First Spar

**Greig** · 07-20-2007 07:09 AM

Well, after about 5 months of going to my gym I finally had a contact sparring session. I went about 4 or 5 two minute rounds... First impressions:-

I need to move my head more.

When I jab I need to bring it back faster coz I was a sucker for the counter right hand.

It's real hard with my (limited) foot speed to get close enough to throw a decent hook.

I need to learn how to avoid body shots better.

I have a pretty decent straight right that found it's mark a few times. It's not Tommy Hearns, but I'm working on it...

I need to get to the gym more than once or twice a week to get my conditioning and technique better.

All in all, I had a blast.

**spaceballwon** · 07-20-2007 09:34 AM

congrats. i remember my first sparring session vividly, great fun then and it only gets better. just some things to keep in mind as you progress:

you will have good sessions and horrid sessions, learn from both varieties.

dont worry as much about how you do as how you learn, thats the most important part. ive learned more getting my ass beat so bad i didnt even want to go back to the gym than i have running the table against a bunch of people all day.

if you have means of video taping it, do so. it's a lot easier to see your flaws from the third person than the first person.

**BIG H** · 07-20-2007 02:22 PM

Originally Posted by Greig

Well, after about 5 months of going to my gym I finally had a contact sparring session. I went about 4 or 5 two minute rounds... First impressions:-

I need to move my head more.

When I jab I need to bring it back faster coz I was a sucker for the counter right hand.

It's real hard with my (limited) foot speed to get close enough to throw a decent hook.

I need to learn how to avoid body shots better.

I have a pretty decent straight right that found it's mark a few times. It's not Tommy Hearns, but I'm working on it...

I need to get to the gym more than once or twice a week to get my conditioning and technique better.

All in all, I had a blast.

CC m8 - fair play

**Von Milash** · 07-21-2007 05:40 AM

Greig, good stuff. Your honesty with yourself with let you learn in leaps and bounds. cc.

**Greig** · 07-21-2007 05:55 AM

Thanks fellas.

I am realistic - I am 29 and a good stone overweight. I'm not going to be world champ, I probably won't compete much, if at all. It's all about fun, fitness and learning the game I love.

I've always loved boxing and thought I'd like to give it a try.

**Von Milash** · 07-21-2007 02:16 PM

Greig, if I couldn't see your name beside your posts I'd almost think they were mine. lol.

Keep at it. You'll learn very quickly how to land that hook.

PS - funny thing, my wife and I almost (well, were considering) named our first son Graig after the old MLbaseball player Graig Nettles. Not too many Greigs/Graigs around....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graig_Nettles

**Greig** · 07-21-2007 03:14 PM

Mate, that is really funny:-

My mum and dad wanted to name me Derek after the Glasgow Rangers striker Derek Johnstone. Instead I was named after defender John Greig and in Australia (where I now live) everyone has a hard time thinking of Greig as how my name is spelt. I have to say 'like Tony Greig the cricketer'...

**Hulk** · 07-23-2007 08:30 AM

A week ago, I too had my first sparring session. But let me ask a few things, since mine varied a bit from yours:

1. Is 4 or 5 months typical or a long time to go before having your first sparring session? Because I have barely gotten in over 1 month at the gym before I had my first sparring session.

2. What do you do for conditioning? In my first sparrin session I only went TWO 2 minute rounds and I was gassed, not till my third sparrin session about 4 days later did I make it to THREE 2 minute rounds and then I was really gassed. I'm in pretty good shape and I run bout 1.5 mile a day and exercise but THREE 2 minute rounds is a long time for me right now.

Anyway good luck on your sparrin, it can be a lot of fun, when you aren't gettin your ass countered the whole time.

**spaceballwon** · 07-23-2007 06:06 PM

Originally Posted by Hulk

A week ago, I too had my first sparring session. But let me ask a few things, since mine varied a bit from yours:

1. Is 4 or 5 months typical or a long time to go before having your first sparring session? Because I have barely gotten in over 1 month at the gym before I had my first sparring session.

2. What do you do for conditioning? In my first sparrin session I only went TWO 2 minute rounds and I was gassed, not till my third sparrin session about 4 days later did I make it to THREE 2 minute rounds and then I was really gassed. I'm in pretty good shape and I run bout 1.5 mile a day and exercise but THREE 2 minute rounds is a long time for me right now.

Anyway good luck on your sparrin, it can be a lot of fun, when you aren't gettin your a** countered the whole time.

gotta run more and run hard, and every time you do any exercises at all, it doesnt hurt to do em with short rest periods. having your heart rate jacked up is where the good stuff comes from.

**Greig** · 07-24-2007 07:11 AM

Originally Posted by Hulk

A week ago, I too had my first sparring session. But let me ask a few things, since mine varied a bit from yours:

1. Is 4 or 5 months typical or a long time to go before having your first sparring session? Because I have barely gotten in over 1 month at the gym before I had my first sparring session.

2. What do you do for conditioning? In my first sparrin session I only went TWO 2 minute rounds and I was gassed, not till my third sparrin session about 4 days later did I make it to THREE 2 minute rounds and then I was really gassed. I'm in pretty good shape and I run bout 1.5 mile a day and exercise but THREE 2 minute rounds is a long time for me right now.

Anyway good luck on your sparrin, it can be a lot of fun, when you aren't gettin your a** countered the whole time.

Yeah, I've got to agree with spaceballwon here - running is where the condition comes from. I should stress however that the rounds I sparred were not intense. I was sparring with more experienced guys who were not going all out on me. In truth these guys probably weren't even going half pace for them. That is probably why I was able to do 5, although I was blowing damn hard at the end.

I'm glad I had longer than a month before doing it though. I've spent a lot of time practising basics like footwork and slips/blocks (not that you'd probably know from watching me), as well as working on my conditioning which was APPALLING when I first started. I smoked for 12 years, only giving up in April last year, so I haven't been truly physically fit since I was a teenager.

A typical gym session for me would be.

Shadow box - 5 mins
Light Stretch
Skipping - 10 mins
Stretch
Running out front of gym (800m jog followed by 4 hundred metre sprints - that is just what we're doing now, it's been built up. We started with just doing a 400 mtre jog)
Floor exercises (60 push ups, 60 situps in 3 sets of 20, leg raises, trunk strengthening exercises, what we do can vary from session to session.)
4 x 2 minute rounds on the heavy bag with certain periods of sprinting where you just wing hard straight punches for 30 seconds here or there.
Aerobic weight session (this hurts the most, using a 1 or 2 kilo weight we pump the wieghts in different directions for 2 or 3 rounds)
THen we do a few rounds of partner work, like focus pads, blocks/slips, coutering jabs etc whatever the boss asks us to do.

I like to wrap up with a couple of rounds of the speed bag because I'm new to it and I suck at it so it's good practice for me. It's also not too hard on the lungs, coz I am usually knackered by this time.

I end by stretching thoroughly.

**silent assassin** · 07-24-2007 07:31 AM

Roadwork is a key part of getting into fight shape. But IMO this probably wasn't the factor in this case. The 1.5- 2 miles that u have been running is not a bad distance & is more than adequate for u at this stage.

There's nothing at all wrong with gett'n tired on ur first day sparring. More than the issue of if u had done enough roadwork is being comfortable/relaxed & breathing normally. Start paying alot of attention to if ur tense or relaxed, holding ur breath or breathing normally while ur sparring.

Don't get too bothered about the fact that u gassed. It's OK & totally normal for this to happen when ur just starting to spar. You'll start to get comfortable/relaxed & things will start coming around for u. The big thing here is that u keep sparring regularly. The more u spar, the easier/better it will get for u.

Good luck & I hope this helps.