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If you know something about martial arts let's hear your opinion on sparring then.
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Well sparring, in general, is a tool to teach students what it feels like to use their body in a fight, and to apply what they learn in the dojo. Everytime I conduct a sparring class, for the inexperienced, I emphasize the importance of control, precision, and balance; it is very important that a student learn these things before they move on, for these, as Bruce Lee so eloquently put, are the roots. It is also important to keep it light because the inexperienced student seldom has good control of the power placed into a strike, and the other not used to being hit. All in all, it is a great tool to teach with.
Sparring for the advanced student is different, however. Wearing some protective gear, they engage in sparring using the full amount of power they can, or hitting the other guy as hard as they want/can. This is commonly called "full contact sparring." At my dojo, students can only participate in this when I, or another instructor, see that they have adaquate skill to do so. Normally we have a test wherein they spar one of the instructors. Full contact sparring gives the student a chance to get a feel for hitting another human being and being hit in return; striking an actual person is much different from hitting targets, and bags. It also allows them to develop their reflexes and learn from their mistakes.
It really is one of the best training methods you can employ.