Sparring with an Eye Patch

Discipulus

Discipulus

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I'm watching Margarito vs Cotto II right now, and seeing Margarito's eye starting to close after round 3 brought this to my mind. Since we have trainers that make their fighters dizzy during shadowboxing to simulate the state of being rocked, do you think there would be any value to having a fighter as susceptible as Marg was to eye damage do technical sparring with an eye patch on, to get accustomed to using peripheral vision and being aware of the opponent's left hand even when he can't see it that well?

It sounds weird, but I have to wonder if anyone's ever done it. Margarito seems like the kind of guy for whom that might work. A normal fighter might be demoralized by the mere suggestion from his trainer that his eye will likely close up, but Margarito, in round 5, openly invites Cotto to target his eye. I don't think he'd be fazed by the training, so the practice might have helped him.

What do you say, cockamamie, or intriguing?
 
Seems to me like you'd just get beat up in training a lot. Even if you make it light, only being able to see with one eye is bad for your depth perception as far as I understand. It sounds like an interesting idea but I doubt it's practical.
 
I like it. It makes having one eye something that isn't shocking, so if it ever happens in a match you can switch modes right away and surprise your opponent. Cool idea
 
Eerrereeeeeeeh, not sure.

Anybody less that a decent level pro then definitely not. If your a hobbiest or a low level pro and your eye closes to the point you can't see, fight should be stopped. Same way that standing 8's are generally given more freely at amateur level to protect fighters. Not worth the damage.
Prospects and high level pros, I could maybe see a point now and again for psychological reasons, but then if they are prone to it then it's probably happened a few times before.
Maybe in extreme cases with good guys that just bruise like a peach, but generally seems a bit of a waste of time.
 
according to frank dux, he trained blind folded in preparation of his kumite match exactly like JCVD in blood sport.

Therefore, I'm pro blind training.
 
It's not a horrible idea, but nowadays if the fighter says he can't see, or is taking a lot of damage, the fight is typically stopped anyway. The second Cotto/Margarito fight was stopped on that premise.
 
Sinister said:
It's not a horrible idea, but nowadays if the fighter says he can't see, or is taking a lot of damage, the fight is typically stopped anyway. The second Cotto/Margarito fight was stopped on that premise.
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True, but Margarito's vision was definitely badly impaired for most of that fight. He had some success getting away from Cotto's hook early, but once Cotto's jab cut his eye, he started to get hit more and more, even as he was having more success with his own offense. Even if he could see up to the 9th or 10th round, his peripheral vision seemed pretty terrible well before the stoppage in the 11th.

And for the record guys, I'm talking about LIGHT sparring. It would be stupid to throw somebody into hard or even moderate sparring with one eye closed, just as it would be dumb to make your fighter dizzy and then throw him into hard sparring. But with everything slowed down, I was thinking it might prepare him for the eventuality of having his vision badly impaired.
 
He should have never been medically cleared for that fight in the first-place, that's the REAL issue.
 
I'm absolutely against this.

I've never sparred with an eyepatch--- but in High School, I had hurt my eye and everything was completely cloudy to the point of being unable to make out even large objects. I also had a fencing meet later in the day. I tried fencing with an eyepatch-- I don't think I hit anything. My depth perception was completely off. It was actually easier to fence with one cloudy eye and one perfect eye than it was with an eyepatch on.

Now, the worst thing that happened to me was that I was hit in the arm and the chest with a metal stick. I wouldn't want to be in that position with someone throwing bombs at my head.
 
Jukai said:
I'm absolutely against this.

I've never sparred with an eyepatch--- but in High School, I had hurt my eye and everything was completely cloudy to the point of being unable to make out even large objects. I also had a fencing meet later in the day. I tried fencing with an eyepatch-- I don't think I hit anything. My depth perception was completely off. It was actually easier to fence with one cloudy eye and one perfect eye than it was with an eyepatch on.

Now, the worst thing that happened to me was that I was hit in the arm and the chest with a metal stick. I wouldn't want to be in that position with someone throwing bombs at my head.
Click to expand...

Neither would I, which is why I said LIGHT sparring. As in, just trying to touch each other and focusing entirely on technique and finding the range.
 
Discipulus said:
Neither would I, which is why I said LIGHT sparring. As in, just trying to touch each other and focusing entirely on technique and finding the range.
Click to expand...

I guess it may have some benefits, but even having a slither of vision in one eye is infinitely better than no vision. If you have no vision in one eye, you are absolutely helpless (unless you trained extensively, which is a waste of time) and the fight needs to be stopped.
 
Bit of a contradiction there, if training extensively to fight with one eye was a waste of time, then you would still be absolutely helpless with no vision in one eye.

There are fighters in Combat Sports who have won fights with no vision in a single eye, though.
 
Which reminds me, I tried to talk Cyclone Mike into dressing up as Dae Han from Best of the Best for Halloween, but he doesn't think enough people would get the reference. He'd look JUST LIKE that dude, though.
 
I think wearing an eye patch would improve your hook.

pirate_hook.jpg
 
Sinister said:
Bit of a contradiction there, if training extensively to fight with one eye was a waste of time, then you would still be absolutely helpless with no vision in one eye.
Click to expand...

I mean... yeah. Why spend time training with one eye and instead spend time training with two eyes to protect yourself from ever being in a situation where you only have vision in one eye? Or something.
 
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