# Friday Recommendation #10 - Link: https://brianejohns.com/2021/05/28/blog-friday-recommendation-10/ - Published: 2021-05-28T10:00:00-04:00 - Author: Brian Johns This is a short one, clocking in at 11 minutes or so. This video does a fantastic job of discussing live training and some associated myths. Sensei Iain is straightforward and non-judgmental on this topic. If you are not able to view this video, click [here](https://youtu.be/egQme4Ws6fc). The topic of [live training](https://brianejohns.com/2021/03/26/blog-friday-recommendation-5/) is often a hot topic in martial arts. It is often presented in a very judgmental way. “If you don’t do what I think you should do, you’re not a legitimate martial artist.” That kind of statement is horsecrap and does nothing to advance the discussion. Sensei Iain presents this topic nonjudgmentally and puts folks at ease. [I think that every martial artist, if truly interested in self-defence, should engage in live training](https://brianejohns.com/2023/06/30/blog-friday-recommendation-11/). That said, it is not necessarily everybody’s cup of tea. Do you expect a 70-year- old grandmother with osteoporosis to spar? No. Might she be better served by practicing home security, verbal de-escalation, and basic self-defence and non-physical skills? Yes. If she desires to spar, that’s a different story. _It’s up to the student, and instructors should not pressure students to engage in live training._ Setting that aside, does this method of training denote all-out sparring? No. Several forms of live training can be utilized in place of all-out sparring. Fortunately, many martial arts schools have various versions of live training, from basic sparring drills to elite-level sparring. ## For those who train with them, I start with basics, such as the angles of attack. 󠀁[Feeding random angles of attack](https://brianejohns.com/2016/04/04/blog-how-to-fix-the-wet-noodle/)󠁿 to a defender is an example of a modified live training drill. As readers of this blog know, my students eventually learn [20 basic flow drills](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBIjNWlvZer_tgc2GGiczBvbxsyCfB0J1), which later can be mixed and matched into random live sparring. The student must demonstrate precise stick control before getting to the sparring stage. My teaching philosophy is not to pressure my students into sparring. It’s not for everyone. At a minimum, they do need to learn the 20 flow drills. What they want to do after this stage is up to them. As it turns out, many of them want to do live tapi tapi play after learning the flow drills. It just happens naturally. No pressure. Anyway, among the myths that Sensei Abernethy tackles in his videos are: * “You can be effective without live practice.” * “Live training does not need to be specific.” * “Combat sports are ideal for self-protection because they train live.” * “Traditional martial arts never trained live.” And a few more. Do you sense any pressure from Sensei Iain? There doesn’t appear to be any judgmental tone in his voice. None of this “_if you don’t spar, you’re not for real_” or any of that crap. There are better approaches to convincing folks. ## Check this video out! ## Additional Reading * [5 Problems With One Step Sparring](https://brianejohns.com/2016/03/23/blog-5-problems-with-one-step-sparring/) * [Randomly Breaking The Rhythm](https://brianejohns.com/2022/10/05/blog-breaking-the-rhythm/) * [3 Great Reasons For One Step Sparring](https://brianejohns.com/2016/03/21/blog-3-great-reasons-for-one-step-sparring/) * [Sparring or Free Play?](https://brianejohns.com/2024/02/21/sparring-or-free-play/) * [Friday Recommendation #5](https://brianejohns.com/2021/03/26/blog-friday-recommendation-5/) ### Share this post: * [ X ](https://brianejohns.com/2021/05/28/blog-friday-recommendation-10/?share=twitter) * [ Facebook ](https://brianejohns.com/2021/05/28/blog-friday-recommendation-10/?share=facebook) * [ LinkedIn ](https://brianejohns.com/2021/05/28/blog-friday-recommendation-10/?share=linkedin) * [ Threads ](https://brianejohns.com/2021/05/28/blog-friday-recommendation-10/?share=threads) * [ WhatsApp ](https://brianejohns.com/2021/05/28/blog-friday-recommendation-10/?share=jetpack-whatsapp) * [ Email ](https://brianejohns.com/2021/05/28/blog-friday-recommendation-10/?subject=%5BShared%20Post%5D%20Friday%20Recommendation%20%2310&body=https%3A%2F%2Fbrianejohns.com%2F2021%2F05%2F28%2Fblog-friday-recommendation-10%2F&share=email) * [ Print ](https://brianejohns.com/2021/05/28/blog-friday-recommendation-10/#print?share=print) ### Like this: Like Loading… ### _Related_