SHUT UP and hit me!!

[OdderMensch]

this posting has been rated sp-13 by the Made Up Ratings board. It contain broad generalizations, brief ranting and some sparring content. Reader discretion is advised.

I went to a school to spar with some people the other day. Its practice that I have enjoyed on and off for some months now. The people are very friendly and helpful and often have advice for me after we spar. (Note the chronology, after we spar. ) Now wether I use the advice or not I am always willing to listen, it's never rude or unhelpful. They mostly study a form of Karate, I study Wing Chun, so the advice is sometimes "wrong" from my prespective (why do you advance so much? you need to pick a forward side. throw more hooks! :D ) however I get more good advice than anything else.

Saturday had been a slow day for the sparing, I spared three kids, a young girl, and few matchs with the more skilled in the room. Finally I was able to spar a BB! The minute-thirty match began with a few quick exchages, then a kick I missed that caught me in the gut. I have been kicked in the gut before, harder, and I know how I should prevent this from happening. My partner then pulls out his mouthpeice and says "you need to keep your elbows down more" spot on advice! my elbows were floating! I reply "ah yes, they should." I sink my elbows, and touch his glove with my outstreched gaurd (the sign that i' ok and ready to spar) "you see your elbow being up creates a hole for me to attack, sinking ehm would fill that hole" I nod, tap his glove again and stand ready with my gaurd, he has not yet put his mouthpeice back in and it would be very unsporting of me to attack him.

"you know Akido uses an elbow down posture" You know, I didn't know that "and i've done some akido before....." I now stand up, remove my mouthpiece and say "haveing 'flying elbows' is a terror of WC, i'm doing some specific training to correct it." then I put my mouth peice in, settled down into my gaurd, and tapped his glove again. He puts in his mothpiece, circle me for a bit and then pulls out his mouthpeice again " you know you shouldn't square up with me like that" I then fly into a homicidal rage, breaking his knees before smashing his face thru the plate glass window in front of the school.

j/k

I tell him that if I dont "square up" like that I can't use my kung fu right, and he spends the rest of our minute-thirty telling me not to be "dogmatic"

he spends the time between the next match disscusing the paper he wrote for his black belt test or some such, then it's my turn to pick a person to spar with. As he is the only non-kid I don't think i've been able to spar with I select him.

same match, he spend half the time with his mouthpeice out so I can't just attack him like I can the other people.

has this happened to anyone else? What do you do about it? I don't spar angry, but this realy ****ed me off!

[Serpent]

You should have just smacked him one. When he's lying on the floor you say, "Did you cover that in your BB test paper? Now get up and fight me you pu$$y b!tch."

If he still doen't want to fight then I'd suggest he's scared of you.

[Killerbee]

Why didnt you just tell him to shut up and fight?

[Zbloff]

In Vulcan voice -"That is the logical response":D

[omarthefish]

It's funny your tag is odder mensch because a mensch is just what you have to be. I have been through the same thing. Oh, and then there's the other version where they hit you once and then have ot stop the whole thing and make a big fuss about "oops! sorry! Are you O.K ?"

"YES! I'M O.K.! HITTING ME IS THE WHOLE POINT YOU IDIOT! IT'S NOT LIKE YOU CRACKED MY JAW OR ANYTHING . . ."

Thought about it for ages. No solution. Just keep your cool and ignore it.

It drives me nuts. I think it's a kind of insecurity on their part. They need to play 'teacher' for some odd reason. I often feel the urge too, except that for me it's the urge to offer corrections to just about anyone in my line of sight. (I have learned to bite my lip but the urge remains)

It's good to make these observations silently, but the onyl reason I can think of for spitting them out at random to anybody who isn't actually your student, is to get some sort of validation. A subtle affirmation of superiority.

The question is, are enough of a mensch to overlook this insecurity of theirs?

[apoweyn]

i think omarthefish nailed it. it's an act of insecurity. he's establishing his authority. that's one of the big problems with a black belt. it's an automatic reputation to uphold. and a lot of people misdirect their efforts in that area. they think they can't afford to get beaten or even tagged.

so this black belt tags you. now he's in a good light. so he hedges his bets and lectures you. he's now cut down on the time available to you to tag him back, thereby assuring that the lasting image in people's minds is 1) that he nailed you and 2) that he's also a good teacher dispensing valuable advice. that's the stuff that facade reputations are based on, unfortunately.

try this: he takes out his mouthpiece and starts offering advice. just keep your stance up, keep your headgear on, and just nod. either he'll clue in that you want to keep going or any observers will twig to it and will begin to recognize that it's because of him that you're not sparring. that might put some impetus on him to get back to work.

how old is this guy?


stuart b.

[red5angel]

I have to go with Ap and Omar on this one. Why would anyone want to break a match, especially a time limited match, to yap about things you can save until after you are done?
Sound slike stalling to me.....

[Stacey]

"Show me"

[fa_jing]

I've got three years of Wing Chun (plus some really rusty TKD), and was able to beat a 10-year student of Karate who outweighed me in a full-contact bought. Thus, what Stacey said. A tip for sparring against a guy in a side-facing stance: Use 3-angle step to his front face and enter with a front kick.

[OdderMensch]

the guy's around my age. a bit younger maybe but been doing MA for way longer. I always tell people who hit me "yeah I'm ok, you'll know if i'm hurt, i'll be on the ground, crying"

Hey Fa_Jing, we've about the same time in WC, if we ever meet, we must deathmatch. that entry works well, I also like to let them circle, wait for that front leg to cross the rear leg, then pop the front thigh/calf (knee in RL) and step down behind the front leg. They might spin, but I get to control there whole body for a few seconds.

and yeah, I just kept my gaurd pointed at him the whole time, many people will make quick comments in a match, but this guy started a lecture series.

if I were more of a jerk, I might have said something like, "yeah, you're right" KAPOW! " and maybe you should gaurd your face sometimes" :D

You know, I'm never concerned about beating them, or winning or anything, it's a nice, friendly exchange with the odd black eye, busted lip.

[apoweyn]

the guy's around my age. a bit younger maybe but been doing MA for way longer.

wouldn't it be great if that actually translated into maturity. :)

but it doesn't really. a person's a person, black belt or no. and this person sounds insecure with you. i know that doesn't change your basic problem, but there you have it.


stuart b.

[Kristoffer]

As ppl b4 said I think he's just scared and insecure about his skills. Why not pick others to spar with? Or find another dojo?

[[Censored]]

"Show me" is good, but "Prove it" is better. ;)

[red5angel]

Censored in collaboration with Stacey - ""Show me" is good, but "Prove it" is better."

[Kristoffer]

or just puch him next time he pops out the mouthpiece :) keep fighting trashing his knee caps and scream WEEEAK !!! while you kick him to bloody oblivion