The Douchebag Sparring Partner

[soldier99]

This used to bother me as well. Now it doesn't bother me so much. If he's fighting full power then that can be a good opportunity. How will you ever have a fight at 100% if you never practise it? If your partner outweighs you a lot and/or is too strong for you then yes you have a right to complain and if he does not or cannot control his strength then simply don't spare with him, period.

If he's about your wight and or strength then you should take the opportunity to learn how to control yourself against a fierce, aggressive opponent. I have some training partners that go a lot harder than they're supposed to. I take this as an opportunity to avoid strikes with footwork and slips, rolls etc and also opportunity to work on getting on the inside.

 

[FierceRedBelt]

I'm tired, injured, old, work appearances, I'm lighter than you!, etc. Just let them set the pace and match their output. My favorite guy is "lets just go to the body this round" and two seconds later he puts a left hook on your jaw.

 

[BigPapaShango]

Speaking to them at the end of the round is the best idea. Let them know they have went full out and you are not comfortable at that pace, ego's can go nuts in sparring.

 

[yookfarb]

I'm tired, injured, old, work appearances, I'm lighter than you!, etc. Just let them set the pace and match their output. My favorite guy is "lets just go to the body this round" and two seconds later he puts a left hook on your jaw.

Ppl actually do that?

 

[j123]

This used to bother me as well. Now it doesn't bother me so much. If he's fighting full power then that can be a good opportunity. How will you ever have a fight at 100% if you never practise it? If your partner outweighs you a lot and/or is too strong for you then yes you have a right to complain and if he does not or cannot control his strength then simply don't spare with him, period.

If he's about your wight and or strength then you should take the opportunity to learn how to control yourself against a fierce, aggressive opponent. I have some training partners that go a lot harder than they're supposed to. I take this as an opportunity to avoid strikes with footwork and slips, rolls etc and also opportunity to work on getting on the inside.

Maybe if you're new and not used to it, it might help. But for experienced fighters who have fights routinely, its not good. TS said he got a concussion and had to miss out on sparring for a month, you can't have that if you're actively competeting

 

[Deathnever]

Before sparring sessions we usually give each other 1 hit on the head so we can establish an acceptable hitting power (were not throwing hay-makers, just a quick jab to the top of the forehead.).

But that doesnt sound like a good solution to your problem, i suggest talking your issues out, like grown men.

 

[andywangboxing]

Honestly man you can either only spar with friends or spar with this guy and throw full power to earn his respect. As much as I hate unnecessary full force sparring, with some people they will always mistake your going light for weakness.

If you insist on sparring this guy again (no one is forcing you to spar anyone or train for that matter), set some traps for him and lure him into some bombs. Keep your defense sharp, because in this sport you give as hard as you expect to receive.

 

[theoldbread]

So i was sparring with a new guy today who recently was cleared to spar with the rest of the guys and he was throwing 100 percent at me and it was pretty obvious he was trying to "beat" me. The thing is i had plenty of opportunities to knock him on his ass but didnt. When i was said "woah, calm down" He rolled his eyes and just walked away. What should i do the next time we spar?

 

[Reyesnuthugr]

So i was sparring with a new guy today who recently was cleared to spar with the rest of the guys and he was throwing 100 percent at me and it was pretty obvious he was trying to "beat" me. The thing is i had plenty of opportunities to knock him on his ass but didnt. When i was said "woah, calm down" He rolled his eyes and just walked away. What should i do the next time we spar?

Srsly? Why not?


If you can't get yourself to do that, just knock him half-way silly using those same opportunities, but not necessarily down (he may go down anyway, but such is life~) A well placed stiff jab or 20 isn't gonna kill him

If you can't do that, then you were either 1) actually skillfully unable to in the first place (despite your claims), or 2) in the wrong sport if your conscious wont allow you to hit a hard hitter with decent shots in actual boxing that you both signed up for

 

[biscuitsbrah]

So i was sparring with a new guy today who recently was cleared to spar with the rest of the guys and he was throwing 100 percent at me and it was pretty obvious he was trying to "beat" me. The thing is i had plenty of opportunities to knock him on his ass but didnt. When i was said "woah, calm down" He rolled his eyes and just walked away. What should i do the next time we spar?

You have my permission to fuck his ass up

 

[Tuaminator]

I'm only just starting to spar and im worried im a "douchebag sparring partner". Normally i alternate and iv only really just started sparing. Problem i have is im bigger than most of the guys and not as skilled.

Its not that i want to hit hard but the guys are quick and avoid my hits so iv got to throw my punches fast but i'm a strong guy and when i throw my hands fast they land hard. But on the other hand i don't really want to hurt people and when do a combination i hit really soft and feel like my hits useless. Iv got a ton of other issues as well which will improve the more i train.

Anyway sometimes people you think are being douche bags are just beginners.

On the other hand iv got a story myself about douchebag. Not sparring but grappling, we are being taught to go real light on each other to learn the technique but the guy iv being going with always resists hard and so when i use power back he acts like im being a jerk. And once we were grappling and he said stop so i let go then when i did he got on my back and choked me. When is cool because its funny but then he acted like he got the best of me when i let him go earlier.

 

[soldier99]

Maybe if you're new and not used to it, it might help. But for experienced fighters who have fights routinely, its not good. TS said he got a concussion and had to miss out on sparring for a month, you can't have that if you're actively competeting

Yes, you're exactly right.

That's why I said he has 2 options, 1 don't spare with that guy - period. If he can't spar properly then there's no need to waste time and take the risk of injury. if he can handle him even though he's going hard then use it as an opportunity.

 

[BigPapaShango]

Srsly? Why not?


If you can't get yourself to do that, just knock him half-way silly using those same opportunities, but not necessarily down (he may go down anyway, but such is life~) A well placed stiff jab or 20 isn't gonna kill him

If you can't do that, then you were either 1) actually skillfully unable to in the first place (despite your claims), or 2) in the wrong sport if your conscious wont allow you to hit a hard hitter with decent shots in actual boxing that you both signed up for

This would be good if both guys were going through a fight camp. Going full out at the stage is good. If the guy is new and throwing bombs you want to get him to chill, not clean him out.

If this fails you can always land one hard shot to show the power he is using, but knocking him silly is not going to achieve much other than a bad atmosphere.

 

[theoldbread]

Srsly? Why not?


If you can't get yourself to do that, just knock him half-way silly using those same opportunities, but not necessarily down (he may go down anyway, but such is life~) A well placed stiff jab or 20 isn't gonna kill him

If you can't do that, then you were either 1) actually skillfully unable to in the first place (despite your claims), or 2) in the wrong sport if your conscious wont allow you to hit a hard hitter with decent shots in actual boxing that you both signed up for

yeah i guess youre right, im actually undecided if i ever want to compete. I have my first smoker in june so well see how that goes

 

[Reyesnuthugr]

If this fails you can always land one hard shot to show the power he is using, but knocking him silly is not going to achieve much other than a bad atmosphere.

That's mostly what I was saying. And then if he continues, another, and so on. That's just the way it works. They always settle down because it takes the wind out of their sails (literally + figuratively) and they don't die so don't anyone worry


Some clarification: What I was saying was not to throw HARD at him, but when a guy is going wild and you see openings, it doesn't take a whole lot to put him on his ass. Just a good solid medium (50-70%) straight punch is more than enough. How is that not fair? You can just feel the universe correcting its balance when this happens. There's nothing fairer or more right in this world

Besides- it's what's going to happen to the guy for the rest of his life in this sport, and those are the rules, might as well get acquainted sooner than later because it wont be doing him any favors to keep him in the dark and shelter him (it will have the opposite effect, from what I've seen). Nip it in the bud clean and efficient. Early on. Have the chivalry to correct this young man, is all I am saying

 

[Reyesnuthugr]

I'm only just starting to spar and im worried im a "douchebag sparring partner". Normally i alternate and iv only really just started sparing. Problem i have is im bigger than most of the guys and not as skilled.

Its not that i want to hit hard but the guys are quick and avoid my hits so iv got to throw my punches fast but i'm a strong guy and when i throw my hands fast they land hard. But on the other hand i don't really want to hurt people and when do a combination i hit really soft and feel like my hits useless. Iv got a ton of other issues as well which will improve the more i train.

Anyway sometimes people you think are being douche bags are just beginners.

On the other hand iv got a story myself about douchebag. Not sparring but grappling, we are being taught to go real light on each other to learn the technique but the guy iv being going with always resists hard and so when i use power back he acts like im being a jerk. And once we were grappling and he said stop so i let go then when i did he got on my back and choked me. When is cool because its funny but then he acted like he got the best of me when i let him go earlier.

If you're worried you might be throwing too hard you can use mostly/only jabs. Those are very unlikely to be too hard for sparring

 

[shunyata]

I don't get why this thread gets made other week.

Step 1: Fucking talk tell him that the sparring is too hard for your liking, ask him if you ar maybe sparring too hard yourself and just have a fucking normal conversation I don't get why the fuck you just wouldn't talk to him before you decide to ask strangers ina forum

Step 2: if that doesn't work because he's an asshole or even maybe he is no asshole but shit at sontrolling hismelf either a.) refuse to spar with him, period or b.) beat the shit out of him in sparring so that he WILL go lighter for his own sake or he will stop sparring you voluntarily.

I've never understood why so many people can jab a guy in the face but are afraid to speak to him.

 

[Jiu Jitsu Boxer]

i had this problem in gi jiu jitsu. there was this 40 something year old blue belt complaining that i was going too hard. he told me to calm down like a biatch after applying shoulder pressure to his chin. i didn't say anything i just looked at him and laughed and decided to go a little softer just for him. a few days later we were going over passing guard on top and sweeping from the bottom and ended up being his partner again. i decided to go easy and just tire him out to pass but this dude went as hard as he could and took advantage of how easy he was having it. swept me clean and i just looked at him like he was stupid and avoided him every day after that. people that complain shouldn't even be stepping foot in gyms in the first place. he had no business rolling with me. take the hard sparring, avoid the hard sparring or just don't spar at all

 

[swamp_fist]

A beginner who doesn't know or can't yet control his power should be talked to. That's different from a boxer with enough experience to know better but whose ego has gotten the better of him and he amps up to make sure he's "winning" any time he gets touched.

In my experience, talking with the latter doesn't do much good.

I don't mind hard sparring if that's what we've agreed to do and I have headgear on. But douchebags spar with intent, which isn't hard sparring; it's a fight.

I'll give a douchebag a few warnings to tone it down. After that, I respond with force. If he's in my weight class, it's a good chance to test my latest moves in the crucible. If he's above my weight class, I won't spar him unless my skills are enough above his to keep my damage to a minimum.

 

[Willyw]

I dont think the "Just put him on his ass"-attitude is any smart;
1. If you have that mentality, you are aknowledning the intensity you are fighting. If you are some what equal, you just start a bad spiral..
2. Just telling him to go easy, is often enough. If it`s not enough, continue repeating it. If nothing happends, just refuse to spar with him. Tell him and your coach. Fighting is a selfish game, where only you are responssible for yourself.
3. What I do, when some one below my level wants to go hard, is to put away my ego. Instead of going hard back, and taking chances, I just circle around and jabbing him to peaces. If he cuts down the distance, ill clinch and grind. I dont look for hard punches, im just working on not taking any damadge!