Sport Fighting vs Combat

The Difference

Sport fighting has always been a popular phenomenon in society, going back to the earliest days of our history. Something about watching people test their mortality and pushing themselves to the absolute limit can be inspiring. Thankfully this has been modernized and regulated in the realm of sport competition, making it acceptable for fans to release their blood-thirsty side. From the days of the gladiators to the first Olympiad to boxing and wrestling and now to cage fighting, the masses have assembled to watch warriors battle for centuries. I would argue that this does not imply that we have a violent genetic code, just that we’re curious about how far we can push ourselves. This is why most people turn away from war footage. The realm of combative violence doesn’t necessarily trigger the same response in us. Combat and fighting are not the same. In combat, there are no rules that the opposing sides have agreed to, there is no limit to how far someone can go and there is no governing body present to stop the action before it goes too far. The rules in any fighting sport are designed to make it easy for the fans to follow, but more importantly to protect the competitors. The opposite is true for combat. So, understanding that these are different realms with different objectives, the training methods can’t be the same. Naturally, there are similarities in the training and concepts shared in both contexts, but the main objectives between self defense and tactical operations are far from the same.

Sport to Combat

Hand to hand combat is trained and taught in many different ways, depending on the goals of the practitioner. For example, when training close quarter combat to military personnel, there is a strong sense of urgency to lethal force, due to the context. Training a security guard, however, in hand to hand is a little bit different, due the laws of security work and the emphasis being more on restraint tactics. When this comes to sport fighting, almost all of what you would have taught the security guard or military personnel goes out the window. Obviously lethal force is never allowed in sport and the restraint tactics of a security worker won’t necessarily be useful. The objective of sport fighting is to beat the opponent within the agreed rules of the contest. This places restrictions on both contestants. In the realm of combative violence, there are no agreed rules and the game plan changes by the second. Multiple attackers, a drawn weapon, a loved one in danger or a lethal wound are some of many examples of elements that can change the reality in a second. These are just a few reasons why someone trained in sport fighting can’t necessarily transfer their knowledge into another context. I wouldn’t recommend getting tied up on the ground working for an armbar when a second attacker could just come along and stomp your head. This doesn’t mean that sport fighting is easy in any way. In fact, it requires an entire lifestyle of training and discipline. The training methods of a professional fighter are very specific and designed for maximizing their performance under strict rules. The methods are geared specifically for this reality. Although to the casual fan this might seem like “real fighting”, this is just the result of good marketing. That being said, cage fighting is still as close to real violence as you can safely get.

Combat to Sport

Because of the chaotic nature of real life violence, professionals of this field need to be ready for anything. Literally. That, in itself, is no easy feat. Due to this requirement, many of the "starting points" of their training are similar to that of a sport fighter. They need to travel the same road and continue on, further than the fighter. Or at least in a more refined and specific direction. Combat provides many more game changers, where the sport literally remains the same in each round. For a professional to engage in a contest of fighting with restrictions, he (or she) would have to eliminate a large majority of their trained tools and sharpen a very specific few to compete. Being over prepared in a situation where someone is trying to beat you into submission is what you could call a "good problem". It's always better to know too much than too little. Especially when it comes to your survival. I would learn how to hold, load and shoot a gun with no intention of ever shooting anyone. I just need to understand how that works for defensive purposes.

Train for your life

We can't help but wonder how far we can challenge ourselves. This is why sports are such a draw for people, we need to test our mortality. Sport fighting is as far as we can safely go. We our curious about our mortality, but often terrified at the idea at the same time. For these reasons, I recommend training for everything. This way, we can assess every scenario accordingly and react appropriately. The alternative would be to risk finding yourself unprepared in a serious crisis or having been just barely ready and incapable of adapting to a paradigm shift. This will greatly enhance your training and give it real purpose. Have fun with it because you'll never run out of ways of challenging your body and mind. Being good in the ring doesn't always mean you could defend yourself against a knife, but being trained for almost any threat can definitely give you the edge in sport.

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