new to sparring

[Dirt]

How did everyone react to getting hit for the first time? How did you get used to it?

[Bullrush]

to be honest i didnt really feel anything, i was too excited and didnt realize what i was getting hit with until after the fight when my lip was busted a little and i took a good shot to the chin that hurt my neck a bit. but during the fight it didnt hurt at all. you forget about everything, the people watching you, the pain etc. i mean at least thats my experience. maybe for you its different

[raf727]

best advice i can give you is RELAX.

stay calm in there, getting hit sucks but it happens it boxing.

hopefully your gym is handling you the right way. my first day sparring i ended up going like 4-5 rounds and i got destroyed, broken nose blood everywhere and **** it was so ****ty. i had only been going to the gym for about 2 months or so at that point, luckily i didnt let it scare me out of the gym and i eventually just switched gyms anyway.

you should probably be sparring with a coach for the first 2-3 times doing drills, getting used to getting hit but not with real hard shots.

truthfully my man, your not going to learn anything from an internet forum, especially this one which is full of mostly nerds who never stepped foot inside the ropes. Get to the gym and train, thats how you learn

[Barn]

Most shots don't even hurt, your head is usually moving when you get hit so you accidentally but conveniently riding the punches. Only when I stepped a level in sparring and was fighting British Champions and the like did I really take hard shots which were painful. Even them though were only felt for a second or two. Don't worry about it.

[The Surgeon]

The first time i took hard head shots? Like a total ****. Got pissed off and went swinging for the fences which only made me easier to hit and i took a beating.

U learn its gonna happen and its only sparring, ur there to learn and improve or help another guy out. I can only advise u to stay as calm as possible and try to relax, i used to gas out in a hurry even tho i was fit just due to being so pumped up/anxious - stay Relaxed!

[Dirt]

I thought I had a decent experience. It was controlled since it was my first time. I was in there with a trainer and a coach overseeing it. He could only throw jabs at me while I could only throw the 1 or 1-2. I was pretty much tense most of the time. First time jitters maybe, but its hard for a newb to relax when you know you're gonna get hit. The coach would have me step back if he noticed I was too tense to take a breath and try to relax. Also if we swung yoo hard he'd have us get down and do ten. I like it a lot and didn't notice my bloody nose til the end.


Just trying to get over the nervousness of knowing I'm gonna get hit

[Monte Fisto]

How did everyone react to getting hit for the first time? How did you get used to it?

I thought my trainer did a great job, atleast better than most trainers as far as getting his students prepared for sparring.

We did alot of mittwork, with him hitting me back(hard enough to get my attention) until I showed that I was starting to show signs of being okay with receiving contact. But the fact that I was receiving contact at full force prior to me actually sparring someone helped.

He also had drills for us where we were only able to defend and not attack or counter(closest thing to sparring). So, that helped us with getting over the nerves of getting hit in actual sparring.

[waxfondler]

stay fluid... learn to roll with the punches. speed & reflexes kill. work with your levels. establish your jab.

im 170lbs. i train/spar with a 230lb sparring partner for a few top UFC guys. but he has extensive boxing experience. very tyson-esque... crazy handspeed, granite chin, heavy hands.... basically, i dont stand a chance... but i took it step by step... KNOWING the basics is different from actually DOING it... plus he goes at it at about 50%... if he went 100%, i would be DEAD. LOL.

first time sparring was VERY intimidating (16oz gloves, no headgear, 3min rounds with 30sec breaks)... partner is taller, faster, stronger (170lb vs 230lb)... i just got bullied... i panicked, which caused me to gas out by 4th round... i first tried to keep a basic "winky" style defense, but got ****** up too much, so i naturally used my speed and started to be more "toney"... instead of catching and absorbing the shots, i learned to slip & roll... stayed on the outside & set the tone with the jab. months of training later, i was doing 16 rounds no problem. endurance was good.... but got nailed with a crushing shot to ribs, i was out for 3-4 weeks due to bruised ribs... came back a bit gun-shy and endurance gone. LOL.... trying to get back in top form. lately, getting my confidence back. nursing a jaw injury (no headgear)... but no biggie.

what works for me at this point: consistent jab, fluid offense, footwork (step in with combo, step out), doing more core drills... work on cardio...

BTW, what kind of gear everyone here uses??? ive been using mma gear (since i have access to it), and i find it surprisingly high quality. the fighters around me have 3-6 pairs. LOL. muay thai gloves are nice too. fairtex is solid.

?hayabusa 16oz gloves: LOVE EM... great quality.
?winning gloves seem to be good too
?everlast & grant gloves are GARBAGE.
?cleto reyes a bit stiff for me....

[waxfondler]

I thought my trainer did a great job, atleast better than most trainers as far as getting his students prepared for sparring.

We did alot of mittwork, with him hitting me back(hard enough to get my attention) until I showed that I was starting to show signs of being okay with receiving contact. But the fact that I was receiving contact at full force prior to me actually sparring someone helped.

He also had drills for us where we were only able to defend and not attack or counter(closest thing to sparring). So, that helped us with getting over the nerves of getting hit in actual sparring.

muay thai blocking drills are good too... gets your forearms conditioned to getting ****** up.