Sparring tonight some observations and advice please

[Lord Harris]

Hey all first off to summise I sparred 2 guys tonight, both had one thing in common. They both have longer reach, not a huge amount though and both are probably a little less strong as they are younger. Im welter they are probably light welter and welter. They throw mainly straight shots, the raw guy the odd hook.
I had a bt of a stormer sparring on Wed so confidence was high. First bloke I sparred for 2 rounds was even more a novice than me so I resigned myself to work mainly on defence. Lesson learnt there, im nowhere near good enough for that yet although I could have hurt him up close on the ropes as I have with more experienced fighters I didnt. Looking back I was probably not aggressive enough. Needless to say he didnt and when he realised I was taking it easier on him and came storming after me, what made matters worse was he spat his gumshield out halfway through due tothe 1st making me reticent about throwing shots. Second lad I always spar, fast long reach experienced with 9 fights. Weirdly this actually went better as he isnt so damn wild lol

Anyway some observations and feedback which I would appreciate some advice on. Some may be purely inexperience bearing in mind I havbe been boxing training for 11 weeks.

I tend to overreach when I throw the jab and leave me chin out to dry, try to compensate for lack of reach I guess.

My right hand drops gradually through the round leaving me suseptible to left hooks.

When I try and parry with jab with the right hand its way too "waving", I can actually feel it throwing me off balance. Guess I should calm down.

Some questions I have.

When you see someone winding up the right hand what the best method to stop and counterpunch. The raw guy I sparred was doing this all the time. I avoided it by either stepping or half stepping back but I know there must be a better method.

How the hell do you land a left hook to the inside or head after slipping a jab, I know your meant to slip to your inside and step in but damn the timing is HARD.

My straight right on the heavy bag is strong but for some reason in sparring it seems to wing almost, difference in height Im aiming at I guess, plus moving target.

Some PLUS POINTS.

The catch and step left counter for the jab worked perfectly on the experienced guy. I got the timing down. It was bothering him enough he actually put his glove on my right shoulder in the end in an effort to stop. Despite my reach disadvantage.

I was countering the same guy with the my own left jab and occasional right really well, I can really feel the timing here improving.

My ring fitness is improving as Ive increased my roadwork and im starting to pick my shots an counters ever so slightly more
.

Thats all a=boviously a video would help and I am working on this for the future. I have foucs mitts and full length mirror, double end bag and slip bag at home, and I can usually press gang my dad into drills lol if you have any suggestions.

Thanks

[Salty]

Ok i'll try help you with the things i have don to help rectify some of these problems.

My right hand drops gradually through the round leaving me suseptible to left hooks

Get yourself a medicine ball, a basketball court (or just somewhere you can run shuttles) and a timer. Hold the medicine ball in a good defence (winky wright style) so you are looking underneathe the ball with your elbows in, sprint between then back of the court and the front non stop for two minutes. This will make sure you wont drop your hands anymore.

When I try and parry with jab with the right hand its way too "waving", I can actually feel it throwing me off balance. Guess I should calm down

It sounds like you are too tense and overreacting which can be easily exploited by your opponent if they can feint, so just try and stay relaxed.

When you see someone winding up the right hand what the best method to stop and counterpunch.

I personally like to slip straight punches, slip to the outside at the same time land a driving right straight into his right ribs, your also then perfectly set up for a left hook to the chin/temple as they generally bring their hands down if they are inexperienced.

How the hell do you land a left hook to the inside or head after slipping a jab, I know your meant to slip to your inside and step in but damn the timing is HARD.

You slip to the outside of their jab, a slip to the right is the same as throwing a left hook just with the inclusion of a step forward with the right foot. Practise throwin your left hook but instead of throwing the punch bend slightly at the knees and waist and step forward with the right. This alows you to hook to the head or solar plexus or even sets you up for a nice left uppercut to the chin when they are very predictable.

My straight right on the heavy bag is strong but for some reason in sparring it seems to wing almost, difference in height Im aiming at I guess, plus moving target.

It sounds like you aren't balanced enough, just practise your footwork whenever you can.



Good luck mate and i hope this helps

[Lord Harris]

Thanks for taking the time to read.
Thts excellent advice mate just what i was looking for. Most if not all of the areas are from sheer inexperience but as much as a blur sparring tends to be at points I always learn or experiment with something or at least come away with that can be improved.

[greynotsoold]

The previous comment stole much of my material

A couple things, though..... If you are reaching with your jab, try pushing off your rear foot instead of stepping with your front foot. You won't reach and it will do wonders to get you inside. The key to landing the left hook or uppercut after slipping inside the jab is all in the step you take. The step should be small- this is a quick move- and you have to bring your right foot up instantly as well or your balance will be off. To get your straight right working in the ring as well as on the bag.....practice your power punches with the bag coming towards you, as you want your opponent to be doing in the ring when you nail him. While sparring, try slipping inside the jab and landing the straight right to the heart area. Getting this timing right should also help with the slip/hook move. Once you can land the right to the heart, practice slipping and throwing it to the chin, UNDER his jab.

If you've got the catch-pivot-jab counter working well, you can get it all. Good Luck

[Lord Harris]

Really appreciate that advice Grey. Will shadow it tonight and then practice it peice by piece. Gym is so busy trainers rarely give advice like this.

On the stepping off the backfoot jab, I usually do this when I throw the jab to be honest. The slight pushoff preludes a falling step with a slight waist twist then arm extension. Ive recently been pointing my foot inwards with the step for weight transfer and its been working great.

On Monday I made a conscious effort to not turn away and "reach" and it worked wonders, I was jabbing his jab out of the air, parrying, catching everything apart from slipping lol. I was actually wanting him to throw a jab so I could try and defend and counter with my own as I am a little stronger. I can feel my timing for this improving. My parrying was far more subtle. I need to double/triple up my jab however, this has been noticed and throw "punches in bunches", I tend to throw singles/doubles. Just classic novice things really I suppose.
Im pleased to say right hand placement has improved and as a bonus caught my partner with a lead left hook flush to the head which brought a few oohs amongst the gym lol.

[donnydarkoIRL]

Well if i could give you one piece of advice only i'd say let those hands go.
I myself practised defensive sparring and as a result the only reward i received was being hesitant on the output side. So let the coach dictate the sparring not you. You approach it to serve your purposes (beating up the other guy) and let the trainner control the tempo and level of intensity.