A controversial suggestion

[Malek]

You can do both. 

I never seriously tried to learn combat before Fauste, so I had to do a lot to learn it, especially since I needed to learn castlocks to land PoP raw.

Now, I probably don't have much reason to spar anymore besides killing time, and I've just exclusively dangered on my magical beasts. Imo it's just putting several years into this game makes you out of touch with people that haven't. 

I wish it wasn't always the case that we prefer eliminating people's knowledge of an issue rather than the issue.

At the end of the day sparring has nothing to do w the story either positively or negatively. I don't think there's much point to that angle of the discussion.