Non-Sport martial artists, just a couple of questions ?

I think you're mistaken on several things. Sport means game. Combat sports are playing a game, but martial arts are for life protection. Just because you don't spar to score points, or try and knock each other out, doesn't mean you can't tell for the quality of your training. What would scoring points serve for self defense? Competition serves what in life protection?

Do you think that martial arts don't train full force? You obviously have some mix-matched views of none combat sport arts that makes explaining your questions very hard without reorganizing everything.

Everything you see in combat sports is watered down from it's original style to fit in a sport full of rules. We train seriously, but in full control. Martial arts without control is not a martial art. Any "rules" there are in training depend on level of experience. It's about common sense, not making a set of rules to create a sport.

Yeah. You won't know unless you get in that fight. As unfortunate as that may seem. But just because I'm "non-sport" doesn't mean I'm "non-sparring". What do I mean? I don't like how the TKD point sparring systems works, or how the UFC's rules work either. You don't have rounds in real life. The way I practice with my peers is just a mouthpiece and that's it. We go light of course, for the safety of each other, but even so, it teaches because we would feel where we are open and vulnerable. I'm not saying sport martial arts is useless, but it merely takes out a LOT of factors that are prevalent in street fights that would basically render a sport martial artist unprepared. So many MMA fighters have open legs. In real life, a groin shot would be devastating.

As my hero Bruce Lee once said, "When you're talking about fighting, as it is, with no rules, well then, baby you'd better train every part of your body!"

Shall I beat a dead horse?

Sure. Just because we no longer compete doesn't mean we don't prepare. Actually competing has little or no affect on how prepared you are for the streets as they are vastly different.

Sports has rule. You can't hit or kick there. You can grab here. no scratching, biting, etc. But in real fight there are no rules. There is biting, scratching, spitting, etc. In our school we train to with the idea that our life may be on the line. There are no referees to stop it. There is no tapping out. There may be weapons used. There may be multiple attackers. You might get hit or cut, but you must continue. We learn timing, distance, control, etc. There is contact in our schools. But we aren't playing a game. I've experienced pain. My partners have experience pain. We learn to fight through pain and what to do.

Just because you do not partake in sports does not mean you do not test your techniques out without rules.

Jiyu Kumite in the old days was a quickly learned skill and you got serious injured. However, the adoption of rules for safety does not mean you're "sportifying" your training, simply that you are setting realistic expectations for safety to protect your partner.

I.e. Use good control, honor legitimate techniques, and always protect yourself.

Because of this you are responsible for your own safety as well as your opponent being responsible for being able to control himself.

This doesn't mean wimping out on techniques, just pulling your punches in a manner fitting you and your partners experience level.

Note that I do not say "opponent" because in non-sport arts, you are not competing against your classmates, only that you are improving yourself with varied levels of resistance.

I did two competitions. I did well in both. What made me sure that my skills were at the very least adequate enough for real self-defense? I used them in real self-defense situations.

I don't need a combat sport setting to test my skills. I experienced the real deal.

all because its non sport doesnt mean we dont have competitions and many of them are full contact as well as grappling and weapon competitions.

i spend about 2 to 3 weeks a year training my students for competition and they do quite well at the ones they go to.

besides the real life situations i have been in.

you can still do competition and be a non sport. its the way you train that matters.

I did participate in kickboxing for a short time. How could that make you sure of your skills?It teaches very bad habits.

I trust my skills because they worked for years at a confrontational job where I had to manhandle people often. The grappling of my art of shotokan kept me safe in real circumstances.

I can and do trust my life to my skills. Classical martial art works, no matter what the nay sayers have to claim. .

Do not deliberately injure your training partners. You want everyone coming back for next class.

But unfortunately, in the type of training we do, we get out of hand, lose control and accidentally smash each other up. But they were accidents and we didn't mean to do it.

Everyone who stays in my style has their share of injuries and has accidentally injured other people. I don't think there's a way around it. Fortunately mine were never serious.