I just suck in fighting... how do you really improve in fight sports?

Ilk

Green Belt
@Green
Joined
Nov 17, 2016
Messages
1,197
Reaction score
0
Seriously guys how do you improve in fight sports?
I am suddenly the weakest guy in the gym and I have more experience than most people.

I am trying and experimenting and doing what not, but yet in the end of the day when spar day comes all is gone and I get my ass beaten :D

I do not want to be Tyson or stuff, just do well in the sport and beat ass, not getting my ass handled.

Any advices? I am really down atm.
 
Seriously guys how do you improve in fight sports?
I am suddenly the weakest guy in the gym and I have more experience than most people.

I am trying and experimenting and doing what not, but yet in the end of the day when spar day comes all is gone and I get my ass beaten :D

I do not want to be Tyson or stuff, just do well in the sport and beat ass, not getting my ass handled.

Any advices? I am really down atm.
boxing can be full of set backs like that. just stay dedicated if you enjoy it.
 
Don't compare so much to others, compare to yourself and make sure you improve compared to that.

Let's say you can do 10 pull ups today, aim to do 11 next week.
Let's say you can run for 15 minutes at some speed now. Next week or at least next month aim to be able to do it "slightly faster" or for longer. If you keep doing that, you should be improving.

Also try to identify reasons why you loose your sparring. Are you too stationary (your opponents tend to always move more, getting them angles)? Is your condition not up to par (you tend to only have enough energy to defend)? Are your punches too soft to be something people can respect? Do your movement sometimes/often put you off balance or opening you up for punches? etc.

Also make sure to eat good food. It can make a huge difference.
 
Real improvement in psychological.

I find cues very effective.

What do you consciously/psychologically focus on when you're sparring?
 
First of all, this is such a great thread. Very humble for TS to admit this, and very good and respectful responses so far. Hope in Sherdog restored :)

Putting in my own two cents, I'd probably agree with what has been said so far, especially the part about not being better than others, but being better than your past/current self.

Also, maybe look at the "why" in your decision to learn fighting.

If it's for self-defense, I can assure you that, one, it really does make a difference when you train (meaning, though you get your ass handed to you in the gym among other trained fighters, you'd probably be able to handle yourself against an untrained attacker, in terms of unarmed combat); and two, an average person doesn't really get into fisticuffs that often nowadays.

If you're doing this for physical health, I would bet that right now you are already more physically fit than when you first started, and continuous training (assuming you're training correctly) will only make you improve more.

If you're doing this for fun, then simply ask yourself if this is still fun for you, and you'd get your answer.

However, if you're doing this because you love to compete, then I guess that's where there may be a bit of a problem; and that would require a much longer answer and analysis, for sure.
 
Keep sparring, and trying new things until you get to something that you can do consistently. Keep going from there.
 
Thanks for the support, everyone

I enjoy the sport a lot. Especially sparring. Gives me an adrenaline bump and energy in the morning with which I feel damn fresh and ready for challenges.

I am a very competitive person. So not comparing myself to others is very, very hard. This is my drive - to be better than the rest and has always been my drive. I ve done it in soccer, I ve done it in esports (yep I was also a nerd at some point).

Comparing to myself is hard. I really try to feel comfortable when practicing. I mean I am comfortable with my combos, I am comfortable on the pads and etc. I d say I have a decent technique, but when it comes to put it together in a fight I suddenly suck.

For comparison I had the same feeling when I was learning to dribble in soccer. On non moving cons I could dribble freaking awesome, but once there is an opponent ... things get nasty. After 15 years break from soccer now I am an amateur player and I have no problem dribling past opponents, but I struggled greatly 15 years ago in my youth years. It is the same feeling right now with sparring and implementing technique I have practiced shadow boxing, working on the bag or the pads.

What I focus on when I spar? This is a good question. My main focus is questioning myself if I am on the right position or distance to try named combo, so I do not get countered easily. Or how do I defend, where I am on the ring and etc. But most importantly I hesitate. I always question.

That has its positives though. Today I was able to see a spar partner that he likes slipping inside and go to his left while comming up with a jab or uppercut. So I tried just to tripple jab going to my left too and surround him from the left side which put him on defence for most of the round as he did not expect me doing so many jabs going that way and seting up my right hand in that way. But mostly it brings negatives... my hesitation.

I mean I can do well in spar, but I have to try freaking hard and give 120 % of myself. I do best when I pressure, cut angles, use that freaking jab like a lot, being active and I mean way more active than my opponents. But if I take a slack I get my ass handled. The second I think about relaxing and taking a breather I start being beaten. If I am acting and hustling I do well. If I decide to relax I get ass handled.

I do boxing for many reasons. But my highest motivation few years ago to start with the fight sports was to learn to fight. I was like "hey, I am going to be a father in a near future, I need to learn to defend family". But right now I enjoy the sport a lot. It really helps my mood, helps get rid of frustration and anger and etc. And yep it worked wonders with my confidence, especially in soccer.

Now I have tried to think why. Why do I suck in sparring? And it is mostly hesitation. Sometimes it happens I let my hands go and I do well, but it is rare cases. I am actually not afraid to get hit right now. I eat shots like a champ. It is the frustration of not being able to put up a fight and let these hands go. I would like to counter, I would like to in fight, I would like to throw longer combos and get out of this 1-1-2 or similar combinations to which I reffer almost 80% of the time.

I have a partial solution not sure if will help. I have decided to put up some time on adding slips, ducks after my combinations and comming up with further combinations. To drill them up like a lot. For example 1-2, duck under, 2-3, weave body hook or upper-2 and etc. To work a bit on some kind of a flow. Or 1-2, slip out 2-3, or 1-2 side step 3-2 and etc. To get damn body used to do more and be flowing. Not sure where this journey will take me though.
 
Seriously guys how do you improve in fight sports?
I am suddenly the weakest guy in the gym and I have more experience than most people.

I am trying and experimenting and doing what not, but yet in the end of the day when spar day comes all is gone and I get my ass beaten :D

I do not want to be Tyson or stuff, just do well in the sport and beat ass, not getting my ass handled.

Any advices? I am really down atm.
I suck too lift weights drink protein powder and find a few submissions or combinations that work for your size. Strength and size can sometimes trump a fighter with better technique.
 
I Try to be more relaxed to conserve energy and im always looking to throw combos. eg. Straight after a 1 2 3 gauge your opponent briefly and launch into another from your repertoire.
Or throw a combo and pivot out Most of the time my jab is just used a distraction
 
It's hard for us to accurately assess what you are doing. A few questions: you said you've been training longer, has it all been at the same gym that you are currently training at? I have seen ppl who have trained at low quality gyms for 10+ years get smoked by guys at other gyms who have trained for under a year. I can't tell you if you're coach and or the environment in this gym or past gym is what's holding you back, but if that sounds like it's a possibility you may wanna look into training under another coach/gym
Also I'm a big fan of isolated sparring. You may not have control of how rds are done but if you are trying to work slipping for example, see if you can get rds where the only thing your partner can throw is a jab, or a 1 2. This will force you to work on the particular skill rather than do a free for all
Last piece of advice for now is work with the beggingers. Going along the lines of the last thing I suggested, spar with the new guys when working on a specific skill. Even though that person is new, you'll gain confidence and get comfortable with what it is you're working on and can gradually move up to the more skilled guys.
Hope this helps
 
Thanks for the support, everyone

I enjoy the sport a lot. Especially sparring. Gives me an adrenaline bump and energy in the morning with which I feel damn fresh and ready for challenges.

I am a very competitive person. So not comparing myself to others is very, very hard. This is my drive - to be better than the rest and has always been my drive. I ve done it in soccer, I ve done it in esports (yep I was also a nerd at some point).

Comparing to myself is hard. I really try to feel comfortable when practicing. I mean I am comfortable with my combos, I am comfortable on the pads and etc. I d say I have a decent technique, but when it comes to put it together in a fight I suddenly suck.

For comparison I had the same feeling when I was learning to dribble in soccer. On non moving cons I could dribble freaking awesome, but once there is an opponent ... things get nasty. After 15 years break from soccer now I am an amateur player and I have no problem dribling past opponents, but I struggled greatly 15 years ago in my youth years. It is the same feeling right now with sparring and implementing technique I have practiced shadow boxing, working on the bag or the pads.

What I focus on when I spar? This is a good question. My main focus is questioning myself if I am on the right position or distance to try named combo, so I do not get countered easily. Or how do I defend, where I am on the ring and etc. But most importantly I hesitate. I always question.

That has its positives though. Today I was able to see a spar partner that he likes slipping inside and go to his left while comming up with a jab or uppercut. So I tried just to tripple jab going to my left too and surround him from the left side which put him on defence for most of the round as he did not expect me doing so many jabs going that way and seting up my right hand in that way. But mostly it brings negatives... my hesitation.

I mean I can do well in spar, but I have to try freaking hard and give 120 % of myself. I do best when I pressure, cut angles, use that freaking jab like a lot, being active and I mean way more active than my opponents. But if I take a slack I get my ass handled. The second I think about relaxing and taking a breather I start being beaten. If I am acting and hustling I do well. If I decide to relax I get ass handled.

I do boxing for many reasons. But my highest motivation few years ago to start with the fight sports was to learn to fight. I was like "hey, I am going to be a father in a near future, I need to learn to defend family". But right now I enjoy the sport a lot. It really helps my mood, helps get rid of frustration and anger and etc. And yep it worked wonders with my confidence, especially in soccer.

Now I have tried to think why. Why do I suck in sparring? And it is mostly hesitation. Sometimes it happens I let my hands go and I do well, but it is rare cases. I am actually not afraid to get hit right now. I eat shots like a champ. It is the frustration of not being able to put up a fight and let these hands go. I would like to counter, I would like to in fight, I would like to throw longer combos and get out of this 1-1-2 or similar combinations to which I reffer almost 80% of the time.

I have a partial solution not sure if will help. I have decided to put up some time on adding slips, ducks after my combinations and comming up with further combinations. To drill them up like a lot. For example 1-2, duck under, 2-3, weave body hook or upper-2 and etc. To work a bit on some kind of a flow. Or 1-2, slip out 2-3, or 1-2 side step 3-2 and etc. To get damn body used to do more and be flowing. Not sure where this journey will take me though.
you answered your own question pretty well here. the most important thing is what you do after you punch not before you punch. if you have better defence after you punch you won't hesitate to throw as much. i used to have the same problem, still do against good counter punches. it's a lot easier to not get hit if you are drawing a lead and countering or step in throw the combo, step back and counter.
 
What I focus on when I spar? This is a good question. My main focus is questioning myself if I am on the right position or distance to try named combo, so I do not get countered easily. Or how do I defend, where I am on the ring and etc. But most importantly I hesitate. I always question.

Distance etc - is a product of your movement.
Hesitation - is possibly a poor application of speed.

When striking, the primary consideration is speed.
Mike Tyson (actually his coach), said that.
Speed kills.

It may benefit you to focus on
1) Speed
2) Movement.

I use them as cues when sparring/in fights - work for me at least.
 
I mean I can do well in spar, but I have to try freaking hard and give 120 % of myself. I do best when I pressure, cut angles, use that freaking jab like a lot, being active and I mean way more active than my opponents. But if I take a slack I get my ass handled. The second I think about relaxing and taking a breather I start being beaten. If I am acting and hustling I do well. If I decide to relax I get ass handled.

This can work with you and against you.

You describe a very high work rate/intensity.

Where's it's no good to have low intensity - we get the best out of ourselves, when we apply the correct intensity, at the correct time.

For this reason, I like to focus on

3) control intensity.
 
Drill.

If somehow you get a slump in sparring, look at your drills. Are your drills meant to help you in sparring or just to exercise? Drill, drill, drill; when your drills come out in sparring the drill is effective, what you now need to know is do your drills(techniques) work against your opponent.
 
i focus on a fight as a lot of little exchanges (helps me relax my adhd mind a bit and slow shit down) but i force the exchanges usually and like to counter off my opponent throwing back. To help with this i started to make each combo i threw 3 parts "entery-strikes-exit" or "entery-strikes-defence" . Everything i throw follows this concept whether its just a jab (false start step-jab-pre emptive slip outside opponents jab) (step toward opponents power side-jab-pre emptive slip cross) or something more complex like a jab-cross where i may move between the punches before exiting or defending (step toward power side-jab-pull at a 45-cross-roll under opponents hook). Essentially a jab isnt just a jab (for now) its encased by an entry and exit (defensive) move or "look". Feints can be an entry as well. i write out combos for bag work and such and write the entry and exit in and i feel like this has helped me a lot. DRILLDRILLDRILL and get those quality reps in buddy!
 
I try to focus on breaking my opponents rhythm. Even if they have a bigger experience / skill advantage ( and they normally do ) I can keep them off beat and from getting too comfortable.

Jabbing often in boxing - keeping his vision obstructed and throwing multiple same side combinations, in and out footwork.

In kickboxing / muay thai a lot of low kicks, a lot of teep feints.
 
Just bang more

You're thinking about taking too much, when you should be looking at any improvement. Progress is the game here, even if its minimal. Hell, there are times I end up all session getting lit up by pros and high lv ammy's, but at one round, I managed to land a set up of 1,2. That itself is much more valuable to me even though its clear I got whooped all day. I build up from there, and end up where I am now.
 
Seriously guys how do you improve in fight sports?
I am suddenly the weakest guy in the gym and I have more experience than most people.

I am trying and experimenting and doing what not, but yet in the end of the day when spar day comes all is gone and I get my ass beaten :D

I do not want to be Tyson or stuff, just do well in the sport and beat ass, not getting my ass handled.

Any advices? I am really down atm.
Maybe try quality over quantity for a little while? Maybe your getting tired and complacent and not getting the most out of ur training.
 
Back
Top