COMPROMISE FREESTYLE SPARRING

By Vivian Dhaliwal 2^nd June 2000

The word compromise as defined by Funk and Wagnalls' dictionary means. "An adjustment or settlement by which each side makes concessions" or "something lying between, or combining the qualities of two different things".

Compromise freestyle is about the creation of an environment in which two people can experiment, learn and progress in every issue of their "freestyle".  Their techniques, timing, distance and strategy.  It has nothing to do with speed or power it can be as fast or powerful as the two persons decide it to be or as slow and passive as they like.  The main criteria is the mind set of the people involving themselves in this exercise.

How do I compromise freestyle with another martial-art person?

The first rule is that in compromise you are both responding and providing stimulus to each other. By this definition, how you provide that stimulus is important to the receiver of that stimulus.

For example the person receiving your stimulus whether it is a "punch" or "kick" can and must respond to it accordingly.  Can they use a "technique" to effectively guard against your "attack"?

Many other martial arts utilize "drills" or "patterns" with similar structures.  However, compromise freestyle is the only concept that allows the continuation of flow in movement to continue.  The "patterns" are not ended after one or two responses.  The stimulus is continuous and the response is continuous.

Another main factor in this exercise is that neither partner shall be the person providing the stimulus all the time neither should one person be responding all the time.

The person responding should not "over-respond" by blocking heavily down on a passive kick, neither should he or she "under respond".  The principle to be attained here is that both people are creating a harmony, an environment between them where a learning experience can evolve to the mutual benefit of both parties.

Show examples of "over-stimulus", "over-response".

As you progress through the learning stages of compromise freestyle you reach plateau's of learning where the awkward movements become flowing and less "thought about".  However, this is the time where you must try to achieve a "strategy" of your own stimulus to achieve a required response.  A tactic whereby you have thought out like a game of chess of movements that if you stimulate your partner in one way you create an opening for you to achieve a result.  This if looked at can be classed as a compromise freestyle with a tendency for point scoring.  The compromise is less instinctive action and reaction but more planned and thought out.  This introduction of a higher level of compromise freestyle does not loose out to the concept of competing with one another.  The minds that are creating the environment are both learning from one another and have deep respect for each others bodies that they are practicing upon.  That is the crux of the matter.  That they have deep respect for that person's body.  No ego or pride must be involved if a point is scored or a defence is broken but merely that you have learnt a lesson.

Through compromise freestyle then the more people you compromise with the greater level of understanding you can achieve through their body language and by that knowledge increase your level of understanding of your own body.