Compliant and Non-compliant training

There has been a lot of discussion of what compliant and non-compliant training is on several forums. Basically it is this.... there is training with cooperation where you might be teaching something and the other person is a partner, there is no threat of injury and you are both cooperating to achieve a goal or understanding of a technique. Then there is non-compliant training where you test your objective and technique vs. a resisting opponent who in turn is allowed to use techniques against you. The issue arouse because there are way to many Youtube clips of teachers able to demonstrate techniques on the following types: a man teacher able to easily apply a technique on a girl, a teacher easily defeating his student, and many other suspect clips that claim to be showing some devestating martial arts demonstrations starring friends.

Here are some samples of my own compliant and non-compliant training in push hands and sparring:
Straight up sparring: here I visit a school's open sparring night (these are not my students) and I spar non-compliantly with group at a medium pace. Nobody is out to "kill" each other and I even take some good hits. There are at least a half dozen schools that have open sparring. This school was nice enough to allow video taping of sparring. Video taping of sparring is an excellent way to evaluate yourself in what good and bad things you are doing.


Non-compliant push hands- we are testing each other. One of several park groups in the DC area that has push hands gatherings. David was nice enough to allow some video taping (circa 2007):

Non-compliant push hands



I have done many sport competition fights from the years 1996 to about 2009. You can't get any more of a non-compliant person than someone wanting to win, especially with it legal to try to knock you out. In all, I did around 7 or 8 full contact sport fights,record (4 wins, 2 loses, 1 draw). Defended myself in a few street altercations as well. I did about a total of 8 push hands matches in various national competitions (U.S. Koushu, USAWKF, AToC). Each event full contact and push hands were challenging, but on amateur level. I was never a full time instructor with a school who fought, I was a I.T. guy with a passion in martial arts. I am pretty disappointed in many of the full time martial arts instructors out there who never had the guts to try their hand at full contact fighting. I was lucky enough to get these two fights on video from an opponent and promoter.
Lei Tai raised platform fight- lost by points. 1:30 timed rounds.

San Da fight in Ring- Draw. 3 x 2minute rounds.




here is another compliant Taiji chen push hands drill- reviewing the pattern used in Chen Taijiquan. It is compliant and co-operative, in no point is there a challenge or need to "defend"


another example of compliant training where we are reviewing some of the push hands techniques and patterns to understand the nature of the lesson and exercise.


Here is an example of a drill going from cooperative to free play. here I am showing the structure of a drill and how it can become "freeplay"


Da Lu compliant training- working the pattern with a partner, no need to shove and push and try to overbear the partner since that is not the goal here.


Complaint takedown training, a training in technique and how it works, not in a resisting scenario but to understand mechanics.


Sparring non-compliantly with a resisting opponent where it is 'fair game' to hit anywhere. These are not students but open sparring with boxers, muay thai, kung fu, and MMA athletes.



Taiji technique research takedowns and techniques

This is a video with a friend visiting whom i met from a forum and we are doing a free play using Baguazhang and Taijiquan Tui shou and Rou shou techniques. Here we test each other various techniques:


In the same light here is a co-operative (compliant) workout using a specific form of Baguazhang, a pattern and two person technique training drill.