Evolution Fist,
You make some good points about training so that you don't NEED a second strike, even if you deliver one (or twelve) anyway. And also about how unrealistic it is to train to "last a few rounds" rather than to simply take out the opponent.
Where I think you're having a misunderstanding here is in drawing the conclusion that this is how Gary trains his students and that this is what he means by sparring. Perhaps Gary would have been wiser to choose a different term in his original post, given that the term "sparring" CAN mean different things to different people but that it usually has a fairly standardized connotation to it.
From my experience with him, I can assure you that Gary definitely does NOT teach his students to "ring fight", nor that he is implying that such training ought to be included in neijia. He explained his own approach himself fairly clearly in a later post in this thread.
My own view on this matter, born of experience, is that working solely for the ability to deliver maximum power with optimal mechanics, sung, jing, etc. will NOT in any way provide sufficient training to survive a real life-or-death street encounter. Needless to say, such training IS essential....it is, however, not SUFFICIENT.
Since Gary is USAF, let me liken it to an Air Force analogy. The US spends billions each year to ensure that we have the latest high-tech fighter jets and the most highly-trained combat pilots in the world. We make sure that each fighter jet is capable of delivering huge amounts of damage to the enemy all by itself. However, for every pilot, there are around 20 other personnel providing support for his/her strike missions. Without absolute excellence in the support they provide, even the most state-of-the-art jet and most highly trained pilot are slightly more than useless in combat and might as well just sit there on the tarmac.
Being able to execute massive damage with each and every blow in a fight is essential. However, without the other skills that do not, I repeat, DO NOT come from mechanics development practice, you will very likely be unable to "acquire the target" in a real fight against a poorer trained but experienced opponent in the street. Think otherwise? Then try the following: 1) go find someone with good old-fashioned boxing and wrestling experience who's also had streetfighting experience. 2) **** him off. 3) Now try landing your most massive Beng Quan strike to 'snap his head off his shoulder' before he KTFO's you or takes you down for a good old-fashioned ground and pound.
Without MUCH more than just strike execution training, you won't be able to deliver jack sh*t. Those that have been there know there's a helluva lot more to fighting than just being able to hit powerfully.
Anyhow, I'm not assuming that this is some kind of newsflash to you, it's just a reminder to keep all priorities in view and not get tunnel vision on any single one. 
"Bagua can look pretty, especially when you wave your hands around alot and walk really fast and bounce back and forth like a goof." -- Braden
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