Overcoming fear of being punched..

[georgetteo]

Please no flames... this is a serious question. Recently started training in martial arts (kajukenbo, BJJ, a little judo) and occasionally roll with a friend who also does muay thai. He has been encouraging me to work on my standup game lately (which sucks) and I am resisting it because I am afraid of being punched, especially in the face or the stomach. (Frankly, afraid of being kicked in either place, too.) So far, I have not even put on protective gear like a headguard or shin guards, and therefore there is no standup sparring. I figure, why bother, if that's not the kind of fighting I have any interest in? What I dig about grappling is that you can tap out *before* you are in serious pain (usually) and I don't like pain.

However, there is a voice at the back of my head telling me I'm being a chicken and I should push my limits.

Any advice out there?

 

[Chinaboxer]

you need to find a qualified instructor who gradually gets you to full sparring by using no sparring pad work drills, light sparring drills, and eventually full sparring drills.

 

[villasenor]

he is a shicken














it's a bumb thing to say that you actually enjoy being punched, if you hear someone say "i like getting hit" then he's either never been punched by a boxer or kicked/kneed by a muay thai fighter

and if you dont want to just dont do it

 

[corwin137]

Lots of ways to deal with this stuff. Getting used to hitting first, not closing your eyes using the heavy bag. I think training with someone that understands "progressive resistance" is a big deal- someone you feel like understands the contact you're trying to get used to and has the skills to act accordingly based on the level of contact you agree on. Also helps to feel comfortable with your defensive/evasive skills as well. You can also agree to work drills with a certain # of hits- singles, then ramp up the combos.

There's tons more, but am at work. Just use the search function, and you'll find the topic has been covered quite a bit.

 

[AgainstMe!]

Have you watched Fight Club recently?

 

[DrBdan]

Here is a similar thread with some info...

How to become fearless

In my opinion, if you don't want to train stand up then don't. If you are interested start with pad work, then move into light sparring. If you are okay with that then move into full sparring. I don't know how other gyms work but at my gym people in the beginner class aren't even allowed to spar. For the people in the intermediate class it's up to them to decide based on what they want to get out of their training.

 

[ssullivan80]

Please no flames... this is a serious question. Recently started training in martial arts (kajukenbo, BJJ, a little judo) and occasionally roll with a friend who also does muay thai. He has been encouraging me to work on my standup game lately (which sucks) and I am resisting it because I am afraid of being punched, especially in the face or the stomach. (Frankly, afraid of being kicked in either place, too.) So far, I have not even put on protective gear like a headguard or shin guards, and therefore there is no standup sparring. I figure, why bother, if that's not the kind of fighting I have any interest in? What I dig about grappling is that you can tap out *before* you are in serious pain (usually) and I don't like pain.

However, there is a voice at the back of my head telling me I'm being a chicken and I should push my limits.

Any advice out there?

Honestly, i get hurt a lot more rolling than I do sparring, i consistently have far more injuries (minor) rolling with guys than I do sparring (light to med contact) with other fighters.

Truth is, in my opinion, find a good trainer/gym for stand-up and he will know when you're ready to spar. Getting punched while wearing the correct protective equiptment is really not that bad, more startling the first couple of times than anything else. Obviously sparring is just like rolling in BJJ, when you first start you should do so with caution and at a controlled pace with minimal force, then as you progress so will your intesity and comfort level.

If done properly, you will build your comfort level and avoid unecessary injuries.

There is a distinct difference between "not being a chicken" and not being stupid. Being a "chicken" might catch you a little flack but being stupid will get you hurt and impede your overall progress! Just my opinion brotha, good luck!

 

[Soul Rebel]

Listen to the voice in your head. I felt the same way going into my first class and after said class I was hooked. Muay Thai is the cocain of martial arts, you'll see. It cant hurt just to give it a try.

 

[slugger]

the fear of getting hit might be a good thing. somtimes the idea is to hit and not be hit, still you're going to get tagged every now and then. i would just say for you to relax and get more sparring in. always keep a good defense tho.

the more sparring you have under your belt the more comfortable you will be being punched at and fighting. still i wouldn't advise being comfortable with the idea of being hit

 

[slugger]

what helped me was also catching punches with my gloves and checking kicks

touching their offense and somtimes feeling the power of their hit behind a block kind of eased my tension.

 

[mitch1990]

I fight a lot and have been hit very hard and I can truthfully say that I enjoy being punched to some extent. What I don't enjoy doing is getting rocked, cut or getting chipped/lost teeth.

 

[ambertch]

what helped me was also catching punches with my gloves and checking kicks

touching their offense and somtimes feeling the power of their hit behind a block kind of eased my tension.

This is really good advice. I found it helps if catch their jab, or shell up and have your partner hit you and feel how "invulnerable" you are when you block the shot. Gives you confidence that "Hey if I do this he can hit me at full force and there'll be no effect"


One thing I wanted to mention is the double end bag. Get a big 9" one and whenenever that thing hits back it's pretty much like a light puinch. Helps you keep your eyes open and slipping, blocking the bag to just get used to that "tactile sensation"

 

[ForeverFiending]

It's not that bad, even when you get hit good. Adrenaline keeps the pain at bay and the mental focus keeps your mind off of it. Doing lots of defense and countering drills with a partner helps too. But honestly, if you're not into it, I don't see how it would work for you. You have to love it to go through the crap you go through.

 

[pierce8468]

I agree with all of the advice on here. Esp the line about Muay thai bieng the cocaine of mma. I started out Grappling aand paid no attention to the thai classes. Because I felt that at 5/6 155 lbs I am better off getting the guy to the ground and fighting. Them I am standing with him and going at it, since most of the time I end up fighting on the street he is allways bigger then me.

Well let me tell you the error of my ways! First off in your average one on one street fight. You can bet that as soon as you get to the ground, people are going to want to break it up, and yell let him up. Trust me when you have 3 people pulling you off of a guy, your not going to get much done. Secondly it is no defense for a bigger fight. I have had to fight 4 guys at once ( of course alcohol was involved) and although I was trained well enough to get one guy down with me. I could do little to hurt him, because I had his friends kicking, punching and pulling me all at the same time. Luckily for me none of them could fight, so I never got hurt during this fiasco. Although if they did, I would have been seriously hurt. Simply because my first reaction was to go to the ground. Witch put me into a very dangerous position!

These situations made me realize that I had to improve my stand up game. So I started doing the Thai classes. Now I cant get enough of them! Now I am by no means saying that Grappling sucks, and that Thai Boxing is the shit. There are just different fights for different nights! I will say this however. If like some of the others have said, your just no into to it. Then don't do it! You need to enjoy it if your going to gain anything from it, and don't let your buddy push his passions on to you!

As far as advice on losing your fear of getting hit. Well, GET HIT! This may sound absurd, but you will see that it is not that bad at all. Sure you can get a shinner, or a fat lip, but they heal a lot faster than a hyper extended elbow! Also as the others have said, you should be learning how to throw a proper punch right now. Not trying to avoid getting hit!

 

[ssullivan80]

I agree with all of the advice on here. Esp the line about Muay thai bieng the cocaine of mma. I started out Grappling aand paid no attention to the thai classes. Because I felt that at 5/6 155 lbs I am better off getting the guy to the ground and fighting. Them I am standing with him and going at it, since most of the time I end up fighting on the street he is allways bigger then me.

Well let me tell you the error of my ways! First off in your average one on one street fight. You can bet that as soon as you get to the ground, people are going to want to break it up, and yell let him up. Trust me when you have 3 people pulling you off of a guy, your not going to get much done. Secondly it is no defense for a bigger fight. I have had to fight 4 guys at once ( of course alcohol was involved) and although I was trained well enough to get one guy down with me. I could do little to hurt him, because I had his friends kicking, punching and pulling me all at the same time. Luckily for me none of them could fight, so I never got hurt during this fiasco. Although if they did, I would have been seriously hurt. Simply because my first reaction was to go to the ground. Witch put me into a very dangerous position!

These situations made me realize that I had to improve my stand up game. So I started doing the Thai classes. Now I cant get enough of them! Now I am by no means saying that Grappling sucks, and that Thai Boxing is the shit. There are just different fights for different nights! I will say this however. If like some of the others have said, your just no into to it. Then don't do it! You need to enjoy it if your going to gain anything from it, and don't let your buddy push his passions on to you!

As far as advice on losing your fear of getting hit. Well, GET HIT! This may sound absurd, but you will see that it is not that bad at all. Sure you can get a shinner, or a fat lip, but they heal a lot faster than a hyper extended elbow! Also as the others have said, you should be learning how to throw a proper punch right now. Not trying to avoid getting hit!

You said:
"Well let me tell you the error of my ways!"

My response:
Street Fighting should be on the top of that list!

You said:
"As far as advice on losing your fear of getting hit. Well, GET HIT!"

My response:
As far as advice on the fear you should have, getting shot. Well, DONT STREET FIGHT! defending yourself = acceptable (given no other option)
Drunken bar fights = just another jack-ass giving MMA a bad name and hindering the growth of the sport for real athletes, not "street fighters"

 

[SteveQ]

The idea of progressive resistance really worked for me. I started by sparring with someone really good who would easily land strikes but do so with appropriate force; if you spar with someone who is of your same ability, he may have to hit harder to land anything. I found that after a few sessions with someone hitting me at about 35%, it was easier to work up to normal sparring level. I would imagine that just starting full speed could easily scare you out of standup all together

 

[Moose69]

Pain occurs in your brain, not in your body. It only hurts because you expect it to hurt. Maybe ask your friend just not to punch you in the face. I think thats reasonable. Later, when you feel like it, hit him really hard in the nose to let him know your ready to bring on a little more heat.

 

[ssullivan80]

There idea of progressive resistance really worked for me. I started by sparring with someone really good who would easily land strikes but do so with appropriate force; if you spar with someone who is of your same ability, he may have to hit harder to land anything. I found that after a few sessions with someone hitting me at about 35%, it was easier to work up to normal sparring level. I would imagine that just starting full speed could easily scare you out of standup all together

Outstanding advice!

 

[pierce8468]

"Well let me tell you the error of my ways!"

Street Fighting should be on the top of that list!

"As far as advice on losing your fear of getting hit. Well, GET HIT!"

As far as advice on the fear you should have, getting shot. Well, DONT STREET FIGHT! defending yourself = acceptable (given no other option)
Drunken bar fights = just another jack-ass giving MMA a bad name and hindering the growth of the sport for real athletes, not "street fighters"

Damn this forum is full of idiots! Perhaps you have noticed that as I said I am 5/6 and 155lbs, and that more often then not I am fighting a guy larger then me. Could it be perhaps that the overgrown pussy just thinks he can push around the little guy? Perhaps it could also be that I grew up in Philadelphia where you have no choice but to fight from time to time. Not some small town in Ohio jackass! Although your right. When I have a 6/2 230 lb douche bag charging at me. Instead of defending myself, I should offer him some coffee and a doughnut and talk about it.

Get a clue goofy, and learn what the world is really like! Why in the world do you think schools teach techniques for the street? perhaps it is because you are likely to need your training on the street!

 

[ssullivan80]

Damn this forum is full of idiots! Perhaps you have noticed that as I said I am 5/6 and 155lbs, and that more often then not I am fighting a guy larger then me. Could it be perhaps that the overgrown pussy just thinks he can push around the little guy? Perhaps it could also be that I grew up in Philadelphia where you have no choice but to fight from time to time. Not some small town in Ohio jackass! Although your right. When I have a 6/2 230 lb douche bag charging at me. Instead of defending myself, I should offer him some coffee and a doughnut and talk about it.

Get a clue goofy, and learn what the world is really like! Why in the world do you think schools teach techniques for the street? perhaps it is because you are likely to need your training on the street!

Im sure more than a few of us "idiots" would welcome you to come down to our gyms and engage in a friendly sparring session, followed by coffee and doughnut!

I am 100% in favor of defending yourself, just like I am 100% in favor of having a certain amount of street smarts. Which would probably result in less "douche bags" wanting to whip your ass...... But im sure you never start these fights! Your so well spoken!

P.S: Im sure the mean streets of Phili are pretty scary, compared to Ohio...... However, I grew up in Dublin Ireland, then Rotterdam Netherlands, followed by 2 years in Kosovo and 2-3 more throughout East Africa and Indonesia, had a military father. Then moved to Oakland CA, for college. As well as having a twin brother whom I grew up with that has done 2 terms of duty in Baghdad. Between the 2 of us we have been in 3 street fights (both when we were younger). But Im sure Phili is gangsta......!