Beginner kickboxing, light controlled sparring.

[reynolds3d]

Hi guys, I recently started kickboxing. No combat experience, only sports and a bit of martial arts.
I'm 35 and quite athletic.
The course is quite "play by ear": 20 minutes seeing a few punches with the coach and then immediately controlled sparring in pairs followed by "playing" (what it seems to me light sparring..).
All of the lessons are like this. We use guards, 10oz gloves but no headgear at all.
People are quite friendly and teach me on the go during sparring.

Just wanted to feel the vibes and hear if this is what I should expect in every gym?
Some people mentioned that you'd need heavier gloves for sparring?
Thanks!

 

[BoxerMaurits]

Hi guys, I recently started kickboxing. No combat experience, only sports and a bit of martial arts.
I'm 35 and quite athletic.
The course is quite "play by ear": 20 minutes seeing a few punches with the coach and then immediately controlled sparring in pairs followed by "playing" (what it seems to me light sparring..).
All of the lessons are like this. We use guards, 10oz gloves but no headgear at all.
People are quite friendly and teach me on the go during sparring.

Just wanted to feel the vibes and hear if this is what I should expect in every gym?
Some people mentioned that you'd need heavier gloves for sparring?
Thanks!

Yeah I recommend to use 16oz gloves (for your training partners aswell)

 

[reynolds3d]

Yeah I recommend to use 16oz gloves (for your training partners aswell)

The coach tells us to use 10oz.
And some people will pick some random gloves available in the gym if they don't have them, some lighter or heavier.
I have no reference point at all so not sure if I should be concerned or not..

 

[BoxerMaurits]

The coach tells us to use 10oz.
And some people will pick some random gloves available in the gym if they don't have them, some lighter or heavier.
I have no reference point at all so not sure if I should be concerned or not..

It’s for your own safety and health of others.
I weight 100kg for example. At my weight sparring with 10 oz gloves is irresponsible. I can hurt sparring partners by accident if they step in my punch or something. Sparring is to learn, not to hurt each other

 

[reynolds3d]

It’s for your own safety and health of others.
I weight 100kg for example. At my weight sparring with 10 oz gloves is irresponsible. I can hurt sparring partners by accident if they step in my punch or something. Sparring is to learn, not to hurt each other

I get that - I only have two options though:
1 - As a newbie tell the coach and all the students to change gloves
2 - Change gym ? It's a pity though because nobody seems to wanna hurt anybody at this stage

 

[Nova44]

I get that - I only have two options though:
1 - As a newbie tell the coach and all the students to change gloves
2 - Change gym ? It's a pity though because nobody seems to wanna hurt anybody at this stage

You'll be fine as long as you take care to hold back on your punches. When i was younger everyone at an MMA gym near me used to spar with 4oz gloves and very rarely did anyone get hurt.

Strive for placement and proper form over trying to land a hard punch and 10oz gloves will be fine.

 

[reynolds3d]

You'll be fine as long as you take care to hold back on your punches. When i was younger everyone at an MMA gym near me used to spar with 4oz gloves and very rarely did anyone get hurt.

Strive for placement and proper form over trying to land a hard punch and 10oz gloves will be fine.

Difficult for me to throw hard, I'm quite a big guy but probably the most peaceful - I'm only there to stay fit and challenge myself (not competing and certaily no intention of hurting anybody).

 

[MT5]

It sounds fairly similair to my MT gym. Although we do a little bit more technique drills and maybe have like 3-4 light sparring rounds at the end. I guess I'd worry that sparring only can lead to bad habits. But there's upsides as well.



The 10 oz glove thing is weird I agree. Have they ever explained that? But as long as it's pretty light sparring I think it's safe.



No headgear is the standard in kickboxing.

 

[reynolds3d]

It sounds fairly similair to my MT gym. Although we do a little bit more technique drills and maybe have like 3-4 light sparring rounds at the end. I guess I'd worry that sparring only can lead to bad habits. But there's upsides as well.



The 10 oz glove thing is weird I agree. Have they ever explained that? But as long as it's pretty light sparring I think it's safe.



No headgear is the standard in kickboxing.

Yeah that's what we do, a few technique drills and than sparring rounds.
I'm still in "observing and learning" mode so I have not yet asked why X, Y or Z is decided. It's a habit I developed over the years in other arts. I usually wait 2-3 months with my head down so my voice can have a bit more of relevance.

 

[Kanka]

All gloves are different, personally I'd rather get hit by a Top King 12 Oz than by a Fairtex 16 oz. I don't think the weight is nearly as important as the sparring partner.

 

[Snubnoze707]

Glove padding type certainly matters but yes 10 oz isn't a good sparring glove. Personally I wouldn't even use it for pad work either. Never owned a Boxing glove that light. I use 14oz or 16oz.

 

[Arashikage4Life]

I generally advise people to get 16 oz gloves or, if they are less than ~160 lbs, 14 oz gloves. Other added benefit is that it builds your shoulder and arm strength hitting pads and the bag with heavier gloves.

 

[Joshua King]

Pads, pads, pads, pads, pads!
Than dutch drills and sparring.

 

[Joshua King]

The warm up and padwork should have you panting by the end. You want everyone with a good sweat and initial aggression blown out before sparring imo. Forces you to rely more on speed and technique over hitting hard.

 

[DoctorTaco]

All gloves are different, personally I'd rather get hit by a Top King 12 Oz than by a Fairtex 16 oz. I don't think the weight is nearly as important as the sparring partner.

I don’t allow fairtex gloves for sparring at my gym. Great for padwork, light drilling, and bag work but you’ll make enemies in sparring real quick

 

[White lightning 2]

Just remember chin up and hands down and you will be fine