first time sparring

[Hannya]

Did my first 3 rounds of sparring this saturday and everything I was critiqued on during bag work came back and bit me in the ***. For starters I didn't move much at all and basically ate every punch that was thrown. After the first round of this I covered up almost imediatly after the first punch hitting knowing the other combo punches were gonna follow it. I was the aggressor most of the fight until I walked into a straight right, it was wierd like my mind was going thru trial and error for what worked and if something failed I wouldnt try it again if it I had the perfect opening. That and I closed my eyes when I was hit, I don't know why I do it but I do, so I basically had to wait for him to back up to get back in the fight.

This was a boxing match, theres only one other MT guy at my gym so I'm limited to what I can do which is prolly why close up fighting is frusterating to me. I'd love to just go for the clinch and start throwing the knees Even though I got whooped I can't wait to get back in there and fix what I did wrong, and try some new strats.

I'm curious how you guys did in your first sparring match and if you reacted the way you thought you would?

P.S. Do you still do what the coach says even when the other guy can clearly hear you? Toward the end of the last round the other guy was visibly tired and I was told to go for the body, I figured he was just waiting for the body shots so he could counter so I went for the head

 

[MRE]

I vividly remember my first time sparring. I spent three weeks training before getting in the ring with anyone else. One week of which was dedicated primarily to footwork. The next couple of weeks was spent on the heavy bag and punch mitts. I diligently did everything my coach said, moving my body and head well and throwing a minimum of three punches on each attack. Then I went into the ring, the adrenaline started flowing, and all of the training went out the window. I turned into a caveman with no control. There was no trace of defensive movement and I only threw one punch at a time thinking I could end the fight with each bomb. Needless to say, I didn't do anything the coach asked me to do and I got schooled.

I eventually learned to keep my head in the match and managed to win a bunch of bouts. But, I will always remember the whooping I got from my first sparring session.

 

[isukgrar]

For me, It was very much similar to MRE situation. My first sparring was a crap. I can not control anything. I was punched again and again, what the best I can do is to keep hand guard up while being punched, that's all.

But this will be better when you can control your mind, most of new boxer will lose confidence and mind immediately first time they were attacked then disasters come. Do not be too serious what you are told to do during the fight because strategies can be changed second by second only you can control your performance. Unlike football that coach will become famous if the team success, for MT,only individual figther will get fame and rewards no coach here become famous because of the trainees performance.

 

[King]

Awesome story, I think everybody falls in the same boat when it comes to first experiencing sparring. The only difference is if your opponent is nice, or not so nice.

For me the realization came when the opponent moved away from my punches and kicks. I was like "hey the pads didn't move away..." so then I had to chase my opponent around and I kept missing or got parried. For that first session I did not land a single punch or kick no matter how hard I tried. For the other guy it was like shooting fish in a barrel - I had no guard, my punches/kicks were slow and my eyes were closed most of the time (habits that I have already fixed... I think.). lol

 

[Hannya]

Wow didnt expect the stories to be all similair guess I might actually make it in this sport afterall. I'm curious how you fixed the closed eyes thing, maybe if I moved around more instead of bracing for the impact of the punch I might keep em open gonna have to try it out next few days. Thanks for sharing the stories guys, glad I'm not alone with first time sparring experiences

 

[Odin]

Wow didnt expect the stories to be all similair guess I might actually make it in this sport afterall. I'm curious how you fixed the closed eyes thing, maybe if I moved around more instead of bracing for the impact of the punch I might keep em open gonna have to try it out next few days. Thanks for sharing the stories guys, glad I'm not alone with first time sparring experiences

you fix the close eye thing with time bro,i was like that when i first started.
as time goes by your body gets used to fists and shins flying at you face!

 

[King]

Wow didnt expect the stories to be all similair guess I might actually make it in this sport afterall. I'm curious how you fixed the closed eyes thing, maybe if I moved around more instead of bracing for the impact of the punch I might keep em open gonna have to try it out next few days. Thanks for sharing the stories guys, glad I'm not alone with first time sparring experiences

Well what helped me the most was keeping my chin tucked in (preventing clean shots to the jaw). I notice that if you are looking up towards your opponent it's easier to keep your eyes open. In this position your forehead is the most exposed part of your face (which is the strongest part of your head anyway).

On a side note don't neglect neck exercises. Having a strong neck helps reduce/cushion the impacts of head shots. Helps increase your clinching endurance as well.

 

[Giorgio]

wow, i was pretty much the opposite... i was still massively crap, closing my eyes and everything, but i didn't look for the big punches. Instead, I'd go for powerpuff combos involving lots of punches but with no real power behind them. I tried spinning back kicks too, with hilarious falling-down-related results. But yeh, i think that was mostly due to my fear of getting in close and taking slugs to the face. Once you stop being afraid of punches, everything becomes MUCH easier