do you agree or disagree with "higher learning through harder contact" and why?

I think that at times hard contact is called for. It is not the root of higher learning in martial art.

Precision is the higher learning in martial art. Learn to do as much damage as one who hits hard and do it with a light blow.

I think possum is right, higher learning from smarter and more controlled contact.

edit: @ Noneofyour Business: excellent point, and well put!

No, I don't. Not in my style. I think in some styles, particularly the sport styles such as boxing, such things are important.

In general, though, the statement is too categorical - it implies that strength is the trump card, that it is the key to higher learning. It assumes that learning can only occur with harder contact. It turns out that some styles, like Aikido, were built upon the opposite principle.

Whether it means the martial artist learns through using harder contact, or whether the perpetrator learns through harder contact, I think is irrelevent: what will you do when you become aged, infirm, or exhausted? Speed, strength, and endurance are gone or limited. Do you rely on self-defense by being stronger than your opponent? If so, then how do you train to become stronger than all of the perpetrators you'll encounter?

Admittedly, I trained many years to be faster and stronger, in hopes that would allow me an advantage over an opponent. But I found that perfecting technique, fight psychology, balance, geometry, physics -- these are the keys to higher learning. Not beating the crap out of an opponent.

Anybody can learn to hit hard. Not everyone can learn to hit smart.

It is better to say: "Higher learning through smarter contact."

Both yes and no. As you may know, I am a big fan of the Neijia. I have been through many schools trying to find a teacher who was not a Mcdojo manager. In the process, I came across a Neijia school, and it looked promising.

In the beginning, we would do Tui Shou, but what we were doing was NOT Tui Shou. We would muscle and tense our way through what is supposed to be a sensitivity drill. It looked like a high school wrestling match. And it was all in the name of "Harder Contact." That is when I came to the conclusion that one can simply not force hard contact. Martial arts are a learning and growing process. You put to much too soon, you loose the finer details. Tui Shou is a sensitivity drill you build upon, you have to feel your way through, not force your way through.

So now I am against too much "harder contact." In the beginning of course. As students progress and have spent a considerable amount of time refining the small things that you loose in the "harder contact." They can begin taking on a more demanding curriculum.

Occasionally you should go as close to full contact as you and your training partner or partners are comfortable. That way you can get a taste of "the real thing" while still being in a safe environment. I would rather get hit in the mouth for the first time in a somewhat friendly atmosphere, than to have it happen on the street in a real situation.

My original Kajukenbo instructor is also a Dog Brother.

I can tolerate hardcore Kajukenbo. I draw the line at hitting one another for real with rattan sticks without protective equipment.

I witnessed someone getting his fingers broken in Arnis sparring even though he was wearing protective gloves. The style we trained in was Pekiti Tirsia, you feel the force of #5, #6, and #7 Strikes even if you are wearing a chest protector and a fencing mask.

Laffer curve. As you increase the level of contact, the person being trained improves more, but if you go too far then you begin to see that it doesn't help and becomes counterproductive. If I'm boxing and there's no power in someone's punches, I'm not going to work really hard to avoid them, consciously or unconsciously. Add a bit of impact and you'll see my guard and my head movement improve. Get a heavyweight pro-boxer to punch as hard as they can and I probably won't even be jabbing; I'll just spend the entire sparring session covering up to prevent brain damage.

I love dressing my daughter up, even though I'm nowhere near girly. Shes just too cute lol. I did a few Pagents when I was in high school but that was for my school and county. But right now if my little girl even came up to me saying i want to do that.... yeah right. Maybe if it was the little girls group at the local pagent but even then there is no way my kid is getting makeup, a fake tan, and fake hair are you kidding me. Those girls are going to be under enough pressure by society as it is their parents are just making it worse. The show makes me sick every time i just pass by it. Those mothers aren't mothers at all.

No. Hard contact does not make a person a better fighter. Had contact may help you endure a hard fight. It can make some quit. It can help teach you to fight through the pain.

Learning technique, transitions, distance and timing leads to higher learning.

I think hard contact is for bully's you do not have to beat up your partner to train. If all the students in class keep getting hurt who are you going to train with. most martial artist do this as a hobby so we have to get up for work next day. If you are training to compete there is an element of conditioning involved but you don't kick/punch your partner so hard he get broken ribs/nose or whatever it will hinder training. There is a karate club in my area they think that if they get hurt and get bruised ribs and stuff. that they are running a real club. Why do people go to them. If there is a bad injury and its due to full contact training is the club insurance going to pay out. if your out of work for months is your job safe who will payyour bills.

wow i had no idia what these dog bros were but its some live shiiiit. anyway hell no. over training is prevelent most fighters got puntch drunk and suffer most injuries in training. im not gonna train with sombody who looks at training as competition. loook where hard traing got wanderla and chuck they fell apart because of it. you gotta potect your meat vessel plus im not down wtgh getting an injury in training i take the fact that im competing very serious i have no idea when ill fight my first fight but i know theres sopmbody out there ay more prepared then me and that scares me i have no time for injurys