Energy Drills vs Full Contact

[MikeJKD]

What do you guys feel is better for generating realistic (meaning that it works when fighting, not just in a drill) trapping skill? I have always maintained that you should never just trap for the sake of trapping, but there are times in the fight that it's the very best solution to the problem at hand. I've been using a lot of energy drills, and sparring within the basic structure of them (mostly sumbrada, hubud on various angles, chi sao, lop sao, and some knife tapping) and when I can get going with another person who is very familiar with the drills, it stops looking much like a drill at all. In other words, it tends to resemble intense sparring in close range more than it does a particular drill. However, other times, I'll take a student that doesn't know much about energy drills and put a motorcycle helmet and gloves on him and tell him to take my head off. Usually, I can get some kind of interception or destruction, then add some pressure, and I find a lot of good opportunities to tie up the hands, but the techniques a noticeably different from what comes out in energy drills. My qustion is this... Have any of you found something similar in your own training, or do the energy drills mirror what you can actually apply? I think that doing the sparring out of energy drills has contributed to my ability to trap, but I am pretty confused as to why the natural motions are so different. All opinions are helpful.
Mike

[likuid]

i think it's good to train in both ways. it's just like any other sport, you don't always scrimmage...you spend alot of times doing drills.

and in a real situation, you're most likely not going to go from one trap to another for a long period of time. it will happen in bursts. for instance, the person might grab your wrist, you might bong soa lop soa, or bong soa chin nah, etc, and then go for a take down or just start fire kicks and punches. what i'm getting at, i don't think there is a specific order or way that trapping will work in a real life situation, so using a variety of training methods will probably be the best way to be ready.

whadayathink?

[MikeJKD]

Actually, the only time I'm finding compund trapping in full contact is by accident. The guy I'm blasting will generally stick both arms up and out in front of his face to keep from getting hit, and sometimes I can get through with one trap, other times, I trap and the second hand just naturally gets in the way. It's usually extremely stiff energy, and the more ballistic the trap, the better, because of the unexpectedness. Just the opposite in energy drills. The slicker and more subtle, the better. Oh, well. Just keep playin' with it I guess.

(I can't wait to see how this thread spins off now that the words "stiff," "slick," and "playing with it" have all been included in one post.)

Mike