Does sparring full-contact cause people to become more aggressive in nature?

[phantom]

It seems to me that there is some evidence that at least suggests that it does. Many professional boxers have beaten up their wives. Some prowrestlers have also assaulted people. I would guess this is so because people who continously spar full-contact are probably so used to reacting by using full force on their opponents that they will do so even in situations where such force is not absolutely necessary. What would be a good way for people who regularly spar full-contact to control such aggression? I would say that they need to improve their use of judgement, and not let little things bother them so easily. You only need to overrreact once for it to permanently ruin your life. I feel that it is necessary to spar full-contact if you are serious about learning how to defend yourself, because the way you train is the way you fight. However, I feel that you should only do it in moderation, for doing it too much seems to be bad not only for your body, but for your mind as well. Anybody agree/disagree? Thanks in advance.

[JWTAYLOR]

Everything in moderation.

BTW, there are allot of couch potatoes that beat their wives as well. Remember, the vast majority of people do not spar full contact. Your relationship between violence and sparring is anecdotal, not even correlative, absolutely not causative.

JWT

[apoweyn]

what JWT said.

even if there were strong evidence that there was a correlation between boxing/wrestling and domestic violence, it wouldn't prove causation.

is he more aggressive because he's a boxer? or is he a boxer because of his aggressive personality? does he beat his wife because of what he does for a living? or does he box/wrestle for the same reason that he hits his wife?

a study would need to go into a lot more detail to make this at all compelling.

that said, from little reading i've done on modeling aggressive behavior, i think there are grounds for research there. but there's been nothing as definitive as you suggest so far. not to my limited knowledge, anyway.


stuart

[Black Jack]

I see where you are going but I don't buy it, IMHO people who spar often and work out their aggressive mindset, are the ones that often will know how to control it and be more peacefull as they are dealing with it and not letting it bottle up inside.

What boxers? Tyson? You used the term "many", so what many?What grapplers?

I don't think one has ANYTHING to do with the other. Messed up people are messed up people no matter how they spar.

[apoweyn]

i think black jack has a point.

a couple of other things to consider: as JWT said, lots of couch potatoes hit their wives too. but the celebrities stick out in our minds because they're celebrities. i expect it's the lack of accountability that we often grant celebrities more than conditioned aggression.

lastly, my observation has been that point fighters tend to be much more aggressive in terms of conduct than full-contact fighters. the full-contact guys i've fought or met have generally been very civil and friendly. and i expect it's because they have a more realistic sense of the damage they could do.

but that, too, is completely anecdotal.


stuart

[phantom]

Yes, Tyson was one of the boxers I had in mind. At least one of Holyfield's ex-wives claimed that he beat her up. Some people claim that Sugar Ray Leonard did as well, and some people have also claimed that George Foreman beat up his first wife. I do not know for sure if all of these allegations are true, however. Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan, and Dr. "D" David Schultz have all assaulted people.

[Ray Pina]

I think it can. At one point, when training S. Mantis, I defintely felt it and had to keep note of it -- didn't want to snap at my girl. Not physically of coarse, but verbally. It never happened.

One positive, is that it made me a more direct problem solver. See the cause and go right to the solution.

[Badger]

No it doesnt. Now shut the **** up before I kick your ***!!!!!





Badger

[Black Jack]

As yous tated those are all allegations, with the exception of that dumbtwist Tyson, and on the WWF grapplers well that again is up for grabs as to what happened, why, who, how, when and so forth.

Plus those guys are not martial artists, they are entertainers, its WWF for christs sake, though I would not want to get pile drived by anyone of them either, it still does not fit in with your spar full contact theory.

I as well as a ton of others here know friends and martial artists who spar hard or fight in MMA events, people that have zero issues with with social violence, again messed up people are messed up people.

That would be like me saying that people who do not spar hard molest their children students as their is a karate school up in plainsfield where a teacher did just that or an Aikidoka who did the same thing a few years back.

See, makes no sense.

[phantom]

Thanks, Black Jack. I see your point. Come to think of it, I have heard of quite a few stories about karate and tae kwon do instructors molesting little kids, and it sure would be illogical to assume that such behavior is commonplace in karate and tae kwon do schools. I am sorry if I offended you. Peace.:D

[MrBob]

"What boxers? Tyson? You used the term "many", so what many?"

Sugar Ray Robinson, Joe Louis, Deigo Corales, Floyd Mayweather, David Ried, Mark Johnson, Tony Ayala, and I think I heard a report about Marvin Hagler too. That's all I know off of the top of my head. I haven't heard anything about holyfield, but he is responsible for most of the new births in the state of Georgia. LOL

[Black Jack]

No bro you did not offend me at all, I liked your post, it got me thinking, and on some level, I am sure a beginner, as in the infamous "yellow belt" syndrome could be more aggressive, you know walking around thinking he can kick anyones ass because he has a few months of martial arts under his belt.

Your point has some interesting food for thought, I just don't see it at the level you are pointing out.

Cheers

[lkfmdc]

95% of all wife beaters wear underwear, thus the wearing of underwear contributes to wife beating.....

[joedoe]

I found sparring full contact made me more calm and more in control of my emotions. Maybe it was because I realised that in fighting/sparring you cannot allow your emotions to run wild. Maybe it was because I got to vent my frustrations through sparring. Who knows? I suspect it is probably different for each case.

[red_fists]

I think it can.

Depending on your personality and your attitude towards violence.

[guohuen]

People's personalities are pretty much established by the time their six. The afore mentioned cretins were violent asses before they got into sports.

[Starchaser107]

I would say intense training in full contact (for fighters who are not full time full contact fighters) is likely to have short term effects on a fighters mentality causing mild agressive behavior , and this does not necessarilt mean violence ,instead perhaps mood swings or irratabilty, or slight changes in speech or mannerism. All dependent on how fighters are trained and coached, and what the environment ,the training grounds and partners are like.

Over a period of time the new behavior patterns will regress more often than not , depending on how long the fighters have been training, this is my observation. I am not sure how fighters training full contact full time react to thier training.

[Chinwoo-er]

which indicates that it is the obliged intention of that fighter which matters on whether or not sparring makes one more or less aggressive.

Sorry, I didn't read any of the posts beforehand, just the first one. So pls forgive me if I am repeating something which have already been said.

Anyway, to what the study have supported ( not concluded ) is that if one goes into sparring with the intention to knock the oppoentent out, then the "aggressive fantasy" would feed itself and the person becomes more aggressive in normal life.

However, if one goes into a sparring match with the intention of executing techniques as their primary goal, and the oppoenent gets hurt along the way then the person actually becomes more and more passive.

There is definately a difference between striking someone with force because the technique requres it, and striking someone with force because you want to down him. really depends on the original intentions of the person.

As far as boxing goes, there is an indication that a boxer is trained for knockouts. Their body as well as mind has been tuned to that area. Hence, aggressive tendency did increase.

The study was a longitudinal study which took place over a period of 4 months. In that time, a group of beginners Boxers, karateka and Aikidoka ( really no idea how that pulled that one off ) was called in to assist the study. They were given sparring sessions 4 times a week. And the results was, after two months, the boxers showed signs of heighten aggression gradually throughout the experimental period while the karateka and aikidoka's aggression decreased.

Interesting study huh ?

btw, the people did recieve psychotherapy after the study to undo the damage.

[dre]

Could it be that constant ring agression of (a boxer , for instance) could somehow make the levels of so-called "anger" hormones higher? and so influence behavior?

But I've been wirting a sicence paper for the last two hours , so I have sicence on the brain . . .

[scotty1]

Good post chinwoo-er. I was going o say that I think sparring full contact could give you a sense of confidence that in certain people could give rise to increased aggression.

[guohuen]

I'll quote Vince Lombardy here. "Football does not build character, it reveals character."

[Chinwoo-er]

I am planning on writing a paper on "personality type and fighting characteristics ". But it is more about "personality type and reaction to danger during peak moments "

So, instead of the fighiting style altering the mind, it is how the mind alters the style.

I am just thinking about it for the moment. Have so much on my hands lately, If ( and that is a pretty big IF ) I ever decide to do it, it should be published by next year.