need major help sparring

flyingknee16

flyingknee16

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i've been training submission grappling for 2 years now but my stand up has not improved one bit since i started training MMA.

there are a few things that i'm aware of:

1. i'm still scared to get hit.
2. i hesitate/don't follow through when i spar, like i'm afraid to punch my opponent

does anyone have any advice for me? thanks in advance.
 
Maybe you need to train stand-up seperately from ground for a while. I've recently had the same problem but in reverse having taken up BJJ after a few years of TKD and boxing. When sparring in the BJJ classes I would try my hardest not to get taken down: was determined to stay on my feet. That was not good: to get good at ground, you have to go to ground. If I were you I would take some kickboxing or Muay Thai classes for a few months so as to balance your skills.
 
Big_One said:
Maybe you need to train stand-up seperately from ground for a while. I've recently had the same problem but in reverse having taken up BJJ after a few years of TKD and boxing. When sparring in the BJJ classes I would try my hardest not to get taken down: was determined to stay on my feet. That was not good: to get good at ground, you have to go to ground. If I were you I would take some kickboxing or Muay Thai classes for a few months so as to balance your skills.
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good advice. Try a bit of lighter sparring with someone you trust, then gradually build it up, before you know it you'll be full steam ahead. The fear of being hit is actually worse than getting hit. If your hesitant to hit someone you've probably got a gentle nature and there's nothing wrong with that. Try to think of it as a game, like ' he tagged me so i have to tag him back'.
 
swing wildly and kick straight at his knees. jus try to relax training shud be fun when u start out if ur not so hardcore. getting hit may hurt occasionally if u get hit real good just be a man about it and take it like a man and hit the other guy too its sparring he wont mind thas the whole point. just dont be wild like I initially told u.
 
I suggest boxing (if you can) b/c boxing you get hit a higher rate than in kickboxing. it's more overwhelming of course, but it is faster. a lot of kickboxers, even after a year they are afraid to get hit. they'll do the "jump in, strike, jump out" thingy throughout the fight b/c they're still afraid of being hit
 
Learn to like getting hit, it sounds messed up but if you think in this mindset you learn not to fear it. Keep your chin tucked, eyes forward and most important keep yourself relaxed by thinking "I'm not going to win or lose anything in this sparring match".

About the hitting, just relax and pat the opponent until you feel comfortable with them and you can raise the intensity
 
as everyone has already said, train your stand up separately.
 
when i first started sparring i was more afraid of hurting my partner than getting hurt, my partner was the same and i bet your partners are also afraid of hurting each other, so your not alone on that one

i found that you minimise the impact of shots if you dont entirely clench your fists, leave them open a bit to compact with the blow, just two problems
1. if your hitting to hard your fingers will hurt
2.you have to remember to clench your hands in a fight
 
flyingknee16 said:
i've been training submission grappling for 2 years now but my stand up has not improved one bit since i started training MMA.

there are a few things that i'm aware of:

1. i'm still scared to get hit.
2. i hesitate/don't follow through when i spar, like i'm afraid to punch my opponent

does anyone have any advice for me? thanks in advance.
Click to expand...


Getting hit is apart of MA you just have to accept it. Think about it you get hit so what it hurts for a second just keep on moving. If you realy dislike getting hit so much work on your defense such as slipping and blocking. For the hesitation just keep on sparring you'll eventually get over it but you can also try this: Have your parntner padded up in gear but have him mostly defend so you can work on following through with out the fear of getting hit hold you back.
 
Something that will break your fear of getting hit, at least it di for me is a drill that we do once in awhile especially when we get new people.

Takes at least 2 people three to four is better. One person stands with back against the wall and the the other people basically line up and each take a 1 to t2 minute "round" back to back no breaks and start hitting the the person against the wall. Since you can't back up or move to the sides you have to work use your hand work defense and body movement. You are going to get hit and hit a lot. The people striking aren't trying to take your head off but do just enough to let you know you got hit. Sounds pretty messed up I know but after a couple of sessions of this your fear of getting hit should be gone.
 
jonny rotten said:
good advice. Try a bit of lighter sparring with someone you trust, then gradually build it up, before you know it you'll be full steam ahead. The fear of being hit is actually worse than getting hit. If your hesitant to hit someone you've probably got a gentle nature and there's nothing wrong with that. Try to think of it as a game, like ' he tagged me so i have to tag him back'.
Click to expand...

He is right on the 'gentle nature' bit. It really is an issue. When I did kickboxing I'd always feel bad about hitting someone. Until they clocked me once or twice of course. Then all bets were off.

But if you are afraid of following through, a gentle nature is probably the reason.

In submission wrestling do you sometimes not get a sub because you are afraid to really crank it?

Example: Last class I set a guy up and actually had the armbar on him. I mean I had it perfect. Textbook position. He started stacking me to get out of it. And I remember thinking, "I'd better start cranking with my legs on his neck or he is going to get out of this..."

So I gradually started increasing the pressure. But I didn't move fast enough. He stacked me and got out. And I outweigh this guy by like 30 pounds...

If I hadn't been such a nice guy I'd have gotten the sub, but I was afraid of hurting him. But no matter. It is just training anyway. Good lesson.

In the end, however, there is nothing wrong with being a nice guy. Don't sweat it too much.
 
About not clenching your fists to avoid hitting hard. Do not do that! Once you start to hit hard, you will hurt your hands if you don't clench your fists tight upon impact. As for being afraid to hit people, just do it! Chances are you won't hurt anyone, just don't hit as hard as you can.
 
I used to have a similar problem with striking hard during sparring, I'd throw hard body shots but took almost everything off of my punches if they were going to the head/face, more experience will solve this problem. The more you get hit and the harder you get hit the more you don't mind dishing it back out. As someone said above think of it almost like a game
 
aaron_mag said:
He is right on the 'gentle nature' bit. It really is an issue. When I did kickboxing I'd always feel bad about hitting someone. Until they clocked me once or twice of course. Then all bets were off.

But if you are afraid of following through, a gentle nature is probably the reason.

In submission wrestling do you sometimes not get a sub because you are afraid to really crank it?

Example: Last class I set a guy up and actually had the armbar on him. I mean I had it perfect. Textbook position. He started stacking me to get out of it. And I remember thinking, "I'd better start cranking with my legs on his neck or he is going to get out of this..."

So I gradually started increasing the pressure. But I didn't move fast enough. He stacked me and got out. And I outweigh this guy by like 30 pounds...

If I hadn't been such a nice guy I'd have gotten the sub, but I was afraid of hurting him. But no matter. It is just training anyway. Good lesson.

In the end, however, there is nothing wrong with being a nice guy. Don't sweat it too much.
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now that i think about it, i used to be like that in submission wrestling but as i did it more and more i got better at it. i kick ass when im on the mat though XD heheh. i still am kinda gentle when it comes to newbs or when the other guy goes light too.

practice will make me hit harder i think (stand up).
 
I seem to have sort of the same problem. I don't mind taking body shots, but I still shy away from getting popped in the face.
 
The first time I got a black eye, I freaked the hell out. Granted, I was 12 at the time but still, I thought I had gone blind in my left eye. Since then, I've gotten a couple black eyes and I was less frightened each time. I think the same goes with a fear of getting hit. Do it enough and you won't be worried about it any more. Have a good friend start hitting you, softly at first then increasingly harder until you're no longer comfortable with it. After getting cracked good a few times, you won't be as scared of it. Worst that happens? You're knocked out.
 
Getting punched in the nose for the first time can be quite unpleasant.
 
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