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Your point that martial arts originally came from real, life and death experience is well taken. But wouldn't you agree that when that component is taken out, without the hard sparing needed to keep things honest, any art will tend to degenerate and fall prey to hucksters? See TKD in America for example.

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I don't buy the idea that we have to pound the crap out of each other in a ring to prove that everyone is honest about their skills.

If you want to learn anything, you definitely need to spar; but sparring is not a competition, no one is actually trying to hurt anyone. The more experienced your partner is, the harder you can go without risking injury.

TKD suffers from the same sports virus as MMA if you ask me; just a different, less violent and more exotic flavor.

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