I've been doing Muay thai a couple times a week for a little over half a year now. I just started sparring yesterday and i got my ass kicked. The first guy I sparred with was one of the instructors there. He is a professional with a fight coming up in a couple weeks. I could barely hit him without sustaining some kind of vicious counter and i was really pathetic with my defense. I found it incredibly difficult to defend such a wide range of attacks. I kept flinching and never seemed ready. I almost got my head taken off a few times.
Anyway I kind of felt like the instructor called me out a little bit. He came right up to me and asked if i wanted to go. Then he really didnt seem to go easy. The next couple guys I sparred with were much more experienced than I was and much bigger. I'm a small guy at 5'8 120 lbs and i boxed a guy that was like 6'3 and 6'1 or so. I still had a horrible time defending against them. I did finally kick this one kids ass who was about my size. He was not much of an athlete though so i didn't feel very proud of myself.
This troubles me a little bit. I could of sworn i was doing well. The two tall guys that kicked my ass I thought weren't very good. In drills I always thought I was way faster, hit way harder for my size and had way better technique. It seems though once you start sparring its a completely different world. I'm not used to getting hit. I flinch up a lot when shit is coming at me. I'm not trying to be the best muay thai figher or really go anywhere with it so I'm gonna keep doing it but Am I fucked as far as sparring goes? I found this to be kind of a humbling experience.
I allways thought than no martail art can b taught to b used in self defence effectivly wo sparring being involved. Even moreso I allways held the belief that sparring, should b very common and well established part of the martial art being trained.
This comes to me as a practitioner of judo and wrestling. Now as to you and mui tai, i am a bit suprised they made u wait a year and a half before sparring, but i dont know how the sport is taught so that may b normal but i doyubt it.
As for your experinec, its very common and the onyl iregularity in it is that it took you a year and a half before feeling it.
For me in Judo, i was going full speed as soon as i learned to brakefall properly (3 or 4 weeks).
As for wrestling it was 5 or 6 weeks before the coaches allowed for us to go live.
But, I felt the exact same way as you and Im a big dude, getting served by folks considerably smaller than myself.
In wrestling it took near the whole season (bout 3.5 months) b4 i felt i ever bettered anyone.
In Judo? Took more like 6 or 7 months.
My advice?
Buck up, ur supposed to b getting ur ass kicked early on but do some research. Find some other acadamys, maybe visit them, and observe their training regimens. I doubt any Mui Tai academy that put together teams or competitors allow their students too long b4 making them spar,.
Oh, and if ur school doesnt put out fighters into open competition but just has a few that they train personally who do compete.
Find a better school.