SPARRING & MATCHING
All students training at Imperial Combat Arts are expected to engage in light, medium, and heavy contact progressively throughout the ranks. This has always been the way in our schools. In many gyms/schools sparring is optional for students, here it is required as a vital part of training for real violent encounters.
Sparring, adult only classes, extensive toughening, and long class hours are the main reasons these arts will never be mainstream. Sparring is not fighting however, it is still limited and controlled by various factors, and students are well prepared before they begin.
Sparring, adult only classes, extensive toughening, and long class hours are the main reasons these arts will never be mainstream. Sparring is not fighting however, it is still limited and controlled by various factors, and students are well prepared before they begin.
WEIGHT CLASSES & SEX SEGRAGATION
Our schools have never separated students for sparring, or any other aspect of training, by sex or size. All students are expected to engage all students. Our female Instructors have trained their entire careers against mostly men. Some of the arts we teach at Imperial Combat Arts specialize in fighting larger opponents and this training gives smaller people the chance to test the effectiveness of these concepts and techniques against a resistant opponent.
BOXING - MUAY THAI - BJJ - Shuai Jiao
Imperial Combat Arts trains students in Boxing, Muay Thai, Shuai Jiao, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as a secondary study to their combat training. Training these arts gives students a strong sparring base and helps them advance in combat training with our arts that cannot be used in sparring. All students are required to learn and spar effectively with these styles to train at Imperial Combat Arts, some of these arts are taught at our school by outside Coaches specific to those arts, who are qualified instructors at other schools, and fight competitively.
CROSS STYLE SPARRING
Many of Imperial Combat Arts Instructors and students have previous training as we prioritize advanced martial artists in our recruitment. Some of our Instructors/Students have years of training in Greco Roman Wrestling, Bjj, Jujitsu, Judo, Boxing, Muay Thai and several other styles, a couple have owned Jujitsu and Judo schools. With this experience available we routinely spar and grapple with our styles against these other styles. This has been the way since the 1960's. At Imperial Combat Arts there is no disrespect of other martial arts. Our students are taught to appreciate that there are tremendous martial artists and athletes in other styles.
DO WE USE PADS?
Students at Imperial Combat Arts toughen and prepare their bare hands for real fights, so they do not wear gloves or pads for most all of their training. Sparring is the only exception. Nowadays we use light MMA styles gloves in the student ranks and no other pads. Though this is not traditional in our schools we find student are able to engage in heavier and more realistic force with gloves. These streamline gloves still allow for Animal hand weapons to be formed as well as grappling. Students begin day one with body toughening and conditioning and don't require any other pads as they advance.
CAN I GET HURT?
Sparring is not fighting, students begin with light contact and are well trained before moving forward. Minor injuries are of course possible and do occur on occasion. Bruising and swelling is the most common at first and expected. Other less common injuries are the like of, bloody nose, split lip, cracked rib, hairline fractures of the leg or arm, and jammed or broken fingers. While these are not common students should understand they are possible and they're expected to handle them in a professional manner.
COMBAT TECHNIQUES
Most training at Imperial Combat Arts is of course for combat and cannot be used in sparring. There is a reason these things are illegal to use in sports by U.S. or State law, and its not because they don't "work".
While sparring gives students the feel of aggressive confrontation, it is long proven sets and drills that allow them to make combat techniques work in the fray. This is the same approach for all military training from ancient times to today. You cannot practice combat techniques on a partner, you drill them, and if you can make them work in battle, you gain that experience.
While sparring gives students the feel of aggressive confrontation, it is long proven sets and drills that allow them to make combat techniques work in the fray. This is the same approach for all military training from ancient times to today. You cannot practice combat techniques on a partner, you drill them, and if you can make them work in battle, you gain that experience.
WEAPON SPARRING
Students aggressively Spar with all the weapons they train, from clubs and swords to airsoft pistol matches. The school employs a vast array of padded weapons and weapon blanks for matching. Some pads are of course required. No weapon sparring practiced today is "all out" fighting. Even training weapons will cause serious injury or kill through pads. This is true for HEMA or any other system. With this sparring students practice all weapon types against all other weapon types, such as sword vs. spear.
MULTIPLE OPPONENTS
Most all sparring in the advanced student and Instructor ranks is done versus multiple opponents. The arts we teach specialize in this style of fighting. While many people think this means just being tough enough to fight multiple people, it is actually the study of techniques and styles designed for this. Our Instructors spend countless hours sparring multiple opponents both armed and unarmed.