I'm just back to the gym myself, Lyle. I've only been out about six months, but there was still plenty of rust. One of my favorite sparring partners was there and actually sparred two rounds( not too intense) .I'm heading over a little later tonight.

While I certainly don't consider myself an expert, I've put a fair amount of effort in that direction and it's probably one of my relative strengths. I've had a few different trainers, but my best so far and the one who taught me the most is Franco DiOrio. His biggest claim to fame is a 10 round decision loss to Hector Camacho. He was one of Vinnie Paz's main sparring partners and he sparred with all the good New England JWW/WW's of that time- Ward, Oliveira, Curet, etc.

I use two main drills to practice countering. The first is with hitting pads and you've probably done it at some point. While running through your pad work, the trainer "counters", smacking you with the pad, and you in turn counter the counter.

Countering with the same hand I use to block was not intuitive for me, and this really helped. Throw a 1-2, making sure to the right back into position immediately. Then the trainer throws a left hook at your head. Block with the right and throw a straight right followed by a left hook. The trainer counters your left with a right. You wait for the contact, the fire a 3-2. Trainer throws a 3 to the body, block with elbow, counter with 4-3. You get the picture. It will build counterpunch sequences into your muscle memory based actually feeling the contact. As you get better increase the speed and make the sequences longer.

The second main thing I do it more or less the same drill, but substitute a sparring partner for the trainer with pads. I almost always spend two rounds with a partner jabbing, parrying, and counter jabbing, alternating leading or even free sparring with jabs and parries only. The I'll do a round of partner jabs, I swat jab, counter right. Then I'll move on to something like your partner throwing a 1-2, you parry, block, counter left hook or parry, slip and step, left hook to body. They you build in blocking the left hook with your right hand/elbow, and countering right a 2 or 4, building and building until it becomes automatic with different sequences.

Obviously there are different possible counters to different punches, and you can drill them all. Normally, I take what I learned on the pad work and then partner up, agree on the sequences, and work, and eventually, apply it for real in sparring.

This really helped my overall sparring, but in particular, it helped my inside game.

PS, if you ever come up Boston way, I'm currently a cruiser, hopefully soon back to light heavy, but I'm happy with hw's.