I can't do Medium contact!

[SanHeChuan]

I just can't figure out the mental aspect.

Light contact I have down. I have the sensitivity and control necessary to throw a real technique and just touch. :cool:

Full contact I understand. :D

Medium contact escapes me. What am I trying to accomplish and with in what limits? It’s training more that competition, so I’m not trying to win, right? And I don’t want to injury my training partner, right? But it’s ok to cause physical pain? So I’m trying to hurt them, but not injure them? How do I accomplish that? I am so confused. :confused::confused::confused:

[MasterKiller]

You need to learn some new forms.

[SimonM]

I don't like medium contact either. I prefer the feedback of full-contact where if I screw up I FEEL it.

[TenTigers]

I can spread butter on a delicate cracker, and I can cut through a tough steak. I can also stab. Same hand, same knife. What's the problem?

[TenTigers]

I do admit, I still tend to break a Ritz from time to time, though.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Medium, or hard if you refer, is hitting hard enough to get an honest reaction but NOT trying to take the guy out.
Its the level that sparring is typically done.

[MightyB]

You need to learn some new forms.

LOL! Wow- Seriously LOL- I almost pee'd myself.

[Pork Chop]

Medium contact as a tournament format is absolute BS.
The rules are a total gray area and the judges at the ring tend to make up their own anyway.
The equipment is non-standard.
I competed & worked tournaments for years and saw more injuries in each individual "medium contact ring" than I did in any full contact event in terms of broken noses, cuts, and even the odd KO.
Medium contact boils down to "who gets off the hardest shot first, without blatantly breaking the rules".

I've probably told this story before, but was competing at a tourney in PA.
Wing chun guys show up wearing mma gloves & kuoshu masks.
I'm wearing your typical cobra glove/karate chop - viny-covered (not foam dipped) and open face headguard.
Keep the wing chun guy off with kicks & scoring pretty well but he keeps bull rushing me out of the ring.

Ring judge (and guy running the tourney) decides "let's start them in bridge"!
If it isn't clear, let me spell it out - southern long fist guy forced to start in bridge with a southern short hand stylist; talk about unfair...

WC guy proceeds to grab my generously padded cobra glove by the wrist strap & pull me into a chain punch combo to the face, cutting my lip open.
I pop him right on his face guard (he's wearing a mask) and *I* get yelled at for excessive contact; think I even got a point deducted.
Round ends; I leave the ring without saying anything, don't think I even bowed (sifu was ticked).

Afterwards, guy comes over to shake my hand and I tell him to get the F* away from me.
Poor sportsmanship on my part, granted; but I've never put myself to do continuous sparring in a tournament again.

[SimonM]

That is crooked judging. :eek:

[WinterPalm]

Light contact is for beginners and not experienced martial artists. I find very few skills carry over from light contact to anything else.
Medium is for the bulk of training so as to not get injured but still throw shots that hurt you.
Full contact is for occassional testing and fight prep but I personally cut it out 2-3 weeks beforehand. This is the only format that I think is worth competing in. No BS, no gray area...no nonsense. Just straight whoop.

[SanHeChuan]

It's not for tournament purposes, but for MMA/SanDa class.

My sifu says I have to hit people harder. So, I guess I will and If I cross the line at least then I'll know where it is.

The other thing is most of the guys aren't really at my level so I don't press my advantages so much. I try to give them I chance to pick things up. Like I'll float my kicks a little to let them at least defend themselves if not catch them.

[NJM]

M kuoshu masks

Is a Kuoshu mask the type that looks somewhat like a fencing mask?

[Pork Chop]

Is a Kuoshu mask the type that looks somewhat like a fencing mask?

I mean this one:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41C3XBT99HL._AA280_.jpg

[Takuan]

You need to learn some new forms.

LOL, That's great.

[NJM]

I mean this one:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41C3XBT99HL._AA280_.jpg

Ah. Not very realistic, is it?

[Oso]

My sifu says I have to hit people harder. So, I guess I will and If I cross the line at least then I'll know where it is.


the best answeres are the one's you answer yourself. :)

in terms of physical stuff, like sparring, I think you can not instinctively know differing levels of contact...you have to play it and cross the line; back up a little, cross it again until you can figure it out.

the thing is, you're learning someone else's definition of medium contact so it's somewhat arbitrary. certainly, your idea and your sparring partners idea of medium contact varies some and you are both taking your cues from your coach.

and that's sort of who decides what's hard enough in any school: the guy paying the insurance premiums. ;)

so, the truer statement is that you haven't figured out what your coach wants. just keep crossing the line until he says 'ok/good/that's it'

[David Jamieson]

keep the structure, remove the force = medium contact

in light contact, we move prohibitively.

in full contact, form and force work together.

the structure itself can generate some good thuds, especially if they are placed to sensitive areas and the head, but if you remove the force as much without prohibiting the relaxed throw you should be good with medium contact exchanges.

[Pork Chop]

Ah. Not very realistic, is it?

Well they use it for full contact kuoshu as well and it's notorious for causing cuts, bloody noses, & broken bones that wouldn't otherwise happen.
Regardless, if he had that on, the danger of face contact was minimized and I shouldn't have been called for it - especially if he was breaking the rule more frequently.

[Eric Olson]

Yeah, I've seen noses broken in "medium contact" contests.

I agree that if you are going to compete its either got to be light contact or full contact. People's idea (including judges) of "medium" contact varies greatly, so like someone said its usually the person who gets off the first hard shot that wins the match.

My old Sifu used to tell us to try to get in the first hard shot, right off the line. That way you would intimidate the opponent and dominate the match. While this makes good sense for full contact, its a little unethical for supposedly medium contact....but practically speaking he learned that medium contact never really means medium contact and this strategy increased your odds of winning.

EO