Dealing with rangy fighter

[BodybagJohnny**]

Looking for some sparring tips against a specific type of fighter.

Me: Middle aged. Stocky wrestler build. Better hands than kicks. Mostly a pressure fighter. Comfortable switching stances.

Opponent: Younger, quicker, taller. Southpaw who stays at range and picks at me constantly, then scoots away when I try to counter. Lots of kicks to my open side, mostly to the torso and head.

This guy drives me nuts. I'm heavier and much more powerful, but I can't use that as a weapon to discourage him because we are going light.

He's very elusive, but sometimes not a great partner because he runs away from me out in open mat space where I can't corner him, sometimes even turning his back. In a ring or cage I'd be able to cut him off better

But what's really giving me fits is the kicks to the body. I can't check them obviously. He's very good at hitting me a few times with them then going to the head. He has a really nice question mark kick that fools me too.

Should I focus on catching the body kicks or trying to time them and close distance when he throws?

Any suggestions would be appreciated

 

[werkdahgastankfools]

Video, video, video.

 

[aerius]

But what's really giving me fits is the kicks to the body. I can't check them obviously. He's very good at hitting me a few times with them then going to the head. He has a really nice question mark kick that fools me too.

Checking body kicks is similar to checking low kicks, you just need to raise your blocking leg higher.

As for general ideas, flip the script and make him chase you, then step in and hit him. Most tall guys are used to using their reach to keep their opponents on the outside along with having opponents always going at them and trying to close the distance and get on the inside. Things get weird if their opponents sit back and/or back away and force them to go forward and chase, generally, they're not nearly as good at doing that as playing their usual game.

 

[Prologue]

 

[j123]

Any suggestions would be appreciated

Hit him

 

[BodybagJohnny**]

Hit him

Dunno. Seems unkind.

 

[j123]

Dunno. Seems unkind.

o tru.
Just be homies instead

 

[sweetviolenturg]

Looking for some sparring tips against a specific type of fighter.

Me: Middle aged. Stocky wrestler build. Better hands than kicks. Mostly a pressure fighter. Comfortable switching stances.

Opponent: Younger, quicker, taller. Southpaw who stays at range and picks at me constantly, then scoots away when I try to counter. Lots of kicks to my open side, mostly to the torso and head.

This guy drives me nuts. I'm heavier and much more powerful, but I can't use that as a weapon to discourage him because we are going light.

He's very elusive, but sometimes not a great partner because he runs away from me out in open mat space where I can't corner him, sometimes even turning his back. In a ring or cage I'd be able to cut him off better

But what's really giving me fits is the kicks to the body. I can't check them obviously. He's very good at hitting me a few times with them then going to the head. He has a really nice question mark kick that fools me too.

Should I focus on catching the body kicks or trying to time them and close distance when he throws?

Any suggestions would be appreciated

Pressure him non-stop & cut off the ring while doing as much damage to his body as possible so hopefully, you can get on the inside, rough him up & land your shots. Simple right?

Honestly, your best bet is to bring a ball bat into the ring & beat him to death so he can't sire any more of his kind. Because tall, rangy southpaws are a scourge upon the earth. <45>

Can you tell that I hated fighting that type of fighter yet? I won my first bout against a guy by the name of Cassanova Brown by coming out fast & hurting him early with a right hand. And the referee stopped the fight. That was my only win over a southpaw. The next five times I fought one I lost. Including two to Cass Brown the second & third time we fought. Including in the semi-finals of the Buffalo golden gloves.

So, yeah, I'm a wee bit bitter about southpaws. LOL.

My advice based on your body type & age is to stop looking to beat this kid because it's likely never going to happen. So, just learn what you can from him & move on to the next sparring partner.

 

[JohnPJones]

Guard up and simply push forward until he walks himself into the ropes/cage/corner.
If he tries striking as he retreats toss a quick counter here and there just to make sure he’s respecting those hands

 

[BodybagJohnny**]

Pressure him non-stop & cut off the ring while doing as much damage to his body as possible so hopefully, you can get on the inside, rough him up & land your shots. Simple right?

Honestly, your best bet is to bring a ball bat into the ring & beat him to death so he can't sire any more of his kind. Because tall, rangy southpaws are a scourge upon the earth. <45>

Can you tell that I hated fighting that type of fighter yet? I won my first bout against a guy by the name of Cassanova Brown by coming out fast & hurting him early with a right hand. And the referee stopped the fight. That was my only win over a southpaw. The next five times I fought one I lost. Including two to Cass Brown the second & third time we fought. Including in the semi-finals of the Buffalo golden gloves.

So, yeah, I'm a wee bit bitter about southpaws. LOL.

My advice based on your body type & age is to stop looking to beat this kid because it's likely never going to happen. So, just learn what you can from him & move on to the next sparring partner.

I'm not so much focused on beating the guy as I am touching him a little more. The only advantage I have is my power, and I can't use it because we're supposed to be sparring light. And I outweigh him by probably 30-40 pounds.

That is one frustrating thing about the lighter, quicker guys. If I could throw heat, I could neutralize them better. This week I had a very good amateur MMA guy at peak pre-fight conditioning decide to light me up for a round. He's small, so his punches weren't gonna kill me, but... well, they're still punches. I threw a few hard counters at him just to keep him off me--not 100% but enough to get his attention.

Afterwards he complimented me and said I cracked him good a few times. I told him I try not to throw too hard in sparring, but at a certain point I have to defend myself when I'm getting tuned up.

 

[sweetviolenturg]

I'm not so much focused on beating the guy as I am touching him a little more. The only advantage I have is my power, and I can't use it because we're supposed to be sparring light. And I outweigh him by probably 30-40 pounds.

That is one frustrating thing about the lighter, quicker guys. If I could throw heat, I could neutralize them better. This week I had a very good amateur MMA guy at peak pre-fight conditioning decide to light me up for a round. He's small, so his punches weren't gonna kill me, but... well, they're still punches. I threw a few hard counters at him just to keep him off me--not 100% but enough to get his attention.

Afterwards he complimented me and said I cracked him good a few times. I told him I try not to throw too hard in sparring, but at a certain point I have to defend myself when I'm getting tuned up.

I've got to ask, is there an end goal to all this sparring or are you training as part of a class structure?

And what do you mean by calling yourself "middle-aged"?

 

[BodybagJohnny**]

I've got to ask, is there an end goal to all this sparring or are you training as part of a class structure?

And what do you mean by calling yourself "middle-aged"?

Sparring is part of a class structure plus we have a designated sparring day. Most of the guys are in their 20's and early 30's. I'm the old guy. Don't want to say exactly how old, just because I'm weird about identifying myself. Let's just say between 40-50.

I can hang with the younger guys for the most part. I train regularly and have good cardio--not fight ready, but enough to spar and not gas out from it. I'm a good athlete and still relatively quick. I tend to surprise people.

I'm looking to compete in master's division amateur boxing just for the hell of it and to have a goal that keeps me motivated.

I don't think you can really improve without some sparring. They do more of it at the gym than is my preference, particularly at my age. I sometimes just work at home where I have a gym and heavy bag in order to avoid putting too many sparring rounds in a week.

So, long story short is I don't mind some sparring and tend to enjoy it so long as I have good partners, but I wish my coach would reduce it somewhat. Every once in awhile, I go hard when someone's being a dipshit and can't control himself, but that's definitely not the norm.

 

[sweetviolenturg]

Sparring is part of a class structure plus we have a designated sparring day. Most of the guys are in their 20's and early 30's. I'm the old guy. Don't want to say exactly how old, just because I'm weird about identifying myself. Let's just say between 40-50.

I can hang with the younger guys for the most part. I train regularly and have good cardio--not fight ready, but enough to spar and not gas out from it. I'm a good athlete and still relatively quick. I tend to surprise people.

I'm looking to compete in master's division amateur boxing just for the hell of it and to have a goal that keeps me motivated.

I don't think you can really improve without some sparring. They do more of it at the gym than is my preference, particularly at my age. I sometimes just work at home where I have a gym and heavy bag in order to avoid putting too many sparring rounds in a week.

So, long story short is I don't mind some sparring and tend to enjoy it so long as I have good partners, but I wish my coach would reduce it somewhat. Every once in awhile, I go hard when someone's being a dipshit and can't control himself, but that's definitely not the norm.

Well, that's cool that you have a goal to work toward & aren't just taking lumps for the hell of it. And I like that you're only sparring a couple of times a week. There's no need to burn yourself out or take too much punishment at this stage of the game. Even light sparring adds up after a while.

Myself, I stopped sparring altogether once I hit 38. But I'd had a long career in the ring & between the shots I soaked up in my fights & all the punishment I took as a sparring partner for fighters like Aaron Pryor, Hector Camacho, Simon Brown, Matt Hilton, Ray Leonard & others I knew it was time to quit for good. Besides, I also had a lot of training injuries that I accumulated over the years & my neck began bothering me. My cervical spine was trashed from using it as a shock absorber for so long & I've had to have it surgically rebuilt twice. The last time was just a month ago.

So, treat your body well, bro. You're training for a master's competition which while it's still serious business isn't a world championship fight. So, there's no need to train like it's one. Know your limitations & train smart.

Good luck & peace.

 

[BodybagJohnny**]

Well, that's cool that you have a goal to work toward & aren't just taking lumps for the hell of it. And I like that you're only sparring a couple of times a week. There's no need to burn yourself out or take too much punishment at this stage of the game. Even light sparring adds up after a while.

Myself, I stopped sparring altogether once I hit 38. But I'd had a long career in the ring & between the shots I soaked up in my fights & all the punishment I took as a sparring partner for fighters like Aaron Pryor, Hector Camacho, Simon Brown, Matt Hilton, Ray Leonard & others I knew it was time to quit for good. Besides, I also had a lot of training injuries that I accumulated over the years & my neck began bothering me. My cervical spine was trashed from using it as a shock absorber for so long & I've had to have it surgically rebuilt twice. The last time was just a month ago.

So, treat your body well, bro. You're training for a master's competition which while it's still serious business isn't a world championship fight. So, there's no need to train like it's one. Know your limitations & train smart.

Good luck & peace.

I really appreciate the kind words. I am aware of health concerns and my limitations. Being able to train at my age is a real blessing. Both of my kids are into martial arts, so it's a lifestyle thing for us.

Training not only keeps me fit, but also heightens my appreciation for MMA. I just love the sport and have been following it since its inception. I love being around it and being around fighters. The more I learn, the more fun it is to watch people who can do it at a high level.

Life is about tradeoffs. I'm sure you understand that. Some people think I'm nuts for making this a hobby at my age. But I'd rather do this than be a fat couch potato.

You sound like you had a pretty great career. Training with those kind of boxers must have been amazing.

I always tell my kids how lucky they are. They've been coached and trained by UFC fighters. When I was their age I was learning Judo from a fat, 50--year-old black belt at the YMCA.

 

[sweetviolenturg]

I really appreciate the kind words. I am aware of health concerns and my limitations. Being able to train at my age is a real blessing. Both of my kids are into martial arts, so it's a lifestyle thing for us.

Training not only keeps me fit, but also heightens my appreciation for MMA. I just love the sport and have been following it since its inception. I love being around it and being around fighters. The more I learn, the more fun it is to watch people who can do it at a high level.

Life is about tradeoffs. I'm sure you understand that. Some people think I'm nuts for making this a hobby at my age. But I'd rather do this than be a fat couch potato.

You sound like you had a pretty great career. Training with those kind of boxers must have been amazing.

I always tell my kids how lucky they are. They've been coached and trained by UFC fighters. When I was their age I was learning Judo from a fat, 50--year-old black belt at the YMCA.

Thanks, bro. And yeah, I was blessed as well by being just good enough & tough enough of a fighter to get paid for getting beat up by men like them. LOL.

Have a good night & by all means don't be a stranger. Keep us posted on your progress toward the masters.

 

[calexus]

I'm not sure there can be any quick fixes to this situation... the fact he runs and turns his back is a bit of a joke and I think you should stop sparring him personally. He's not going to learn anything and just wants to use his offense on you, and his back turning will end up getting him in big trouble. I wonder what you want to get out of this and how much it means to you, because you'll have to come up with some strategies and drill them lots, improve your mechanics etc... Seems like he's the kind of guy who you just have to end with one big shot (thinking overhand for your situation obviously), and as you said you have no interest in that.

Maybe you can find a way to kick his lead leg

 

[lakamas]

you need to close the distance and attack, don't stop attacking and disrupt his striking otherwise he can put you on his range again, body kicks you just check them with elbows no need to think about it unless you're untrained, what does boxing has to do with kicks?

 

[Poatan Power]

1. Sparring in a cage or ring if it exists?
2. Flip the script and make him come to you?
3. Catch kicks. Most people are really uncomfortable on one foot like that and it may slow him down.
4. I'm out of thoughts without video

 

[Poatan Power]

I thought about this some more.

Why not just talk to him about it?

Honestly, he's doing himself a disservice by sparring this way. While he can get away with it going light, in a competition he will get lit up by someone with a shorter stature and a lot of power if he never trains standing in the pocket. He's going to be disoriented if he gets trapped in a corner and gets touched up by someone with good power and he hasn't been practicing escapes/circling from those situations. Not saying he should intentionally stay in your range and get beat up, but he needs reps on the inside, too, even for escape purposes, clinching, etc.

I'd chat him up and say you're frustrated you can't get on the inside and bring up you'd like to do some "situational" sparring, a la fighting in/out of a corner, etc. so you can get some reps in and he can, too.

 

[MT5]

Speaking as a short chunky mid Forties guy who started boxing at 40 and MT at 42.
1. You can check some of those body kicks. Work on high knees and flexibility.
2. I'm not quite sure if your doing kickboxing or MT or MMA but if MT work some clinch stuff. Also catching the kick for a sweep.
3. Personally I like setting up hands with kicks. Can usually get those hands in before he runs away. A switch kick to set up the cross is my favorite.