Motivated vs. Unsportsmanlike

[Ryo]

How do you, personally, distinguish between extremely aggressive/motivated sparring and unsportsmanlike behavior? Do you consider it to be unsportsmanlike to do your best, i.e. attack as hard as you can/as often as you can/using the moves you have learned?

How can a student distinguish his/her techniques in sparring without coming off as an obnoxious, aggressive, poor sport?

Just curious, as many students/teachers have varying opinions on this topic.

[EmptyneSs]

i only go as hard as the other person is going. if i want to turn up the heat, ill hit lighter. to just keep beating on someone constantly is counter productive i think. if someone wants to spar harder, then ill spar harder. u can spar light and still get all the benefits of sparring hard. u dont need to always take someoens head off, there are other things to work on, like speed and technique.

[medic06]

Depends. . . .

Are you sparring to win points or sparring to learn? Do you have an agreed upon level of intensity and agression? Can you leave all that aggression on the mat and remain friends afterward?

[Ryo]

Are you sparring to win points or sparring to learn? Do you have an agreed upon level of intensity and agression? Can you leave all that aggression on the mat and remain friends afterward?

Well...in my case, I and my opponent are sparring to learn. No agreed level of intensity. Can remain friends afterward.

[shirase]

I think in your case you could go any level of intensity since you and your partner want to learn, and seem to know each other well.

[koto_ryu]

i only go as hard as the other person is going. if i want to turn up the heat, ill hit lighter. to just keep beating on someone constantly is counter productive i think. if someone wants to spar harder, then ill spar harder. u can spar light and still get all the benefits of sparring hard. u dont need to always take someoens head off, there are other things to work on, like speed and technique.

Best way to go about it, Empty. There's some people in my class I'll go light with because they're not all about it, but two guys in there and I go all-out on each other, because we know we can take it and we know that good hard training is beneficial.