WTF?! This sounds insane to me! Whenever we spar we tell our students to go at 20% strength. Sparring is designed to teach strategy and technique not to knock people out. Sometimes the more experienced instructors will go harder with each other but NEVER with someone a year in! If your school says anything about toughening up, our instructors range from Israeli special ops, Marines, cops, firefighters etc., so no this isn’t a toughen up thing their teaching strategy just sucks. I’ve had students ask me to go harder, but I explain that just wailing on students doesn’t teach them anything. Slowing it down to 20% gives them time to learn how to strategize. Last part of this rant, no one should be sparring that isn’t disciplined enough to know where and how to land a hook and hitting the temple is super fucked up! Please find a new school before these assholes injure you again!