***with that i do believe in scheduled fights. something for people to peak for. test themselves in the ring instead of in the gym, this will create more gym harmony instead of gym rivalry. i see my training partners as trainers, not opponents to knock down for a scratch on my belt. if i am catching joe schmoe because of a specific hole in his game i will help him not punch bigger holes in it.
There are sparring sessions where we hit each other pretty hard. I remember one time me and Walker were doing a ground and pound drill wearing the cage helmets. There was one hit where I felt my head spin around like in the Exorcist! I probably got a good hit in there at least one time too.
Like Malaking Katawan Guro Creighton says to us guys more than a few times, you aren't doing your partner any favors by holding back. As long as you and your partner are cool about it, you go as hard as you agree upon without it escalating to bad feelings.
We don't have a "gym rivalry", we understand that not holding back is going to make both of us better. But, Walker has never taken a cheap shot at me either. And neither have I. We have agreed upon "rules of engagement" and play as hard as possible within those rules. It's probably when one guy steps outside of those rules that trouble happens...
Plus, whenever I stick spar with Walker, I know he likes to hit me as hard as possible, so that's when I do my patented retirada/wushu move and hit his hand. He hates that!
