How to control yourself in sparring?

[Replay19]

I basically sparred against a friend today which was supposed to be LIGHT SPARRING but on the 4th round, I accidentally hit too hard. Sometimes I can't control my own hits and I hit him hard on the eye, and on the nose which made him bleed. It was totally and accident and I didn't mean to, it happens subconsciously and I want to tone it down since we are supposed to go lightly. The problem is that I'm a rookie, I'm sort of wild and all over the place, and he is a little more skilled and can control his level, he could've smacked me around hard too but he held back. I, on the other hand, at times hit hard on accident.

You guys have any tips for toning down in sparring so that it is more like a learning/training type of sparring rather than hitting hard?

The man himself said to go lighter, slower, and work "with" the sparring buddy rather than trying to speed up, deceive the opponent, and pack the power punches.

 

[abgmma]

There are many reason for this.
Maybe you are getting owned in sparring or maybe you are scared .
You should relax a little and a clean even if its weak punch to his face will make him think twice

 

[j123]

You can hit fast without hitting hard, don't slow down your strikes.

Also, sometimes they jump in and end up eating a counter, its going to hurt more even if you're going at 30-50% power

Look at sparring as a place where you will test what you've been drilling all week (techniques, tactics, setups, etc), even if you end up "losing", as long as you've hit your session quota for the day.
Eg. you're working on setting up takedowns with: [1,2,3, single/double], and you're planning to land it 3-5 times in a round, and when you do pull it off, its a successful session.
Once in awhile its okay to spar to "win", but keep that to maybe once every 2-4 weeks.

Thats my take

 

[Primitivo]

Just aim to hit without ill intent.

 

[Albe]

Most rookies get very scared in the ring and end up throwing wild shots whenever they feel pressured.

Keep in mind that the other guy isnt trying to kill you. Focus on form and intelligent combos, and not on beating the other guy up. Its very normal to be wild and to react viollently when pressured, but be careful not to hurt the other guy.

I usually warn rookies to go lighter before I match their intensity. Some guys only pace themselves after a few hard shots.

 

[Paradigm]

Not a good habit in a fight but I tend to spar with my hands slightly open if I'm trying to go lighter. Takes some pop off the punches.

The main thing is staying calm while sparring...which only comes with experience and practice.

 

[BeeCee]

I think you need to try and focus on putting combos together instead of throwing haymakers and really try and make your punches more fluid rather than sheer power

 

[MuayThaiDude]

I will echo paradigm, I tend to leave my hands a little open in the glove when hitting to the head. That tight fist you make at the end of the strike is what adds the concussive force to it. Some have told me, whom I revealed this to, not to because I might break my hand. I find that hogwash. It may be a bad habit, but being the johnny punch-hard dick, is worse IMHO.

 

[HighestHand]

I will echo paradigm, I tend to leave my hands a little open in the glove when hitting to the head. That tight fist you make at the end of the strike is what adds the concussive force to it. Some have told me, whom I revealed this to, not to because I might break my hand. I find that hogwash. It may be a bad habit, but being the johnny punch-hard dick, is worse IMHO.

Honestly, I find that I cannot throw a hard punch if I close my fist in the glove.... Don't know if that's bad or not. If I tighten my fist I tend to sprain it.

 

[ahheadlock]

make sure there is no ego about what you're doing, sometimes people get in the mentality of 'winning' or 'losing' and that fires them up. eg. You start getting touched up and want to 'win', or want to 'get them back' and start dropping some harder punches on them. Or you're having trouble hitting them, and ratchet up the intensity to try and connect.

forget all that. Focus on the technique, how your moving, how your breathing, etc. Keep it calm, work your techniques. If you're not landing, then think about how to fix your technique so that you do - rather than trying to turn it up and get them in that way. If you're taking some punches, then don't get angry - (and it can be hard not to) but if you feel your blood rising - take a couple deep breaths and settle down. If your opponent is going too hard, and you want to keep it chill, talk to them and let them know.

every now and then, one is going to land clean and they are going to walk into it (or you will). This is unavoidable. As long as you both keep the right attitude it's not a worry though. Laugh it off, keep the controlled work rate going.

Keep your muscles relaxed. A lot of guys are too tense and cant help go hard. You need to be loose. Loose is relaxed, loose is fast.

perhaps do another sparring session, but focus on going super light. Touch sparring basically. Even if you have to slow it down a bit. Get that in the bank so you know it's possible. Then start to turn up the speed next session, without turning up the power. Progress that way.

just my 2c.