Please explain the details of sparring.

The way I understand it, once I join a boxing gym and train for a few months, I then move into sparring before going to any actual fights. I need to know more about the details of sparring. Places I've looked on the web haven't given me enough information.

What I need to know is, when sparring, are boxers just tapping each other and going through the moves for practice, or are they really trying to knock each other out? Or do they agree to terms before sparring?

Sparring fights don't EVER get counted on your actual fight record. Right? I don't think they do. That's probably a dumb question now that I think about it.

So what is there to know about sparring?

Sparring doesn't count on your record.

Some gyms have you spar the first night some wait months till they think you're ready.

It can be tapping or heavy - they're unlikely to put a beginner in to get beat up ;)

Sparring is to boxing as a Scrimmage is to Football....I hope you get that analogy

Sparring really depends on experience of both fighters usually you'll start out at a low level ( always remember to focus on the amateur rules, hit and don't get hit, DO NOT try to knock anyone out ) and probably build up to a tougher level the key is to just get better every time you do it.

Sparring should always benefit the least experienced fighter. Whoever is running the gym should watch so that somebody doesn't go in the ring and get the sh** beat out of him. I've spent a lot of years in karate dojos and boxing gyms. I can't tell you how many times I went in the ring with some egomaniac a**clown who was just looking to give someone a beating to show everyone how great he was. Be wary of these guys. The guy who ran the first dojo I belonged to used to watch the sparring. If someone was going too heavy he would take the other fighter's place and beat the crap out of the aggressor. Most of the time they left and never came back.

I always talk with my sparring partner before a sparring session get to know him a little bit show respect for skill and if they don't have any help them out with some advice tell them what they are doing right and so on. No matter what I am always a gentleman, unless the guy I am sparring is A) Showing off and literally TRYING to make me look bad or B) Trying hard to KO me .....I had a problem like that in my last session and a good solid left hook to the body slowed his offense considerably

LOL Lyle.

Good to see you're getting in to it. ;)

I think much of this comes down from the top. My first boxing trainer used to let people get on with it, the second was very good, lots of body sparring, the first time I sparred full was against a good amateur and we worked at my level since no doubt he would have outboxed me - but we both kept it technical, next guy in the ring was less able than me so we kept things at his level.

As Lyle says its about respect but it has to be both ways - the trainer HAS to direct full sparring and it should be supervised IMO it may be he has you spend the whole time just using your jab.

at the club i am at i have learnt who i should spar with as some of the people there arnt very good at coming down a notch for me when i am learning .
but those who can contreol there power help me alot and give me advise on what i am doing wrong and what i am doing well.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lyle

Sparring is to boxing as a Scrimmage is to Football....I hope you get that analogy

Sparring really depends on experience of both fighters usually you'll start out at a low level ( always remember to focus on the amateur rules, hit and don't get hit, DO NOT try to knock anyone out ) and probably build up to a tougher level the key is to just get better every time you do it.

---

What's a scrimmage? ??? :( (Sorry, I don't know)

a scrimmage is like a frendly where you will try out new things and new techniqes . there is no winner or loser it is purly to develope your skills and tryout or deveolpe new tatics with out any thing at stake.

thats they way i see it any way correct me if i am wrong

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lyle

I always talk with my sparring partner before a sparring session get to know him a little bit show respect for skill and if they don't have any help them out with some advice tell them what they are doing right and so on. No matter what I am always a gentleman, unless the guy I am sparring is A) Showing off and literally TRYING to make me look bad or B) Trying hard to KO me .....I had a problem like that in my last session and a good solid left hook to the body slowed his offense considerably

---

Thats the way mate, i had the same problem so 1 right hook to the chin made him wary and a 1 2 combo to his face nilly made him cry ;D

I know even less about football then I do about boxing, and I know almost nothing about boxing.

What is body sparring? Sparring without any head shots? Then full sparring includes head shots?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Randy

I know even less about football then I do about boxing, and I know almost nothing about boxing.

What is body sparring? Sparring without any head shots? Then full sparring includes head shots?

---

yup.

But full sparring can also refer to going at it hard, going light can mean tapping light and slow, regular speed but little power...best to check