Sparring is the nucleus of any martial art, regardless of whether that art be martial, sport or reality based and regardless of the fighting style studied, neglecting to test your fighting ability through controlled sparring is much akin to learning to drive a car without ever actually getting in one. Despite the physical connotations associated with sparring, it is so much more than just punching and kicking a like minded opponent. If you look past the physical you will see that developing your ability to spar has amazing character building qualities.

Regardless of your age, size, ability or gender, sparring is a part of the martial arts that almost everyone can enjoy and with full contact, semi contact, light contact, no contact, point fighting and continuous sparring to name but a few, there’s almost certainly a type of sparring to suit everyone.

Written by an acknowledged expert, this incredibly detailed book contains nearly 600 full-colour photographs demonstrating warm up drills, conditioning techniques and stretching methods as well as detailing defensive, counter evasive and sparring techniques. The unique drills contained within this book allow you to train either on your own or with a training partner and, as it is written in a very easy to comprehend and simple to follow format, can be enjoyed by almost anyone regardless of age.

This book is a no nonsense, simple to follow, straight talking training guide and is an ideal aid for anyone just starting out in their chosen art or as a reference manual for the more experienced martial artist.