I was wondeing from the top if you were discouraged because sparring wasn't going well, or if you hadn't sparred yet because sometimes that will start you thinking its because you aren't goo enough and everyone else sees it. Glad the sparring went well. As to the missing of punches- well, I'm assuming you had never sparred prior to that?- that is typical of nearly everybody's fist few times in the ring. You've been hitting the heavy bag but it doesn't have a brain and its isn't plotting to hirt back;. Did you find your self often too far away so that punches landed with nothing on them, or so close you had no room and smothered your own blows? Shorten up your stance a bit, my friend, and when you hit the heavy bag concentrate on snapping your punches, not rolling into them. Don't hit the double-end bag unless its coming towards you, and when shadow boxing watch the mirror being alert to things that might telegraph your punches. Having a new awareness and focus on familiar things makes you diligent and landing a couple cllean on a guy you couldn't hit last week is lways ggod for the heart