People who asked you to go light before sparring are the worst

I think the worst are people that start sparring sessions at near 100% intensity at the beginning with no warning.
 
After the competition phase, I went to sparring light. I know what it is like to take a hard shot and feel that explosion in your head, pain in the body or get knocked out. However I am 64 years old and have been thru several brain scans and memory tests with some family members basing it on the hard knocks I took sparring and competing. Luckily I am Ok, just tune out the wife too much. The fighters in the gym know my age and situation and go light. I have to watch the kicks as well as I had hip surgery. After first sparring session with a new guy, if it goes heavy, I do ask them to slow down which they do on subsequent sparring sessions. Now I am having fun. I realize this type of sparring is sort of a waste of time especially for the pros so I try to at least be aggressive and try to use my size to pin them in one spot. Thinking this at least gives them a charging fighter to train on. Some fighters spar me just working on defense. I am not one of those guys that ask to go light and then go heavy. I honor my word. Would never work with the pros and experienced amateur fighters anyway.

Per my instructor, I realize that going light like I do does slow down my reflexes as well as makes me too comfortable. I compensate by going hard in the rest of my training. In my opinion, I feel it is stupid, per health reasons, to go hard in sparring for your entire life especially if you are not competing. Even Muay Thai Fighters hang up the gloves fairly early in life. Some are so beat up they cannot even train that effectively after competing. When I spar light, I do try combinations and tactics my instructor has taught me. From a self defense prospective, I believe it prepares me better for self defense than just hitting the bag. My skills could not stand up against an experienced fighter but what are the odds a thug will be an experienced fighter. I want to keep learning mainly now for fitness and self defense. More fun than running and weight lifting. I see this is as the best approach for that goal while protecting my health. I want to be doing this stuff in my 80s even though at that age, I probably could not whip a paper bag.
 
If you want to spar for self defense first rule is this:
1 vs 1 with 30 seconds usually will be enough....or too late.

2 nd rule: if you spar for SD you don't have rounds or time limit.
You don't have ....
Session till end...

This means what in reality?
Doesn't matter will be round 30 seconds or 10 minutes in row.... It is SD 1 vs 1.

In real SD the Judge will be God.:(
Only he.

This. I hope you never will experience this....
 
WDSTK said:
After the competition phase, I went to sparring light. I know what it is like to take a hard shot and feel that explosion in your head, pain in the body or get knocked out. However I am 64 years old and have been thru several brain scans and memory tests with some family members basing it on the hard knocks I took sparring and competing. Luckily I am Ok, just tune out the wife too much. The fighters in the gym know my age and situation and go light. I have to watch the kicks as well as I had hip surgery. After first sparring session with a new guy, if it goes heavy, I do ask them to slow down which they do on subsequent sparring sessions. Now I am having fun. I realize this type of sparring is sort of a waste of time especially for the pros so I try to at least be aggressive and try to use my size to pin them in one spot. Thinking this at least gives them a charging fighter to train on. Some fighters spar me just working on defense. I am not one of those guys that ask to go light and then go heavy. I honor my word. Would never work with the pros and experienced amateur fighters anyway.

Per my instructor, I realize that going light like I do does slow down my reflexes as well as makes me too comfortable. I compensate by going hard in the rest of my training. In my opinion, I feel it is stupid, per health reasons, to go hard in sparring for your entire life especially if you are not competing. Even Muay Thai Fighters hang up the gloves fairly early in life. Some are so beat up they cannot even train that effectively after competing. When I spar light, I do try combinations and tactics my instructor has taught me. From a self defense prospective, I believe it prepares me better for self defense than just hitting the bag. My skills could not stand up against an experienced fighter but what are the odds a thug will be an experienced fighter. I want to keep learning mainly now for fitness and self defense. More fun than running and weight lifting. I see this is as the best approach for that goal while protecting my health. I want to be doing this stuff in my 80s even though at that age, I probably could not whip a paper bag.
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Fast light sparring vs really decent guy exaust damn a lot and quickly....
 
I guess in SD you do your best to prepare. My instructor believes full contact competition is the way to train for a street fight as best safest way. Cannot do that anymore. I like the thought on sparring light and fast. Only problem is most of my sparring partners are 80+ pounds lighter than me so it slows me up a lot to go light especially with a right hand or left hook. However it does help with fitness to do my footwork fast I am finding out. Hitting light and fast is something I am working on. Thanks for the advice.
 
Huh. I ask people to go light all the time. So I'm the a-hole! Although my MT gym seems to encourage this. Frankly it's rare an MT guy goes hard on me. Although most people probably know, or can tell quite quickly, that I suck. (I also didn't start til I was 42, so they might just realize I'm an old man.)


Regular boxing folks seem to go a little harder.


If you go light a lot you definitely need to train outside the ring for explosiveness. Because you can definitely get stuck in a 3/4 speed rut and get your ass handed to you in a more serious fight. (Been there!)

But overall I'm pro light sparring. (Covers head in anticipation of the rotten tomatoes.)
 
Some fighters like to hard spar and others keep it super light. Only reason I can think for hard sparring is to get used to somebody trying to take your head off. Sparring should generally be light to medium. Some shots will land a bit hard because of momentum and adrenaline but you should never be trying to clock the other person (unless it's agreed to first).

What if somebody is looking to get in shape and learn how to defend themselves but at the same time doesn't want to get brain damage??
 
In a way I kind of admire Spacetime's absolute dedication to being this forum's archenemy.
 
RemyR said:
In a way I kind of admire Spacetime's absolute dedication to being this forum's archenemy.
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with so many options and ways to spend your time both online and IRL it’s actually pretty flattering. He must really enjoy being punted about the forums like everyone’s third favorite soccer ball
 
I always ask to go light, and I stick to it...

Hard sparring should only be for people who are going to compete, fewer things are worse for your brain..

Regular medium / hard sparring gives you worse brain damage than a meth addiction..
 
MT5 said:
Huh. I ask people to go light all the time. So I'm the a-hole! Although my MT gym seems to encourage this. Frankly it's rare an MT guy goes hard on me. Although most people probably know, or can tell quite quickly, that I suck. (I also didn't start til I was 42, so they might just realize I'm an old man.)


Regular boxing folks seem to go a little harder.


If you go light a lot you definitely need to train outside the ring for explosiveness. Because you can definitely get stuck in a 3/4 speed rut and get your ass handed to you in a more serious fight. (Been there!)

But overall I'm pro light sparring. (Covers head in anticipation of the rotten tomatoes.)
Click to expand...

The hardest sparrings I had were in mma/combat sambo. Boxers here, with the rare exceptions, tend to go light if it’s not for competition preparations, and same goes for MT/KB practitioners. The basic rule is “medium/hard to the body, quick’n’light to the head”.
 
Dexter said:
The hardest sparrings I had were in mma/combat sambo. Boxers here, with the rare exceptions, tend to go light if it’s not for competition preparations, and same goes for MT/KB practitioners. The basic rule is “medium/hard to the body, quick’n’light to the head”.
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preach
 
No mercy in the dojo. Well I prefer gyms, and sports are for everyone. Not just competitors. Lol @ no mercy at the dojo. Someone's been watching movies.
 
Dexter said:
The hardest sparrings I had were in mma/combat sambo. Boxers here, with the rare exceptions, tend to go light if it’s not for competition preparations, and same goes for MT/KB practitioners. The basic rule is “medium/hard to the body, quick’n’light to the head”.
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opposite for me, hardest was boxers

I'm sure I'll offend a bunch, but I found MMA sparring "easier", in MMA i could relax at times as I stall and hold guard, I can't do that in pure striking where I always have to be "on my bicycle" when I'm gassed, MMA I can work off my guard, I can't do that in boxing, and sure as shit can't do that in MT when I'm getting raped in the clinch if it comes to it.
 
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j123 said:
opposite for me, hardest was boxers

I'm sure I'll offend a bunch, but I found MMA sparring "easier", in MMA i could relax at times as I stall and hold guard, I can't do that in pure striking where I always have to be "on my bicycle" when I'm gassed, MMA I can work off my guard, I can't do that in MMA, and sure as shit can't do that in MT when I'm getting raped in the clinch if it comes to it.
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one of our stud wrestler mma fighters just took a Muay Thai fight. Trained the clinched, worked hard to prepare but still gassed in the 3rd. Talking to him afterwards he said he realized how much he relies on his wrestling to find spaces to rest and recover. Having to go fund blazing for 3 rounds is a different thing
 
patos said:
TS might be a douche but I agree with his point, just not the reasoning why.

Everybody who ever asked me to go light went hard as fuck. Not a single exception in the last 5 years. At best they started off light then ramped up hard. I'm sitting there pitty pattering them worrying about their feelings and shit, and they come at me with bombs looking to take my head off. What they're saying when they ask that is not "Let's go light" it's "please go light, and I'll do whatever the fuck I want".

The only good way to go about it is the lesser experienced of the two dictates (in action, not words) how hard he wants to go and the more experienced guy matches that. I'm all for playing tag in the ring, I can get value out of either light or hard work, but I need my guy to give me the same courtesy he asks of me.
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This is my experience too.

I had one jackass newb "explain" to me what light sparring means, then immediately whip an uncontrolled spinning backfist at me.
 
I always ask to go light in sparring. This makes me feel way less like a dick when I have to level up and start clobbering their body.

When you've done it long enough you can tell when someone is swinging to hurt you.

Yup, good ol' chin check and dig to the body with left hook and right shin. Excellent way to see how long they wanna play that 'go-hard' game.
 
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