sparring
n. uncountablen. a type of practice fight where you use the moves of a sport like boxing without trying to hurt your partner. It helps you improve your skills in a safe way.
n. a form of training common to many combat sports, involving the practice of free-form fighting in a controlled environment. Often used metaphorically to describe a verbal or intellectual exchange of opposing views.
The boxers spent the afternoon sparring in the gym.
Before his title fight, the champion spent several weeks sparring with partners who mimicked his opponent's style.
While physical sparring is essential for developing a fighter's reflexes, the political candidates engaged in a different kind of sparring during the televised debate, testing each other's policy positions.
Often functions as a gerund noun; frequently paired with the verb 'to go' or used as a modifier in 'sparring partner'.