Mattias Bengtsson

Don, I actually agree with most if not all your points..

In our dojo we sometimes before or after class we do a bit of "practical applications", basically, just fooling around while waiting for everyone to arrive. in a way, it's a bit of like sparing.. Its just not part of the curriculum.

Its just that whenever I "win" its just that i get the feeling its because im stronger or bigger than my partner, and when I lose, its because my partner is stronger or bigger than me..

It makes it hard for me to evaluate the benefits of sparing when my own experience of it has yet to show me any..
Or they are there, I haven't yet discovered them..