Never knew sparring with beginners had so many merits

[Discipulus]

LOL

Guys, if sparring noobs boosts your confidence, there is something wrong with you.

I don't mind sparring noobs because I like helping them improve... and that's all I like about it.

Why is that? It gives you the opportunity to see your skills as work and feel relaxed. It's nice every now and then to feel that you're performing at a high level, and you often don't feel that way with equally matched competition.

 

[Cannon_6]

Why is that? It gives you the opportunity to see your skills as work and feel relaxed. It's nice every now and then to feel that you're performing at a high level, and you often don't feel that way with equally matched competition.

Thanks for asking. I was too lazy to elaborate when I posted that.

Being able to land shots and successfully "try new things" on a beginner is meaningless. If you want a real sense of accomplishment, you have to land those things on someone who's at your level or better. If I were a beginner and a more advanced guy started practicing his new signature jump-spinning-back-somersault-double-falcon-punch on me, I'd call him a douchebag.

"Feeling" that you're performing at a high level isn't the same as actually performing at a high level, and I'd never want to fool myself about my own abilities. If I can beat a guy on crutches in a race up the stairs, am I really winning anything?

 

[Gavster]

You're winning self confidence in doing something you enjoy and finding flow in it.
Just cause you can't beat Anderson Silva yet doesn't mean you shouldn't enjoy every step on the learning curve. Sense of accomplish is healthy for an individual without having to care about whether you measure up to someone else's skills and standards.
Unless you're in a violent society where you have to fight or competing in competitions, fighting is more an enjoyable pastime for most.

 

[Cannon_6]

You're winning self confidence in doing something you enjoy and finding flow in it.
Just cause you can't beat Anderson Silva yet doesn't mean you shouldn't enjoy every step on the learning curve. Sense of accomplish is healthy for an individual without having to care about whether you measure up to someone else's skills and standards.
Unless you're in a violent society where you have to fight or competing in competitions, fighting is more an enjoyable pastime for most.

Meh.

I guess I see the logic there, if you "enjoy" whippin' up on teh noobs and "feelings" are more important than actual progress.

OUR feelings, of course. The noobs are just means to an end.

 

[Nuclearlandmine]

Meh.

I guess I see the logic there, if you "enjoy" whippin' up on teh noobs and "feelings" are more important than actual progress.

OUR feelings, of course. The noobs are just means to an end.

I personally think sparring vs noobs is when you are able to work your offense more. It is actual progress as well. Now of course you wouldn't want to fight noobs just to feel good yourself, but it is also an opportunity to work you game. IMO your progress is best when you are able to spar with a wide number of guys with varied skill level, in that you are able work various facets of your game. So there's a place for sparring vs noobs just as with anybody else. Just limit your ego with it.

 

[ssullivan80]

BEST THING about sparring beginners is the confidence boost it gives you after being beat down by a more advanced guy.

Only downfall is that same overconfidence is only gonna lead to another beating from a more advanced guy. Personally, I don't mind sparring with less experienced guys. But I really try to limit how often I do it because it makes sparring better guys that much more difficult. Sparring to often with less experienced guys, from my experience, can lead to quickly developing bad habits.

I personally think sparring vs noobs is when you are able to work your offense more. It is actual progress as well. Now of course you wouldn't want to fight noobs just to feel good yourself, but it is also an opportunity to work you game. IMO your progress is best when you are able to spar with a wide number of guys with varied skill level, in that you are able work various facets of your game. So there's a place for sparring vs noobs just as with anybody else. Just limit your ego with it.

I agree with most of what your saying, although I personally prefer to spend more time on defense and footwork (controlling the ring, dictating the pace). However, I think your progress is best when your working with guys with varied styles but equal or greater skill/ability. I believe that is how you develop the ability to adapt in the ring which IMO is what separates a good fighter from a great fighter.

 

[Nuclearlandmine]

Only downfall is that same overconfidence is only gonna lead to another beating from a more advanced guy. Personally, I don't mind sparring with less experienced guys. But I really try to limit how often I do it because it makes sparring better guys that much more difficult. Sparring to often with less experienced guys, from my experience, can lead to quickly developing bad habits.

I agree with most of what your saying, although I personally prefer to spend more time on defense and footwork (controlling the ring, dictating the pace). However, I think your progress is best when your working with guys with varied styles but equal or greater skill/ability. I believe that is how you develop the ability to adapt in the ring which IMO is what separates a good fighter from a great fighter.

In my short experience in martial arts (in this particular case, grappling - but i'm sure it is the same with striking), the time when i was progressing the most was when the gym was surrouding with 2 or 3 noobs, 2 or 3 guys that can really go competitive against me, and the instructor who can whip my ass. So everyday in the gym is a day where i can either beat, get beat, or being competitive. Because of that, i can also experiment and evolve my adaptability into my game.

Now shift to the present when i changed my gym and it is full of guys who is much superior than me in skills. And there are two or three guys whose skills are either equal or less than me. I constantly getting my face smashed in and my game smothered while i have less chance to actually being competitive, so it make my progress to be rather slow and at this point stagnant, because it is the same damn thing everyday no matter what i do or try. In fact i'm so pissed at my progress i just stop grappling and do striking now until i get to Aus where i can get some real good gyms.

But then again it is just my personal experience and may not apply to others.

 

[SummerStriker]

Sparring new people can be deadly serious. If you want to get something out of it that isn't normal, you can pretend they have a knife and that you loose if they touch you. You will never be able to beat an equal armed with a knife, but its possible you could beat an untrained person with a knife, so you might as well practice it in sparring.

Yes, I know there are flaws in treating punches as stabs.

You can also train as if you are sparring multiple people. Imagine that each engagement has to be perfect, culminating in a KO worthy blow, or else someone jumps on your back and kills you, so you have to be fast, accurate, and perfect.

Just because you are above someone doesn't mean you have to let your mind go slack.

 

[barnowl]

Meh.

I guess I see the logic there, if you "enjoy" whippin' up on teh noobs and "feelings" are more important than actual progress.

OUR feelings, of course. The noobs are just means to an end.

I don't think the point of the confidence boost was about beating up noobs. The boost atleast as I see it comes form realizing just how much better you are now than when you started. I know when I have gone long periods just getting hammered by the higher belts it feels like I have learned nothing and am wasting time. But, then those break days will roll through and I find myself being the "experienced vet". Seeing some one were I was (we all started as a noob), and realizing how far I've come from there makes taking those long runs of being the sandbag so much easier to handle.

That to me is totally different than just tripping off smashing the new guy.

 

[Cannon_6]

I don't think the point of the confidence boost was about beating up noobs...

None of the posts in this thread are about beating them up. Some of the posts, including mine, are about deriving a false sense of confidence from sparring with them, and using them as training tools, as you would a heavybag.

...The boost atleast as I see it comes form realizing just how much better you are now than when you started...

I understand. If that kind of reflection motivates you, that's great, but you and I are different people. "Look how far I've come" does absolutely nothing for me... and besides, that wasn't the subject of SAAMAG's joke, which is what I initially responded to.