i've been doing Muay Thai for about 4 or 5 months and by now feel reasonably comfortable sparring. Just added a boxing class at the same gym a couple of weeks ago and man do I feel overmatched in sparring in that class. Last night I sparred with the instructor at the end bc he wanted to go against a tall guy. Man did I get tagged. I guess the upside is that's about as bad as its gonna get hopefully. I felt myself getting pissed more out of frustration of knowing I was gonna get hit and there wasn't a damned thing I could do about it, than the instructor tagging me. I knew if I blocked or slipped the punch, I was gonna catch something right after that. Is there some point in boxing when stuff starts to click?
Boxing Sparring
- Thread starter Txlandman
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2005
- Messages
- 11,130
- Reaction score
- 190
Of course, but it's not going to happen by itself. It's not even going to happen by having it explained to you. You have to search for it, think about it, try it, search more, repeat. It's amazing how many people will pay with their time and money to try to learn how to fight but expect it to happen primarily by osmosis. Logging in the hours wont just do it over time like people want to think.
You don't become a brilliant strategist by merely starting/having wars. Only the worst go in like that, and they don't last long. The 2nd worst, are the way the majority of people are. They go in, they expect it to be all told/given to them from their single paid source/coac (no coach has the time to tell you everything, fix all your personal weaknesses FOR you, or specialize in expert advice from every angle), and they only think about it when it class, if at all. They never go beyond what they're told, they never explore or ponder or search in their down/free time. And they become mediocre at best (or often worse than mediocre) like the 95% of everyone else.
I'm not stating that you specifically are like that, but just people in general. And then they wonder why they're not hot sh*t like they expected to be. You gotta collect the pieces and put them together yourself. The coach can teach, but he can't think/learn for you.
- Joined
- May 17, 2013
- Messages
- 1,847
- Reaction score
- 1
The above poster isn't wrong aside from being wrong in not giving you pointers.
Drills, mittwork, sparring people on your level and some sparring with people above your level will do it. If the sparring is more often than not hard sparring as opposed to "technical" sparring it might not be a good gym for beginners at all.
Remember that there's initation of a strike/combo(s) and there's counters, as well as counters to counters and counters to those counters of counters, etc. etc.
Don't be afraid to MIX IT UP in the pocket, try not to exchange and instead mix it up when engaging in the pocket.
Straight punches/strikes and uppercuts are usually the fastest strikes of any boxer/striker.
Drills, mittwork, sparring people on your level and some sparring with people above your level will do it. If the sparring is more often than not hard sparring as opposed to "technical" sparring it might not be a good gym for beginners at all.
Remember that there's initation of a strike/combo(s) and there's counters, as well as counters to counters and counters to those counters of counters, etc. etc.
Don't be afraid to MIX IT UP in the pocket, try not to exchange and instead mix it up when engaging in the pocket.
Straight punches/strikes and uppercuts are usually the fastest strikes of any boxer/striker.
I know people devote years and sacrifice to reach these high levels. I don't expect to be a badass, I just get discouraged after I have a night like the bug hit by the windshield. I like hitting the mitts, like learning the footwork, combos etc. it's more the process and training I'm enjoying, the sparring has felt like I'm the fat kid in the dodge ball game.
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2014
- Messages
- 576
- Reaction score
- 278
You probably would of been more disserpointed if your coach didn't light you up.
Imagine if you felt comfortable with him on your first lesson, you would probably feel he doesn't have much to offer.
I always think it's great to have people around you that inspire you when training, boxing is completely different to Muay Thai but you'll get use to it.
Good luck with your training
Imagine if you felt comfortable with him on your first lesson, you would probably feel he doesn't have much to offer.
I always think it's great to have people around you that inspire you when training, boxing is completely different to Muay Thai but you'll get use to it.
Good luck with your training
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2005
- Messages
- 11,130
- Reaction score
- 190
That's the thing, though. You can learn quickly (quicker than everyone else) and take the fastlane if you just do it smartly. But you must be honest in evaluating yourself and patient with adding small but steady increments of improvement, and then there are moments where you can make giant leaps without putting in massive time or misery. It's not all about pure TIME itself, it's not like lifting weights (which actually IS like that). The nice thing is that you can skip very large plateaus that everyone else goes through if you just train more honestly than them. What are these things? I'll tell you (since no one else will)
1. Proper Technique/precise movement - no one focuses on improving/perfecting their technique early on. They figure "I've got a pretty ok punch, and it will get better with repetition/time." Instead of thinking like that, study what you are doing wrong and try to correct it. Ask what you're doing wrong (no coach will tell you in depth unless you ask). Fix it. Try it some more, fix it some more, make it more efficient (work better with less effort). Ask more. Go slow when learning technique, make sure your brain really grasps it. Don't just shadowbox as fast as you can like everyone else- they'll spend years and never get much faster or more fluid because they are forcing it too hard, staying coarse.
2. Footwork - almost nobody asks about this. Or works on it early (or ever!). Hmmmmm
3. Positioning/angles - same. Find out what you can, not just from your coach
4. Tactical Understanding (related to positioning angles). You can read all about this. Champion boxers/trainers love to talk about this stuff in their books and even in interviews online. Seek it, play with it, etc.
I'm always amazed how many people at the gym, even fighters don't take advantage of this, having it out there for cheap or free.
There you go. No one wants to constantly learn about, tweak and improve the fundamentals early on, and even later on they don't spend nearly enough focus on it, so they waste their time (years) not getting better (maybe healthier, like boxercise). Most people are concerned with feeling/acting "powerful", like a badass, or flashy/showoffy. That stuff just holds them back and makes them suck all the more at sparring/fighting. Clean, fluid, technique (good execution) along with tactical understanding ruins everything else.
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2015
- Messages
- 2,404
- Reaction score
- 147
Iyou don't want to get taged and there is an easy way to so it.
Just look at the pros, klitckjo etc.
If you are tall I presume you are is decent lengt then just take a sideway stance and extend your arm and keep th perfect distance all the time and react at every movement, opponent steps forward you step back, circle etc. Bob and weave, slip...well to me that is what I would call ' the danger zone' and you should avoid it at all costs, dam it if you are tall then make the coach regret wanting to 'roll' with a tall guy.
And be careful saperimg to hard is stupid.
Just look at the pros, klitckjo etc.
If you are tall I presume you are is decent lengt then just take a sideway stance and extend your arm and keep th perfect distance all the time and react at every movement, opponent steps forward you step back, circle etc. Bob and weave, slip...well to me that is what I would call ' the danger zone' and you should avoid it at all costs, dam it if you are tall then make the coach regret wanting to 'roll' with a tall guy.
And be careful saperimg to hard is stupid.
Yeah at the end of the class, I asked the coach why my jab was just always a little short. He told me to work on not telegraphing it and to improve my movement. Knew my footwork needs work but I didn't know I was telegraphing. Plan to do some mirror work to fix that. I don't mind working on footwork bc when I'm told that boxing is mostly about footwork I believe it. I think the class has a good mix of mostly beginner, several intermediate and maybe one or two guys who are really advanced. I'm still doing Muay Thai as well and I'm seeing some of that training click--like when someone telegraphs a kick with their rear leg, I usually jab them with a teep and knock them off balance without even thinking about it. And slipping jabs in boxing has come really naturally to me. Thanks for all the suggestions.
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2014
- Messages
- 1,075
- Reaction score
- 4
You are sparring with emotion, you said you were getting frustrated etc.
One of the first things we were taught was to loose all ego and never to fight with emotion, this take a load to get used to because when you get tagged you want to hit the opponent back.
once you start to treat every spar like a game your technique will start to come through naturally.
Also you were sparring your instructor, so don't be too down on yourself.
One of the first things we were taught was to loose all ego and never to fight with emotion, this take a load to get used to because when you get tagged you want to hit the opponent back.
once you start to treat every spar like a game your technique will start to come through naturally.
Also you were sparring your instructor, so don't be too down on yourself.
Yeah I got over it. I can see improvement week to week and that's all I care about.
Well that definitely was a intense sparring experience. There was a different level quickness to my instructors hands than everyone else's. But I look back now and know I did the best I could and I kept throwing punches. Little marginal improvements day after day are what I strive for.
- Joined
- May 17, 2013
- Messages
- 1,847
- Reaction score
- 1
Fuck yeah, that's the right attitude to have! Stay dedicated, never lose it, keep your focus. You stay true to yourself and your teachings as well as your research, and you'll be one of the top guys in that gym before you know it, and one day the top.
That's how I did it at every gym I've been at, and I'm just a regular guy.
If you approach martial arts right, even before achieving mastery you will notice it improves you in all areas if you really immerse yourself. Being tactical means you will become/be more cunning, quickwitted, and can make good decisions and come up with good solutions for problems faster and easier. You'll even fuck better, or at the very least last longer.
So in the gym you'll notice you'll become more flowy, and maybe not even necessarily easier to time if not harder to time, because you'll become familiar with how to have "broken" or rather "unorthodox" rhythm and not telegraph anything. You'll start finding engaging in the pocket and getting in and out of the pocket comes easier, finding your angles, being aware of foot placement, noticing all power is in the pivots: from the balls of your feet, through your knees, to the hips (most important), up through your core and shoulders, through your traps, and into the levers/pistons that are your arms and fists. That's power optimized by synchronisation. It all comes together, bit by bit from the ground up by staying devoted. Practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice does.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2015
- Messages
- 2,404
- Reaction score
- 147
I think I ask this to every person I meet(when talking about boxing), "do you watch boxing" and I have never meet anyone that does even I the gym, And I get it, its hard to follow and a bizzillion organizations and shitty fights. But there is a science to it and there are those who masters 'that sweet science' mayweather, klitcko, and now Tyson fury, and to an extent Mohammed Ali and mike Tyson where pioneers of a their style. Think of it like role playing, there is a time to be each one of them. Once you feel safe or that the training isn't adding anything to your style don't be afraid to clown around and try new things, change stances, break of in the middle of a round and just clown have your opponent thinking 'what is this sucker doing' but before they get to you spring back into action, try to look like mayweather, unorthodox movements, throw the one 1-2 like klitcko, step back, if pressured become maywather, break the distance become Mohammed Ali, get in close become Tyson, and try to stay in whateve role is best for you as well as worst for your opponent
