Sparring with the Coach :(

[thehairyfairy]

So I do Muay Thai and Boxing separately, whilst preparing for my first upcoming MMA fight which will happen at the start of February, I was at my boxing gym sparring with the coach (neither of us wearing headgear) and got completely outworked, the first few minutes I was doing well, landing shots, working the jab etc.. then when he worked out my rhythm, he started picking me apart, but my biggest problem was when I ate a nice uppercut, whenever I'd come in range to land my shots I'd be worried about eating a shot on the way out and became a lot more erratic with my strikes and kept my hands up a lot more and was just more anticipative about his strikes, covering up a lot more than I normally do etc.. which has never been a problem sparring with any of the other guys at the gym. The only positive I took from this session was I can safely say I can take a beating and stay on my feet.

I've seen videos of Tyrone Spong, Jerome Le Banner, Alistair Overeem and several professional boxers and all their sparring partners cover up exactly the same way during hard sparring and fight a lot more erratically, is there any way to counteract this during sparring, I asked my coach and he kept reinforcing the ideas of angles but it would be appreciated if anyone here could give me a couple of pointers or useful tips.

Thanks in advance, The Hairy Fairy.

 

[NAKMUAY18]

If you were eatting punches on the way out, were you coming straight back? If you move straight back he can wait for you to finish throwing then follow you out with his own combo. Move back then step left or right so he has to reset to follow you. I also like to double jab as I retreat.

 

[thehairyfairy]

If you were eatting punches on the way out, were you coming straight back? If you move straight back he can wait for you to finish throwing then follow you out with his own combo. Move back then step left or right so he has to reset to follow you. I also like to double jab as I retreat.

Wasn't coming straight back was more staying in the pocket a bit too long, but yeah will definitely try the double jab to move backwards, but as I would jab back out he'd do a simple left hook, right hook combo and I'd be back in the pocket trying to circle out or against the ropes, it was so frustrating granted he's a professional fighter but he had an answer for everything I threw at him

 

[kflo]

how bout just tying him up inside? or pushing him off?

 

[NAKMUAY18]

Without video it's hard say what exactly happen, but i'd guess he's just plain better at boxing than you and when he got you flusterd he didn't let up.
If he's pouring on the pressure try to stay composed, watch what he's doing and react accordingly, rather than getting hit then thinking you e to hit back straight away. Try to move to space think about what he did and how your gonna counter next time. Chances are if a combo worked the first time he's gonna throw it again in the round, if he does counter it!
Patience and composiour are what you need here. Remember you don't spar to win rounds, if you can adapt to what he does and get a couple of nice shots in, that better than erratically pot shotting.

 

[Frode Falch]

Variation in your defense is the key.. Dont just use one style of defense. Because that make it very easy to read you. If you allways hide behind a tight guard while moving back in a straight line, thats easy to use against you.

- Sometimes use the "crazy monkey" style of blocking strikes by rolling your forearms while being in the double guard.

- Use headmovement and footwork to keep your partner guessing in what way your are going to move away from his strikes.

- Other times, keep your hand wide out as a fence, and pick up his strikes before they are completed (this works best against fighters who like to use hooks).

- Use the shoulder-roll. Keep one hand up, the other (lead) hand low, but use your lead shoulder to guard your shin. Counter with jabs from downstairs, or a loose hook (RJJ and Chuck Liddel style)

- Try going into clinch with him. Use dirty boxing and knees, or just wrestle him around to drain his cardio. This is great in situations where you know that you got better cardio then him.. Make him gas out, then break clinch and pick him apart.. If he comes back into action, go back into clinch and repeat.

- Last you got the option of using weapons that sting him if he try to come in.. Weapons of choice should be: stiff jab, a solid teep (push kick), a good uppercut, or step in straight knee.

 

[NAKMUAY18]

I wouldn't recommend landing a straight knee on the boxing coach. They tend to not like them.

 

[Frode Falch]

haha i read it too fast. did not see it was only boxing

 

[KounterPunch]

- Use the shoulder-roll. Keep one hand up, the other (lead) hand low, but use your lead shoulder to guard your shin. Counter with jabs from downstairs, or a loose hook (RJJ and Chuck Liddel style)

Never never ......never tell anyone to just use the Philly shell.
It's just one of those things that ,unless shown by somebody who knows what he's doing and actually uses it , will just get the guy beat up and look like a douche while he's at it.

And "Chuck Liddell" style ???
AND in the same sentence as Roy Jones jr ?!!!

and I had such high hopes for you , frode

 

[Frode Falch]

Haha i was talking about a loose hook. Not that they got the same level of boxing

 

[KounterPunch]

The only similarities in their styles is that they both have fists at the end of their arms.

 

[Frode Falch]

They dont need to be similar. They both use a loose hook. Its not the same punch. But both use a loose hook with great effect.

I know its one of the safe shortcuts to being one of the vise guys to shit on Chuck's striking.. But i am not one of them.

 

[KounterPunch]

context.

If you're shitting on "Chuck Lidell style" in terms of mma ......eh , not so bad.

If its in terms of pure boxing or even kickboxing (as in this thread) ?
Pretty bad.

 

[thehairyfairy]

Variation in your defense is the key.. Dont just use one style of defense. Because that make it very easy to read you. If you allways hide behind a tight guard while moving back in a straight line, thats easy to use against you.

- Sometimes use the "crazy monkey" style of blocking strikes by rolling your forearms while being in the double guard.

- Use headmovement and footwork to keep your partner guessing in what way your are going to move away from his strikes.

- Other times, keep your hand wide out as a fence, and pick up his strikes before they are completed (this works best against fighters who like to use hooks).

- Use the shoulder-roll. Keep one hand up, the other (lead) hand low, but use your lead shoulder to guard your shin. Counter with jabs from downstairs, or a loose hook (RJJ and Chuck Liddel style)

- Try going into clinch with him. Use dirty boxing and knees, or just wrestle him around to drain his cardio. This is great in situations where you know that you got better cardio then him.. Make him gas out, then break clinch and pick him apart.. If he comes back into action, go back into clinch and repeat.

- Last you got the option of using weapons that sting him if he try to come in.. Weapons of choice should be: stiff jab, a solid teep (push kick), a good uppercut, or step in straight knee.

Agree with the points in this, I guess I wasn't mixing my defence up and it made me pretty predictable, I think the worst part of my defence is definitely my head movement and need a lot of work on it, so I often just tend to avoid it altogether during hard sparring.

 

[aries]

Wasn't coming straight back was more staying in the pocket a bit too long, but yeah will definitely try the double jab to move backwards, but as I would jab back out he'd do a simple left hook, right hook combo and I'd be back in the pocket trying to circle out or against the ropes, it was so frustrating granted he's a professional fighter but he had an answer for everything I threw at him

You need to be exiting either left or right after your combos, safer to go right against an orthodox (change your elevation as well to mix it up and avoid a follow up shot) or if you are in close either tie him up or get your head on his shoulder where he can't hit you (at least in the head).

EDIT: Just read this:

I asked my coach and he kept reinforcing the ideas of angles but it would be appreciated if anyone here could give me a couple of pointers or useful tips.

Thanks in advance, The Hairy Fairy.

This is exactly what you coach means when he says angles. Don't back straight up, instead pivot off to one side after your combos, don't just stand in front of him in the pocket if you have finished your work. Practice your combos and add an exit maneuver to all of them