring is fine. If you want to be a truly dangerous fighter you need to risk permanent damage. It's a combat sport. If you're a first worlder it probably isn't necessary to become a capable fighter. For most of us, training is just a hobby.

Anonymous at Tue, 19 Sep 2023 19:44:37 UTC No. 167617

>>166847
I'm 40 and still clown on people have my age. Cte is a cop out for being scared of being hit or training hard 99% of the time and is especially prevalent among anons on this board that don't actually do any real training or sparing

Anonymous at Tue, 19 Sep 2023 20:08:20 UTC No. 167627

>>166853
this
just don’t be a fucking pussy, live life like Arjuna or Hitler and don’t impose self-limiting beliefs out of fear of consequences bitch nigga

Anonymous at Tue, 26 Sep 2023 17:01:20 UTC No. 169042

>>166847
It's best to imagine your body as having mana.

You ALSO have hitpoints, which you lose as you get old or otherwise injure yourself permanently - but you lose mana by doing things that long-term make you retarded, even if your body is "fine" and has good hitpoints in terms of physical health and age. You're always burning a little mana each year because science does not yet know all the ways we're making ourselves retarded, but some big and speedy methods that burn through mana include
>heavy drinking
>doing heroin
>massive doses of psychedelics or other mind-altering drugs
>doing basically any stuff that long-term alters brain chemistry in abnormal ways like jerking off 10 times a day for a year or only getting 3 hours of sleep a night for a year
And in any contact sport, especially the combat ones? Getting punched in the brain burns through mana big-time.

The thing is that normies don't get that just having a lot of mana isn't always a good thing
>you don't go full retard all at once, it's a progression, and you start with a fuckton of mana
>being at least a little retarded is an evolutionary advantage, a ton of the stuff that makes you retarded also helps you get laid
>things that make you retarded often demand you improve your hitpoints due to better physical conditioning, at least in the short term
>being trained at fighting means if you need or want to have a fight, you don't end up big retarded, they do
>retards easily make friends and have comradery, squares tend to lack both
If you avoid losing too many hitpoints training martial arts and don't burn through your entire mana pool, it's pure win.

Anonymous at Tue, 26 Sep 2023 18:33:01 UTC No. 169079

>>169042
>WOWEEE WOW ZOW
>REAL LIFE IS JUST LIKE MY MMO GAMES

Anonymous at Tue, 26 Sep 2023 18:42:23 UTC No. 169084

>>169079
Yes.
>Captcha: Verification not required

Anonymous at Wed, 27 Sep 2023 17:05:38 UTC No. 169304

>>169042
what a fucking gay and cringe take. please have sex for the love of God

Anonymous at Wed, 27 Sep 2023 17:17:01 UTC No. 169305

>>169304
I have copious quantities of sex, as I am kinda retarded.

Anonymous at Wed, 27 Sep 2023 17:31:20 UTC No. 169312

Muay Thai doesn't really do hard sparring, they know not to have gym wars and save it for the ring
If people are sparring hard in the gym they're just tryhards too afraid to do it for real so they try to take advantage of people they know they can beat

Anonymous at Wed, 11 Oct 2023 13:12:05 UTC No. 171562

>>166883
>Even with only light sparring and padwork you will be significantly better off than an untrained person.

Exactly. And if you ever get into a fight (unlikely for a pasty white American who posts on 4chan), you will probably be leagues better than Joe Shmoe the fat, drunk college student. Other skilled strikers who are of equal or better skill are probably not picking street fights, let’s be honest.

Anonymous at Wed, 11 Oct 2023 16:07:08 UTC No. 171583

>>169042
Aside from the cringe gaming analogy. It does make sense.
>Smart use of Mana will raise your hitpoints
>Smart use of mana ensures you still have mana as you age to prevent becoming retarded
This is why good diet and neigong should be incorporated in your practice of harder stuff like Muay Thai.

Anonymous at Wed, 11 Oct 2023 16:09:31 UTC No. 171584

>>166847
What's with zoomers and their panic about brain damage?
You already have brain damage from watching anime and using smartphones lol. Also, breakfalling in grappling will give you brain damage, too.

Anonymous at Wed, 11 Oct 2023 16:10:46 UTC No. 171585

>>171562
>Other skilled strikers who are of equal or better skill are probably not picking street fights, let’s be honest.
Why wouldn't they? Most street thugs have learned some martial art.
It's shocking how this old-ass "Oh thugs lacks the discipline to learn martial arts!" meme from what, the 1960s? still exists.

Anonymous at Wed, 11 Oct 2023 17:17:24 UTC No. 171598

>>171585
>Most street thugs have learned some martial art.
Yeah naw. Brawling and gun-fu maybe. Mexican gangsters like boxing I’m sure.

Anonymous at Wed, 11 Oct 2023 17:20:26 UTC No. 171599

>>171585
>your imaginary street thugs not as powerful as MY imaginary street thugs

Anonymous at Thu, 12 Oct 2023 16:37:51 UTC No. 171744

>>166847
>Doesn’t seem very sustainable as you get older.
No martial art sustainable as you get older.

Grappling being easier on your body is a common misconception. Theoretically if you train super light, you can do it into old age (same thing they say about striking). In reality, every single grappler I know who's been training for a long time has a laundry list of war wounds they can tell you about. The idea that grappling is brain damage free is also a meme. People still take hits to the head from bad falls. There's people who've had mini strokes from getting their arteries severed due to repeated chokes over years.

Anonymous at Tue, 17 Oct 2023 08:24:26 UTC No. 172311

>>166847
Especially funny when people will say just do kickboxing but spar light all the time but also say don't do karate or tkd because its not full contact lol. The only actual legitimate problem with karate for a normal person is kata.

Even in grappling you don't spar hard all the time unless you want to destroy every joint in your body by 35.

Anonymous at Tue, 17 Oct 2023 08:27:17 UTC No. 172313

>>169312
First of all thai do spar hard in boxing rounds sometimes they just don't rip each others heads off with kicks which is normal even in Dutch CTE den gyms. Second of all muay Thai fighters in Thailand have a career of like 300 fights and you can point out that they don't go hard in the 1st round because of betting or respect or whatever else those hundreds of fights are still more hard sparring than the average western hobbyist will ever experience lol.

Anonymous at Tue, 17 Oct 2023 08:45:43 UTC No. 172314

>>166847
Modern Muay Thai is a solid foundation for striking. You have your basic boxing punching mechanics for starters. Then you have the kicks, liek the front kick and the roundhouse kick to someones ribs and kidneys. The elbow and forearms are more powerful than punches.

Anonymous at Tue, 17 Oct 2023 09:07:28 UTC No. 172315

>>166847
>how useful is striking for self defense if you only spar light? The answer is usually “not very much”
No one says this. The ability to be able to accurately throw shots and have fast enough reaction times to properly block/dodge incoming shots is invaluable.
16oz gloves dont rock the head around too much either so theres basically zero risk of CTE even if its 'hard' sparring.

Anonymous at Thu, 19 Oct 2023 15:43:51 UTC No. 172616

>>166847
This is why the one rational reason to do this is for money and only if you are a bum who can't fit into society otherwise. Training but not intending to compete for the championship is just dumb.

Anonymous at Thu, 19 Oct 2023 16:11:43 UTC No. 172617

>>166847
you can always spar striking without going for the head, instead going for shoulders and chest and learning to dodge those strikes is part of striking.

Anonymous at Thu, 19 Oct 2023 16:12:44 UTC No. 172618

>>167617
> have my age.

concussions doing a wonder on your typing ability old man, keep up fighting though.

Anonymous at Thu, 19 Oct 2023 16:20:45 UTC No. 172619

>>172315
the gloves don't protect you from being knocked around anon, they protect your fists from being hurt upon contact.

which is why you should do knuckle push ups to condition your fists whenever striking without pads and such.

Anonymous at Fri, 20 Oct 2023 02:39:50 UTC No. 172723

>>172618
Imagine grasping at straws this hard

Anonymous at Fri, 20 Oct 2023 04:10:20 UTC No. 172737

>>171584
The panic is more than a couple decades old at this point. The oldest zoomers were still playing with blocks when the news broke. Before extensive research was done on CTE in the early 2000's, the exact causes and consequences of brain damage in sports was unknown. People used to think that maybe you could use progressive overload like with weight training, or as long as you didn't get KO'd you were fine. None of that ended up being true. The horrible truth is that every hit does damage, and brain damage is the worst kind of damage, and that the damage is cumulative over your entire career.

Despite this, prospective trainees are in denial. They're looking for an answer no one can give. That there's a safe way to train combat sports. Unless you don't get hit in the head, there isn't. It's a dangerous sport and if the risks are too high for you, you shouldn't partake. No shame in it. Fighting pays like shit anyway. If you can do anything else with your life you probably should. As a hobby? In my opinion there's no hobby worth dementia 20 years early. But hey, it's your life.

Anonymous at Sun, 12 Nov 2023 09:53:13 UTC No. 175635

>>166847
everything comes wth a cost. You pay brain you get bombs

Anonymous at Sun, 12 Nov 2023 17:32:29 UTC No. 175654

>>166847
Training martial arts for self defense only is terrible for this reason. Even in grappling you will wear down your joints. The risk/reward ratio makes no sense at all if your only motivation or primary motivation is self defense. Also on-top of injury you are paying large sums of money and investing your time lol. Makes way more sense if you just like doing it/are motivated by fitness and sports.

Anonymous at Sun, 12 Nov 2023 17:54:19 UTC No. 175655

>>169042
>*dies of cringe*

Anonymous at Mon, 13 Nov 2023 04:33:04 UTC No. 175712

>>169042
this post is funny as hell but there's a nugget of truth to it. Train and you won't end up a retard when a fight comes.
Also, you can train your brain too by learning to program or Math. Seriously, there's a lot of stupid retard on this board that are too lazy to also train the brain. I challenge any anon that wants to improve to at least learn Newtonian physics just to stay sharp.

Anonymous at Mon, 13 Nov 2023 12:48:09 UTC No. 175740

>>166847
>striking isn’t that effective for self-defense unless you’re sparring hard
You're a fucking retard. There is no added benefit to hard sparring besides desentization, which you dont need full force to get. There is no such thing as building a tolerance for discussion.
>footwork, distance, counters, and avoidance.
THAT IS ALL SPARRING IS FOR!

Anonymous at Mon, 13 Nov 2023 12:50:10 UTC No. 175741

>>175740
*no such thing as building a tolerance for concussion

Anonymous at Mon, 13 Nov 2023 12:57:11 UTC No. 175742

>>166847
Brought to you by AI cause you're too stupid to deserve my full attention
>The passage presents a flawed logic primarily because it oversimplifies the relationship between the intensity of sparring and the effectiveness of striking arts in self-defense. Let's break down the faulty reasoning:
>1. **False Dichotomy:** The argument suggests that there are only two options for striking training: light sparring (deemed ineffective for self-defense) or hard sparring (which leads to brain damage). This overlooks a spectrum of training methods and intensities that can be both safe and effective.
>2. **Oversimplification of Training Effectiveness:** The effectiveness of striking in self-defense is not solely dependent on the intensity of sparring. Technique, tactical understanding, reflexes, and many other factors contribute to self-defense effectiveness. Light sparring can still be highly effective for skill development.
>3. **Misunderstanding of Cumulative Brain Damage:** The passage incorrectly assumes that any hard sparring will inevitably lead to brain damage. While it's true that repeated head trauma can lead to long-term damage, the key is moderation and safety protocols, not complete avoidance of more intense training.
>**Long-Term Health:** Repeated head trauma can lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and other long-term neurological issues. Protecting fighters from these risks is crucial for their long-term health and quality of life.
>**Career Longevity:** Safer training practices can extend a fighter's career by reducing the risk of severe injuries and the wear and tear on the body.
>**Increased Awareness:** There's growing awareness in the fighting community about the long-term effects of repeated head trauma, leading to more caution in sparring.

Anonymous at Mon, 13 Nov 2023 12:58:49 UTC No. 175744

>>175742
Continued
>Technological and Methodological Advances: Improved training methods and protective gear allow fighters to train effectively without necessarily engaging in intense, high-risk sparring.
>Emphasis on Skill and Technique: Many fighters and trainers now emphasize skill development and technique over sheer toughness, recognizing that these factors are crucial for success and safety in combat sports.
>In summary, the original passage presents a flawed view by oversimplifying the training process and the trade-offs between effectiveness and safety. The evolving views on sparring reflect a broader understanding of these complexities and a heightened commitment to fighter health and longevity.

Anonymous at Fri, 17 Nov 2023 14:22:43 UTC No. 176168

So whats the verdict?
I wanna start doing martial arts, but i am pussy out because of cte, and there are no grabbling martial arts schools close to where i live

Anonymous at Sat, 18 Nov 2023 10:17:17 UTC No. 176245

>>176168
Just train. CTE is a real risk, but the sample sizes are taken almost entirely from professionals or overly dedicated amateurs who train like retards and are basically have real fights in the gym every week. As long as you practice light and responsibly, limit hard sparring to only an occasional thing, and take time to recover if you do get injured, you'll (probably) be fine.

Anonymous at Sat, 18 Nov 2023 19:36:47 UTC No. 176294

>>176168
Judo or Kyokushin are generally good options for CTE pussies.

Anonymous at Sun, 19 Nov 2023 08:57:36 UTC No. 176353

>>176294
agreed. this is why i made the switch from dutch style kickboxing to kyokushin. the sparring and training in general is equally hard, and maybe a little harder because of kyoku's emphasis on toughness, but no head punches means much less brain damage. i'll take potential arthritis in the knuckles or organ failure over CTE desu; mental health is more important to me than physical health. this is also why i'm quitting porn and eventually fapping before i quit smoking.

>>176168
if kyoku isn't available where you live, a good alternative would be taekwondo. it has mostly the same syllabus except training (and sparring especially) is considerably softer. TKD is korean karate, pretty much. same with tang soo do.

if you live in europe, hapkido/classical jiu-jitsu (think japanese or german jiu-jitsu) should be pretty decent as well, or if you live in SEA, or somewhere with a decent amount of immigrants from that part of the world, like the netherlands or america(?), silat or FMA should be pretty decent as well. the great thing about such broad martial arts (not sure about FMA) is you get a little bit of everything, so you can discover what aspects you're good at and/or you enjoy the most, so you can transition into or maybe even crosstrain in a more streamlined/specialized/focused martial art later on.

the important thing is to choose a gym/class that meets your requirements and fits your goals the most, and above all, one that you enjoy the most.

good luck, anon. may you fall in love with martial arts and enjoy the fruits of your training. *fist on palm*

Anonymous at Tue, 28 Nov 2023 14:34:07 UTC No. 177260

>>172737
Well, the answer is, there us nothing wrong with light sparring(practically slap fights or hard tag) & OPs entire premise is bullshit as he has no idea what sparring is meant for. Any jackass using it as a pressure test for the stimuli of being hit is a fucking idiot. Sparring is not some macho man drill to beat the wussy out of you. It's where you put everything else youve learned together to make sure you can use it in motion properly. You should only be moving quick as you can but there should be almost no force behind anything. TMAs knew the importance of preserving your health, especially the health that cannot be regained.

Anonymous at Fri, 1 Dec 2023 17:27:30 UTC No. 177722

So there are real-world fighting benefits to light sparring? That runs against what I’ve heard from guys on Sherdog and Quora who believe that hard sparring is the only way to improve as a fighter.

Anonymous at Wed, 13 Dec 2023 16:05:06 UTC No. 179366

>>177260
>Any jackass using it as a pressure test for the stimuli of being hit is a fucking idiot
There’s a lot of idiots then, some of which go to my gym

Anonymous at Wed, 13 Dec 2023 17:46:18 UTC No. 179370

>>177722
Sherdog and bullshido overcorrected TMA never spar bullshit and now that's an opinion a lot of online nerds are running around with. Hard sparring all the time is the norm in a lot of gyms. Dutch kickboxing, chuteboxing, and some old school boxing gums are infamous for it. It does produce tough fighters, but it's a meat grinder and you will definitely get dementia. Not necessary even if you want to go pro.

Anonymous at Wed, 13 Dec 2023 18:05:55 UTC No. 179373

>>177722
>>179366
I repeat sparring should only be used for...
>footwork, distance, counters, and avoidance.
Lets explain where the following B.S. comes from...
>B-b-but hard sparring is the only way to improve as a fighter.
Most gym/dojo owners & operators have a business degree, their personal experiences, traditional training, and thats it. Most students, even less than that. Martial Arts isn't like other sports that are constantly inundated with professionally educated athletic trainers, PTs, coaches, etc. Which is a big reason why these attitudes persist. But times are changing, more fighters are speaking up about the shit that threatens their longevity. Pro camps are phasing down sparring & emphasizing more drills, more conditioning. Surprise, more than one way to skin this cat. Light sparring is fine. You should only be using as much strength required to move as fast as you can. If you want to desentize yourself to pain, fine, but leave your brain out of the equation. Oh and if your gym does that stupid shit where they work you over while doing crunches, find a different gym. Just like there is no such thing as building a tolerance for concussions, there is no such thing for intestinal injuries either.

Anonymous at Thu, 14 Dec 2023 00:57:25 UTC No. 179392

>>179373
Bold of you to assume they have a business degree.

Anonymous at Thu, 14 Dec 2023 03:04:03 UTC No. 179405

>>179373
I agree with this for the most part but as a new fighter you do need to spar hard at least a couple times before you go to your first fight. You need to be prepared for the intensity of a fight versus sparring and a hard spar bridges that gap a little. Once you have experience I think hard sparring becomes less and less necessary.

Anonymous at Thu, 14 Dec 2023 03:05:03 UTC No. 179406

>>177722
Both those websites are full of drooling retards why the fuck would you go to either?

Anonymous at Thu, 14 Dec 2023 04:52:26 UTC No. 179430

>>179392
Not an assumption. It's the most common degree for the job, give credit where it's due. I researched it for a college career prep course, it's practically required. No bank is gonna give some rando martial artist a loan to start a gym. Think about it. Most gyms aren't being run by former superstars with the collateral to back a business, and even if you were, don't mean shit about your business accumen.
>>179405
Meh, I see your point, but I prefer slap fights. It sounds silly, but I swear, it's less forceful but more jarring. That sting is unique. I've seen straight up thugs, who would normally take gloved wallops in the face like it was going out of style, shed tears after getting a bitch slap or two. Maybe it reminds people of getting their shit slapped as a child, idk, but it works as a cheap substitute if you aint got gear.

Anonymous at Thu, 14 Dec 2023 04:54:53 UTC No. 179431

>>179430
>give credit where it's due
By this i meant... Well, look at the mcdojo/gym problem. Cant argue with the success.

Anonymous at Thu, 14 Dec 2023 04:58:52 UTC No. 179434

>>172723
>>167617
He also missed the period at the end of his second sentence.