me Sparring tell me what yall think? please

**jahmez** · 09-25-2009 09:21 AM

I'm only a beginner and have only sparred a couple of times but this doesn't look fair. This is what it would look like if one of the actual competitive boxers at my gym was sparring me 100%! Your opponent doesn't even look fit enough to spar. He looks so unconfident. Looks like a guy who just started sparring after spending a couple of months on the bag. I've seen guys spar who actually fight and he doesn't look like one of them.

**Youngblood** · 09-25-2009 09:42 AM

Originally Posted by jahmez

I'm only a beginner and have only sparred a couple of times but this doesn't look fair. This is what it would look like if one of the actual competitive boxers at my gym was sparring me 100%! Your opponent doesn't even look fit enough to spar. He looks so unconfident. Looks like a guy who just started sparring after spending a couple of months on the bag. I've seen guys spar who actually fight and he doesn't look like one of them.

Sparring isn't about it being fair, it's about learning. On Wednesday I sparred a 13 yr old girl her first time in the ring. My coach put her in with me because he figured I'd have the best self-control as she weighs about 80 lbs soaken wet and was quite afraid.

As it turns out, she did pretty good and kept asking me to not take it easy (lol) and I finally at one point gave her the lightest tap I could muster. And she went down like a shot duck! hahaha

Oh well. I hear she is telling the story at her school about it, how she went a hard round and got KO'd but will kick my ass one day. So it's all good.

**jahmez** · 09-25-2009 10:25 AM

haha sounds like one brave little girl. I understand what you mean by sparring being all about learning but I think the author put this up for the forum to guage his skills. Once again I'm only a beginner and have only sparred a few times but it's just my opinon that this guy would learn more and would get more useful criticism if he sparred someone who was a little closer to him in ability.

**Youngblood** · 09-25-2009 10:33 AM

Originally Posted by jahmez

haha sounds like one brave little girl. I understand what you mean by sparring being all about learning but I think the author put this up for the forum to guage his skills. Once again I'm only a beginner and have only sparred a few times but it's just my opinon that this guy would learn more and would get more useful criticism if he sparred someone who was a little closer to him in ability.

Yea jahmez you are correct, and I agree also.

It generally goes 2 ways that work good. You can spar people similar in ability, and it can be good for you. Or you spar people much better, and then you learn a lot. The secret with the big diff. in skills is to make sure the experienced person isn't a knob and has self-control. I actually think it is best for completely new people to make sure they get in their first time with the latter. They'll be crappin their pants but will prob. be the safest and it will likely be the most enjoyable for them. A good natured experienced person will put his chin out for you and get you comfortable with hitting and moving. Someone similar in ability will likely challenge you more. It really is subjective...and there is no set rule, but I think both are good.

A good coach should know what to do for match ups.

**jahmez** · 09-25-2009 10:54 AM

That's exactly how my first sparring session went. There were two guys in the ring. One was a beginner and the other was the former Australian Lightweight Amateur champion. My coach sends me in the ring with the latter. I was already nervous as it was but once I realized who I was sparring lololol. But like you said the guy was cool about it. He even stopped when I had trouble finding range and reminded me to step with my jab. He'd land jabs on me but only on the forehead of my headgear. They more like little tips than punches. "Keep your hands up or that will happen". "Move your head". I've got a tendency to really go for it in sparring because I'm not comfortable counter-punching and am always nervous but even when I'd try to land as many punches as possible he'd never make me pay. He'd just work on his footwork which would in turn make me work on not lunging. I learnt more in three rounds than I had the whole time I had been in the gym.