Not sitting down on strikes when sparring

[Silver tongue samurai]

When sparring I tend to counter either off feints or pressuring to promote a response, so i don't really throw hard, just hard enough to let my partner know I tagged them. If i counter with combos I do so explosively and usually catch them with one or two shots. I find that some guys will eventually just start throwing super hard after I tag them a few times. Is this because the counters are hitting harder than I expect and they are trying to match me? or is it more of an ego thing and i should just pick better partners?

 

[Reyesnuthugr]

If you're afraid you're hitting too hard, use jabs. It's basically impossible to jab too hard, due to the mechanics of it.

If someone complains you're hitting too hard and all you're doing is jabbing then you know what the real problem is (it's them).


Also you need to keep sitting down on your punches or else you develop bad technique. If you want to reduce the power then do it some other way, not by skimping on or removing fundamentals

 

[Silver tongue samurai]

Not sitting down was maybe a bad way of explaining it. I sit down on punches but I am just not countering with enough power to hurt my partner. The better guys in class usually get frustrated and just start throwing twice as hard. Do I just match the power?

 

[ARIZE]

A counter strike will always be a lot harder than the force you apply, because you' add his momentum to your power. It will also (usually) take the guy by surprise, which make the strike even more damaging.
A know a boxing trainer, that doesn't allow counters during light sparring, he believes it's a method for hard sparring, or at least when both guys are high level...

And I don't fully agree with @Reyesnuthugr when he says the jab cannot be powerful. I believe a counter jab to a jab, or a loaded jab after a 2, can make enough damage to not be considered light sparring...

I don't say it's not a problem from the others guys ego, but if more than one react that way, you may want to check your side of the question. Or just ask your trainer...

 

[Reyesnuthugr]

And I don't fully agree with @Reyesnuthugr when he says the jab cannot be powerful. I believe a counter jab to a jab, or a loaded jab after a 2, can make enough damage to not be considered light sparring...

Just to clear this up^^ I didn't say a jab can't be powerful (they can occasionally KO someone but it's not overly common) , but you can't really complain about someone throwing jabs "too hard" in sparring because the power is limited compared to the other punches (which is why it isn't counted as a power punch in boxing scoring) due to its design/mechanics.

If someone's jabs are "too hard" for you in sparring, then sparring isn't for you. They can be stiff, they can be unpleasant, they can even bust your lip, nose or the skin over your eye sometimes. But they are by far the weakest punch in boxing.

The only likely scenario where jabs are "too hard" during sparring is if someone is really pouring them onto a complete beginner- but then it's not the individual power of the punches but the overall intensity. Either that or maybe if you outweigh your sparring partner by 80 lbs and are going HAM, then I can see it maybe. In a case like that where one of the sparring partners is terribly outmatched, using only jabs is a common way for gyms to greatly limit, and basically prevent damage.

Hitting someone too hard with jabs is basically something that is so difficult to do you'd have to be deliberately trying your best to do just that (and also be mismatched against your sparring partner by quite a bit), which is why I recommended them.

---

Also, if you're throwing mostly or all jabs during sparring, it will help you become very sharp at boxing in general (it's like a useful limiting drill) and make it so you can't rely on power but are forced to use all the other fundamental tools you are supposed to be using-- angles, timing, etc.

It's basically the opposite of cheating. Handicapping yourself (a little- the jab is incredibly versatile) to learn on a quicker curve.

If you get good at jabbing, you can always EASILY add other types of punches in later with what you have learned and they will work all the better with your new appreciation for distance, timing, movement, angles, etc.

 

[Reyesnuthugr]

Not sitting down was maybe a bad way of explaining it. I sit down on punches but I am just not countering with enough power to hurt my partner. The better guys in class usually get frustrated and just start throwing twice as hard. Do I just match the power?

Is there a coach there? Since we don't have video we can't tell how you're throwing. The coach should be able to clear up your individual concerns, related to how you're doing it. Ask him to watch you and tell you if you're going to hard (during the spar). You can get more pointers after.

If its just a bunch of friends in a backyard, well-- there aren't a lot of rules for that (it's probably ego in that case). There's not a right answer for that because even if you are 1000% right, their egos and your lack of credentials creates a heated squabble regardless of what you do

 

[ARIZE]

@Reyesnuthugr

I hear what you say, but i still believe you can throw an inappropriate hard jab in a light sparring, that will make your opponent want to escalate the intensity. Again, a counter jab, or a loaded jab can be "too hard" for a light sparring... But that's my opinion, it's just how I see it, and I understand if other's don't agree with it.

 

[Silver tongue samurai]

@ARIZE

I think you hit the hammer on the head with the escalating intensity after an inappropriately hard hit and a counter always being harder than intended. Its natural to up the intensity if you feel your partner doing it and my counters usually land pretty clean maybe they're just being taken as upping the intensity.

@Reyesnuthugr

Its in an mma gym and the guys have either competed or want to. Iv been to other gyms and one had open sparring every Wednesday. Iv been hit hard and hit people hard myself but we were both going hard from the begining. Here guys will "flow" then all of a sudden start going hard. No problem with how Im throwing (another thread for another time) just how hard im choosing to throw VS. My partner

 

[spacetime]

If you're afraid you're hitting too hard, use jabs. It's basically impossible to jab too hard, due to the mechanics of it.

If someone complains you're hitting too hard and all you're doing is jabbing then you know what the real problem is (it's them).


Also you need to keep sitting down on your punches or else you develop bad technique. If you want to reduce the power then do it some other way, not by skimping on or removing fundamentals

Hehe. I have jabbed a guy in the face who concidered it a power shot and touched his nose. So I guess it depends on how good his jab is

 

[eternaldarkness]

Hehe. I have jabbed a guy in the face who concidered it a power shot and touched his nose. So I guess it depends on how good his jab is

congratulations. did he tell his mum afterwards?

 

[Uchi Mata]

When sparring I tend to counter either off feints or pressuring to promote a response, so i don't really throw hard, just hard enough to let my partner know I tagged them. If i counter with combos I do so explosively and usually catch them with one or two shots. I find that some guys will eventually just start throwing super hard after I tag them a few times. Is this because the counters are hitting harder than I expect and they are trying to match me? or is it more of an ego thing and i should just pick better partners?

It's very difficult for anyone to really now how hard someone else perceives them as throwing. I've definitely had guys come after me with everything after what I thought were medium strength shots, and I've also started going pretty close to full speed on people who later told me they didn't think they were throwing that hard (but who I thought were dropping bombs). Generally you spar with the same group of guys for a long time, so you learn who goes how hard and you can moderate yourself and also learn when someone might have accidentally hit you harder than they meant and you can let it go vs. when you need to step it up and defend yourself.

 

[Borass]

If you want to be really “light”, hit the guys without forming proper fist under your glove. It will make your punches really softer. It s a good thing to do against people who are beginners or againt nervous partners...

 

[Silver tongue samurai]

It's very difficult for anyone to really now how hard someone else perceives them as throwing. I've definitely had guys come after me with everything after what I thought were medium strength shots, and I've also started going pretty close to full speed on people who later told me they didn't think they were throwing that hard (but who I thought were dropping bombs). Generally you spar with the same group of guys for a long time, so you learn who goes how hard and you can moderate yourself and also learn when someone might have accidentally hit you harder than they meant and you can let it go vs. when you need to step it up and defend yourself.

That perfectly describes whats going on. I have only been sparring at this gym for around two or three months so I guess learning my partners more will help with this. I also feel like I get into peoples heads and they get frustrated so they start to up the speed. My coach has said this happens because I have like seven different entries for a single move.

 

[Silver tongue samurai]

If you want to be really “light”, hit the guys without forming proper fist under your glove. It will make your punches really softer. It s a good thing to do against people who are beginners or againt nervous partners...

This is what brought me to the forum. I usually counter with a semi open fist to make the hit softer but it doesn't seem to help the situation which made me think it could be ego driven. The first time I sparred at this gym it was the "fresh meat" mentality which I was okay with but to lace me with a left hook after we're flowing and I connect with a open fist right counter isn't cool

 

[spacetime]

congratulations. did he tell his mum afterwards?

He is a steoridhead.

 

[Reyesnuthugr]

@Reyesnuthugr

I hear what you say, but i still believe you can throw an inappropriate hard jab in a light sparring, that will make your opponent want to escalate the intensity. Again, a counter jab, or a loaded jab can be "too hard" for a light sparring... But that's my opinion, it's just how I see it, and I understand if other's don't agree with it.

I can agree with that, given it is light sparring within an MT environment. If that's the culture of the gym, I agree.

 

[ARIZE]

Don't get me wrong, I believe in the importance of hard sparring, specially for beginners before their firsts fights, or for people who don't compete often... But light sparring is light sparring, and for me a heavy jab has no place in it.
Not talking about the occasional hard strike, that's part of the game. We all have thrown it or received it unintentionally. And after some time, you're experienced enough to understand when it's a mistake, or when he tries to hurt you on purpose... even if it's just with the jab.

(Not that the jab can hurt a MT fighter, I am talking hypothetically for the other type of "fighters", obviously)

 

[j123]

(Not that the jab can hurt a MT fighter, I am talking hypothetically for the other type of "fighters", obviously)

nak muays get hospitalized after shrimping

 

[ARIZE]

THE BODY IS NOT SUPPOSED TO MOVE THAT WAY, OK?

 

[4daLuLZ]

nak muays get hospitalized after shrimping

Shrimping ain't easy.