Sparring Etiquette | Unspoken Rules & How To Not Be A D%@K
This episode is for everyone out there who has been subjected to a bad sparring partner, may currently be a bad sparring partner or is wanting to avoid being a bad sparring partner.
Watch closely, listen up and please make sure you aren't making any of these mistakes.
And share, share, share this episode so we can start creating gyms with only fantastic sparring partners 🙏🙏
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If we are going light and technical and of a slower speed. Don’t catch every single kick that comes your way and then respond with a sweep or a hard counter . Also if going technical acknowledge the KO shots. If I lightly hit the head with my round kick, it spot on, and I your get hit with your hands down. Acknowledge it don’t walk through it. If your partner has enough courtesy to NOT murder your, don’t pretend you would have shrug that hit off and countered
Agreed. If someone is going light and you catch their shot don't sweep them to the ground. Go through the motion and stop at the last moment. And acknowledging shots that were pulled and would have hurt you is polite and helps you learn.
Oh man, I had a female training partner who would catch my kicks during tit for tat drills and attempt a sweep every time. I weigh a lot more than her so I was able to simply frame off of her and pull my leg out more often than not, but it was a little annoying.
@@connorperrett9559 I have to admit I am guilty of catching kicks in sparring to try sweep my partner but.. After reading this I think I will be nicer in the future.
Always hated it when people shrugged off or walked through my head kicks that got through when I pull back on the power of course
@@GrasshopperandtheBear yeah lol, it puts you in such a bad position as well but in a real fight they wouldn't just kick your leg out from under you after eating a headkick like a lot of guys in sparring
Finally someone is speaking the unspoken. I’m showing this to my whole gym.
Be prepared to find a new gym if they take it badly haha
Amazing! And very much appreciated.
Apparently you’re a pussy for thinking about your long term health right? Lolz
ummm do you train in Poland 😂
Thank you very much, Nick!
Hygiene is a thing to consider too. Wash yourself and your clothers before the training and cut your nails. I clinched with a lot of people and sometimes it's "breathtaking"! I also got some scratches from wolverine like foot nails!
This. I remember someone kicked me with his uncut nails an inch below my eye, didn't stop bleeding for the hole night.
i block a random elbow it was friendly one we wer hanging out after exams going our way home my nails Scartched pretty bad not that i am proud f it
+1 ... use a deodorant for christ's sake!
My coach told me, when going against less-skilled/smaller opponents, to practice my head movement defense (slipping) as opposed to guarding with my hands. It was good advice ... I can develop a skill that gets punished against better fighters and they get to develop basic striking.
Excellent advice
@@mortalkomment8028 I do exactly that...
I'd rather light sparring to practice control, rhythm, defense, technique, etc. and leave the hard hitting for the heavy bag, pads and tires. Too many people in my experience treat sparring like a fight.
I hate when people are like that it’s ridiculous and then they wonder why other pros or ammys try to destroy them in sparring. Maybe it’s because they tried to do the same. And there fed up with it. I have this dude at my gym who only spars hard and doesn’t try to learn any techniques at all and doesn’t try to apply them. His ego is massively inflated. He tries to ko people and rock them bad in our gym but our coach hasn’t got the memo yet.
Hard sparring is only good if you are preparing for a fight or preparing for what its like to experience a fight, if you have never experienced one. Even so, I'd do it very very sparingly. Less than once a month or much longer if you aren't a pro fighter IMO. Note: even in hard sparring, it's still good to do certain things very light like head kicks and elbows (with elbow pads.) Demonstrating good control will make you even better in a real fight
@@parker4560 theres a pretty detailed video by hard2hurt on why its complicated for coaches to deal with guys like that. Maybe your coach knows but is having a hard time figuring out the best way to deal with it? Anyway I hope something gets done about it guys like that are pain to deal with.
I appreciate your comment
Yeah, completely agree, unless I'm training for a fight, light is best. No reason to accumulate brain damage.
Full sweeps when light sparring are annoying. You throw a light middle kick, let the other buy grab your leg, and then he tries to put you on the ground. When hard sparring, they're ok.
I was going to say this. The hard sweep during light sparring. I usually just go through the motion without the sweep.
yeah, you're throwing light kicks to keep the partner safe, and he utlilize it to sweep you down
When I catch kicks i like to throw them to the opposite side and counter with a light kick to the body rather than throwing them off balance
@@taylorg2787 If somebody do this to me the next kicks will come a fair bit harder.
I don't do martial arts anymore , but if I did I would want to be in his gym. When he's done fighting professionally I hope he continues to teach.
I've only watched a few of the videos, but I can also see that he would be an amazing teacher. This kind of video is very inspiring. Such a sensible, respectful approach is way better than unnecessarily being on bad terms and injuring each other.
What I think is being a jerk is when the people who have 20 lbs + don't control their shots. They don't really realise how hard they are going. In my opinion you should always let the lighter weight fighter dictate the pace
100%! Even in "lighter" variants of kickboxing, like Taekwondo and "soft style" Karate, that mass makes a damn difference!
'bUt SiZe DoeSnT maTTeR, hurr..." coming in 3, 2, 1...
It's the opposite in my experience. I go 10% power, lighter person goes 60% to try and compensate. This is why I no longer spar with many people.
I’m a tall guy who has the weight advantage 90% of the time. I throw pity pat light shots from range and try to keep my distance and keep it light. This results in being swarmed once the smaller guy gets frustrated and they’ll try to unload heavy combos. Can I throw bombs back if I have 60 lbs on a guy without being considered a jerk?
@@jamesnightingale2788 I would just ask why are they going so hard
1000%. I love sparring and I’ll go as hard as my partner wants to go but I prefer light and respectful. The harder it gets, the more I’m going to rely on stuff I’m already good at and the less I’m going to try something new. And one of the big draws for sparring is the chance to work out the timing, with a noncompliant partner, something I’ve been drilling. And without worrying about getting my nose broken if I don’t get it right the first time.
When you're in light sparring and your opponent keeps grabbing slow-mo front kicks., it's so annoying...I mean I am not trying to hurt anyone in a super light and technical sparring. Once I faked front kick into a question mark hitting that guy in the head but lightly, just to let him know that I could hit and hurt him.
Did the same with a super man punch lol
The problem I see with when you are the less skilled fighter is that when you are hesitant to throw a punch because you get punished. And when you finally see an opening, you usually throw that punch fast, but it’s also hard, because you need to cover the distance and you are kind of tense. That’s really hard.
I force my guys to always define the average punch and kick power and to do 5, 10 or 15 percent first for experimenting and getting comfortable. Hard sparring not too often anymore. I've been forced to always spar hard but it's not good for the brain and other body parts for sure. I teach them to go hard on the bag, not on the bro. Bro has to go to work, to school or play with their children.
Every coach should tell his students exactly what you mentioned in this video! Highly appreciated!
Sparring partner types by my experience: 1. "Street fighter". Starting by saying: I'm kinda good at fighting, been fighting all my life at the streets Bruh. Usually very slopy trying to go hard, doing funny and surprising face expressions if u hit him hard. Most probably will be out of gass by the end of the very first round. 2. "Boxer wanna be". Usually have nothing to do with boxing or just took a month or two and beat up a few friends so ego is booming now. Trying to cut ur head off straight away. Might last a few rounds depends on how hard u wanna go on him. I usually go hard. 3. Mr "I've trained in Thailand bruh". Usually a quite useless guy with Thai commercial gym experience. Trying to imitate original techniques but looks funny. Quite rare going hard in sparring, extremely sweepable. 4. "Young gunz". Something around 18 or 20 years old with a few years of amateur experience or 0 experience. Cocky. Going hard. Might last a few rounds. Doesn't like reality checks. 5. "Nak Muays" or "K-1 types". Decent pros. Usually great to sparr with. Going mostly light and technical but don't mind to heat it up a little. My personal favorites. 6. "Ego guy". Previously decent amateur experience or maybe few pro fights. Extremely Cocky and likes to show off on public. Going from moderate to hard, can last up to 4 rounds, might even win a round or two. The more times u sparr with him the easier to pick him apart as he is not changing his game plan. 7. "Real boxer". Good level amateur boxing or pro boxer. Usually making u look bad in boxing sparring and hardly agree to do crossovers(to sparr under kickboxing rules) - smart fellas😂. Great for reality checks. 8. "Sparring Bro". Moderate skilled long term sparring partner with slow progress. Not really interesting to sparr with but most of the time matching ur free timings. So u sparr. 9. "Good guy". Nice smiley guy with decent skill. Good to sparr with. Leaving u with nice post sparring vibes. Shows up 3-4 times during the year.
Number 9 is hilarious. The chill guys who are great to train with always do seem to come in the least.
what about you?
Im the number 9 but i have to work with 1-8 at my gym pray for me lmao
@@stillwatercamargo9606 I'm a trainer so I can be a few different numbers 😂
You forgot the guy who is super nice but doesn't realise how hard he's going and because he's so nice outside of sparring no one says anything 🤣
There should be a term for suddenly changing the power of your shots in sparring. I propose we call it "Going Charlie Zelenoff." 😂
Going Charlie!!
I just got out of my fourth Muay Thai training, and today we were practicing some different combos and exercises. I was practicing with this guy who is much more experienced than me. The guy has been training for 8 mounths, and he knew right away that I had fewer skills and experience compared to him. I was trying my best to control my strength and not exaggerate, I was doing everything almost in slow motion because my goal was to master the technics. But the other guy was just an asshole. Instead of doing what the instructor asked, out of nowhere, he will throw a kick or a shot that was not part of the exercise. I could see in his face that he wanted to mess around with me as if I was a punching bag or something. He was trying to show off to a person who just has started. He will do everything super fast and with bad intentions. I didn't complain about it, I didn't want to go harder or anything like that. At some point, I was even trying to ask him about the movements and technics just to be nice you know? I'm not trying to be a crybaby, but if you are reading this, try to not be that guy, no matter if you are a beginner or a veteran. He literally fucked my leg up, and now I feel like not going back there again. It's just so stupid man...
That's a bummer. Some people are so ridiculous taking advantage of practitioners with less experience than them. Don't give up though. Find a better training partner or a new gym. Most people you work with will be great training partners.
Lol he fucked up your leg? Sounds like good motivation to heal up and train harder. As long as you have no ligament damage or broken bones, it’s good for the body.
i had very similar experience, i joined kickboxing and on the third lesson we were doing sparring, like some combos and then switch partners, i got a guy he upercut me like 5 seconds in right in the nose, then all combos non stop, freaking bombardmend. i didnt even learn how to block i was just making a shell basicly, and i felt like not going back again, pfff idiot!
@@dogedave3188hey man I think it might be time to look at the response given by someone who’s really good at what they do and has won several belts in the sport, versus your response as a nobody and realize you’re a fucking loser
Yeah. I definately knock someone down before after they try to go hard. Some times it's not exactly intentional, you just react to their their aggression. You may throw an unintentional hard shot, but quickly apologize so your partner knows that wasn't intentional.
Bro thanks for mentioning the knees. My last sparring session before I full blown quit MMA as a hobby for a few months this year was the 2nd time someone had given me a rib injury with knee strikes. The same guy both times too. Way more skilled and athletic than me, outweighs me by at least 20 lbs, he already had me stunned, confused and dizzy with flurry after flurry and then cross switch step to unpadded JUMP KNEE AGAINST THE WALL. I tried to talk to him about it and he just seemed confused. It really made me consider if it's worth it for me to keep doing mma because I can't afford to consistently miss work due to injury.
Talk to the coach maybe. If the big dude doesn't understand you then the coach might be able to explain.
It's not about MMA, this can happen in any sport, it's about the other guy and the gym. If the other guy is a jerk or if the trainer doesn't watch how the sparring is going, change partners or gyms.
Seems like an asshole who doesn't know any control especially when sparring someone smaller... He would probably get destroyed in the cage. I'm sorry your hobby was ruined by some meathead
Definitely avoid that guy and others like him. Not worth the hassle!
I wish you didn't quit after that, you can always reserve the right not to spar with a guy. We're all adults and you're a paying customer. You can do your thing and just say "no thank you" when he tries to spar you or the coach tries to partner you up. If coach asks why, then you can clue him in.
Bob appreciated the consideration through the video.
It's a bit hard to read his body language because it's so subtle, but yeah, I agree.
Totally agree with you, i think being good at sparring requires alot of skill, many people can't manage power, even if they have a good technique. Spinning moves like a backfist or a spinning kick to the ribs also are really dangerous so i usually avoid those.
Glad to see your smart unlike a few morons at my gym
You're right, but is there a safe way to practice spinning moves in sparring? A way to execute them at a reasonable speed but with little power behind them so you don't hurt people?
@@gaminikokawalage7124 Usually i use them only with someone i really trust so that we know we can control the power, we gonna say it before the sparring session.
@@Brenso__ that makes sense, thanks
@@gaminikokawalage7124 I just use it as a push kick off of a teep so I'm barely even touching them
Honestly when we haven't agreed to do sweeps and the guy keeps catching your kicks, because you're obviously going light and they are catchable, and they don't let it go but go for the sweep every time.
🤦♂️yup I can relate. Obviously you’re gonna be able to catch my kicks when we’re going 30 percent and I’m not trying to hurt you🤦♂️
sometimes they are new and don't know that hard kicks aren't as easy to catch so they think they're doing the right thing by catching the kicks
Yeah I don’t mind them catching it - they’re learning the muscle memory for that and I’m learning it to land the kick - but sweeping afterwards is just a dick move
When they don't accept a pulled back highkick and proceed to sweep or punch you back inmediatly.
The point with the knee pads 100%! Thank you for mentioning it. I got weird looks for them when I wore them back when gyms were open. I also got a pair of elbow pads recently. Not because I want to elbow in sparring, but because my partner's foot/shin and my elbow will appreciate them. Keep those quality uploads, been following you for a few weeks and binge-watching your stuff - awesome content :)!
Awesome video!! This video should be a requirement for anyone who wants to spar in a martial arts school. There's a time and place for hard sparring, but most of the time I see sparring simply as an advanced and technical game of tag using your feet and hands and the techniques you acquired in training. Must be an honor to spar with a 6x World Champion!!
Amount of accomplishment and lack of ego is awesome. I wish i had your mentality.
Mr. Varga, you're awesome. Please keep up the insightful and meaningful videos of your words of wisdom and advice. It is extremely helpful to learn all these things much faster from your knowledge, wisdom, and experience!
As a bigger guy I absolutely hate when dudes think they can load up and have more power in their strikes just cause I’m heavier and built bigger than them. For the most part after I let my sparring partners know “hey man let’s keep the power down ; focus on technique” most guys say sorry my bad and the rest of the round is good but there’s always THAT ONE GUY who wants to continue going hard but when I fire back with my weight and hips into my shots all of a sudden I’m the dick?
Great video!!! Gyms should this video before every sparring session🙌
Exactly what happens during sparring ,awesome video coming from you
Thank you for making the point about the less skilled fighter not swinging for the fences. I am guilty of that myself and I will keep that in mind when sparring with more skilled fighters going forward.
I appreciate that a video about considerate and respectful sparring is made by a Canadian, haha. Joking aside, this needs to be seen by everyone. Great video as usual!
currently recovering from a broken rib by an overly enthusiastic partner who thought a full strength knee to the rib was a good idea. Thanks for another great and much needed vid.
Sheesh, I hear broken ribs are true misery. What kind of discipline did your sparring partner get from the coach?
I feel your pain. I only just finished healing from the same crap a couple months ago
@@justinkennedy3004 a stern talking to and had to leave spar night. I didn't overhear the exchange.
@@cliff7402 that's good but I know I wouldn't feel like that balances it out! I guess maybe nobody knew it was broken yet or w/e and I'm sure it was an accident but still... a broken rib!
Thank you for this video. I wish everyone would stick to your ethic.
grabing your leg walking forward and sweeping you with all the power...
Sparring with someone that intentionally hits you in the ears. It's just frustrating.
Last week our best fighter hit me in the ear, although i may never get to his level, he can fall to mine, then revenge will be sweet😉
Great video, super important subject, thank you.
Damn I'm guilty of that nose targeted jab :(
Never catch a pulled high kick, and especially don't sweep or counter after. I can't begin to tell you how many times people have done that thinking they're good.
This Channel is just so damn good. Keep doing what you are doing! If you don't mind, I would ask if you could do more videos about the short and stocky "type", as I'm muscular and not tall ahah.
Thank you for this, I have made some mistakes that I wasn't even aware of. Know I know!
Lol I hate when you agree to 60-70% and the guy tries to sleep me. Lot of egos at the gym. After landing a good hit it’s polite not to jump on them and unload. Another great video Mr. Varga.
Great video! Thank you very much for sharing!
Thanks . This needs to be a thing.
I think light to the head, hard to the body, decide on how hard to the legs however you like.
Agree - I always say to my partners feel free to try drop me with a body shot or leg kicks… not going to do any lasting damage and it’s good to get used to it in the gym so you don’t get caught out in the fight 👊🏻
@Great White agreed, you need to have this chat before you start sparring 😆 I’d agree to an extent… obviously don’t take the piss with kicks to the body etc.. broken ribs is obviously too much… but you can certainly put the shot in a little harder than you would a head shot
I grew up sparring hard and soft. Truly skilled fighters should help lesser fighters progress. That's a responsibility. I give everyone 3-strikes and you're out. If you play nice we can spar for fun! If you try to hurt me I hurt you no remorse lol! However, I'll give you solid chances to figure it out before I crack you bad. It seems fair when you're establishing your level of safety, intensity, and game play. Being in sync with a training partner no matter what level you are performing at is what's important to improve with less risk of unnecessary injuries. 👊💀
Great content as always Sir!
Thanks for this. I've been in the gym for 1 month and this one particular guy who's been at the gym, say 7 months kept kicking me in the knee. I've avoided him in the past because he was kicking me knee with low kicks and i kept limping after. I sparred him once again and he just kept kicking the same spot on my knee. I told him not to kick it cause I was in pain but then he kicks it again and I fell because my whole leg was shaking. Now I know I wasn't just being a punk telling him to chill and how dangerous those kicks are
Them:" I wanna spar " Me: you sure man ? Them: yeah please we can go light. Me: ok. Them: throws a full force instant sucker punch then starts screaming how he doesn't wanna fight after you hit him back. Man shiz made me mad then had the nerve to act like he did something special.
Be most wary around beginners
Omg what you said about guys going light then hard then when u return fire they say ‘whoa not so hard’ 😂 this is the WORST TYPE OF PARTNER. If you want to fight, FIGHT. Its SPARRING
This video is great! I wish more fighters would adhere to this etiquette. I'm usually less willing to spar with people who haven't had 3 more fights just because the green fighters typically lack control or don't understand 'give as good as you get'. Thank you.
Great video. Ever considered doing a video on how to sweep in sparring without hurting your partner too much? I’ve dealt with some people that are decently skilled but will do some dangerous stuff after catching kicks. Such as chopping into the knee at a slight downward angle, chopping into the ankle without floating the person at all so it just ends up as joint damage, dumping people on their head, etc.
Great vid (as always). Funny this etiquette should apply to pretty much any contact sports. Played rugby for many years and I would definitely show this video to some of my team mates at the time (especially the part on the different level, I still remember training once with this first division team. They'd crush in like animals against a bunch of regular time office workers, because that's what we were, we played for fun they played semi-pro, and I don't think they either got much out of that training except giving us a few bruises). So you can change the title to training etiquette for contact sports :-)
Great video as always. Two comments to add to this. 1. Another irritating sparring move is getting angry at people when you get hurt. If a person is being reckless then sure, they deserve a word or two. When it was a genuine accident, I think it's as important to let your sparring partner off the hook as it is for your sparring partner to apologize for the accident. We aren't baking cookies in there; injuries will occur. Don't make someone feel worse than they do when the inevitable happens. 2. Having seen Gabe spar with people and having sparring experience with him myself, I can say he follows his own guidelines to a T. Something he does that is incredible is the way he matches the skill level of the people he spars with. I've watched him improve a room full of people simply by the way he approaches sparring. Being better than pretty much every person he spars, he has found a way to get good practice in without destroying his training partners and in the process, he helps them improve. It's amazing the way he can outspar a person completely but not hurt them and still raise their confidence by giving them opportunities to work when he's good enough to shut them out completely. You feel his skill but he doesn't abuse it. It's a great quality and more people could emulate it for better training experiences all around.
Your content is gold!
Once, a girl in the gym talked to me with a pretty low voice, so I put my guard down and leaned a bit to hear what she was talking and she hit me in the nose. Hate those games
Hi Gabriel, Thanks for this video! I think it shall be loop broadcasted in every clubs. Too much people having no clue about they are doing. What I hate the most: 1) light sparring becoming KO punches when opening appears; 2) hits in the knees.
Oh the old "lest go light" trick.
Very important to know how to control your power, I think its smth that comes with experience and that beginners don't know how to, when you throw high kick knowing when to stop it before it'll hit your partner with full power, same with knees and so on. Or when you sweeping someone, try to catch them right after you sweep, don't let them fall on the head or smth else, I saw people being sweeped falling hurting their arms necks. When you spar someone who knows what they doing I it just feels good , you learn and practice your technique and everyone is happy at the end
all your points are 100%! if going hard, I would say make sure the partner has that understanding! communicate!
PREACH BROTHER!
we had some light sparring my first day back and i think it helps also to communicate clearly before the round if your coach hasn't set the tone, or of there's something you're trying to work, or even protect if you're just coming back from an injury and want to ease into it. everybody who's legit should be pretty cool and if they're not... well odds are they didn't watch this video and you may not want to spar with them anyway 😂
Thank you, even boxing trainers dont teach us 10% of what you said in this video.
Thank you for this vid!
My pleasure!
You Sir are a class act !
My favourite part is when I throw a light round kick to the head to remind my sparring partners of the gaps in their guard and they either try block it with a parry (as if a light hand movement will stop a full power kick), or even better, they "catch" it and then they counter. Yeah, try and catch a round kick to the head when it's full speed/contact....it's not even a thing to try and catch a high kick.....you either get out of the way or keep your guard up and let your gloves absorb the strike. Also, I agree with not beating someone who is less experienced; I always allow them to attack and I work on my evasions while they can work on their striking precision...but when they try to take my head off, I will remind them that I can also hit hard (I usually go for a low/medium power liver shot). I was once a beginner and I was very respectful towards the higher grades, I NEVER went hard. You know that these guys can hurt you if they want to, put your ego aside.
Had to warm up a girl's head with a kick after she was clearly attempting to blast my nose. Her response? "Please go softer" i was like ok she got it. Then she resumed trying to smash my nose 😂. It's frustrating to have to spar with people who feel they have to prove to themselves they can fight 🙄
I had to just DRILL with someone like that at a seminar a few weeks ago...although fortunately she wouldn't throw anything at my face. But the drill was specifically for pivoting off and she was so nervous and moving around constantly that it completed voided what we were working on unless I shoved her with force. It's not a fight lol.
Maybe talk? Just take 30 seconds off the round to set better boundaries?
I think that’s your fault for not telling her. She told you so you should tell her rather than get frustrated.
I've been guilty of a couple of these, time patience and consistency improves your skill level. Having good sparring ediquete stands out and can make you a leader in the gym.
me too XD
My first official "light" sparring was 1 minute rounds and onto the next. I ended up in a clinch and had a knee thrown at my face. Kept gloves up tight, thank fuck, but i thought it was odd. I'm relatively new, around 5 months'ish, so hopefully i get a bit more savvy as i go. Loved the vid. Helps a lot. Thanks
This is literally the best video on the Internet for those who train combat sports. Why am I just now seeing this in September 2022?!!!
WASH YOUR EQUIPMENT AND DONT LEAVE THEM IN HOT AND HUMID PLACES. There is a considerable difference between someone that left their equipment in a bag, in an outside shack that is blasted by the sun VS someone who brings their equipment into air conditioned cool places to air out. Sanitary wipes or sprays are also cheap and easy daily cleaning tools. Sweaty smelly people is expected, but weeks or months worth of stale sweat and mildew that builds up on poorly kept equipment is ungodly pungent.
Sparred with someone that constantly threw oblique kicks to my knee at full force after we agreed to only 30-40% power. After the third time I threw a side kick to his chest and knocked him down mid kick as he attempted another oblique kick to my knee.
A ton of very true things.
Great pointers
Great video! Personally I think guys that come into the gym with an ego trying to wing big punches need to be taught a quick lesson. Ive had it before and I usually just try to hit them with a full power body shot (not to the head) once they've seen the consequences of being hit hard they will usually get humbled and start to pull there punches a bit more. Those kind of guys need to be humbled so they can grow as martial artists. Good shout on the knee pads too I might buy some, I usually have to just try to throw them really lightly but slightly harder knee sparring sounds fun!
GREAT POINTS!
Excellent video!
Thanks for the tips
I was definitely the beginner that looked at sparring with better people as an opportunity to show that I could compete with them and they quickly showed me I couldn't 😂😆😂😆 lesson learned. Now I let them know at the beginning of sparring like hey can you turn it up a little bit I want to see how hard I could go.
LOL so true. Some guy try to hit my nose before... hated it
I watched this video only to find out I already do these things. It was really just a given for me, especially the part about pulling shots. A sparring partner got mad cause I pulled a hook that would have been clean to the back of the head. I looked at him like he was mad, you don't EVER do blows to the back of the head in sparring or in a ring match.
Based on my personal experience, light technical sparring is always best most especially for beginners and intermediates.
Some people where I train don’t use the appropriate gear. I usually spar with 14/16 oz gloves and shin pads, whereas some others wear lighter glove sizes and no shin pads ._.
Pulling back on Elbows and any spinning technics regardless of light or hard Sparring I finde important. Following thru with those is unnecessary dangerous in sparring in my opinion. Even with padding. Still throw them to lern the timing and setups but to just "show" them I feel lick is the best way to do it.
when people rip low kicks and calf kicks. Sure 1 or 2 but after that give the guy a break.
more low kicks in Sparring sessions are fine!
Great video! What type of knee pad do you use and would recommend?
Thank you!
Emotional Sparring
This is top quality content
When people do not acknowledge shots that would have realistically stun, hurt, or interrupt them. Examples: a flush teep but they keep coming forward, shots to the body (jabs, crosses, etc.), super light head kicks.
I hate prolonged flurries when I am already covering and on the ropes/corner dude ok you made your point, now can we continue learning? am a beginner in the hands aspect and tend to freeze in the guard in those situations, I doubt blasting combos away will help me get over my shell hunch natural reflex. it is indeed difficult to find nice sparring partners, people are fucking tense
Superb.
Great video
Not showering and washing their gear before training, pop menthol if you didn't brush your teeth at the very least
This is a big one. So many people don't take care of their gear. Silicone beads are cheap
I hate when sparring partners do spinning heal kicks at head level or any level, because they usually have speed and force to them. Also, the heal is hard and has no padding. A lot of these things mentioned I fully agree with.
My least fav are people who stop throwing to take a break and I give them some time and then they do an unannounced shot out of nowhere. Then when they take their break and I capitalize they're like no no and run away or turn away
3:55 I just realized Gabriel can front kick people in the face mid conversation as he's standing right in front of them. I'd need at least twice the distance and I would have to lean back a little.
Most important video
If you spar with someone and you are taking off on the kick, to not hit them hard, don't catch and dump people.
Hahaha "let's go back to light....BOOM"
My problem in sparring is that I don't really know how hard I can go. I don't mean 'what am I allowed to throw', but 'how hard will it land'. I have never fought for real and I really don't want to, so I don't really know how my punches feel when they land. I never go all out because I'm not there to hurt people, but I don't know if I'm still hitting too hard regardless, or if I'm being too nice. I'm pretty sure I could hurt someone (if they didn't take my head off first), but for all I know I hit like a pool noodle. Additionally, when we're slow fighting, I tend to not know how 'slow' we're supposed to be. It always seems like my opponents parry at full speed and counter everything, and since we slow fight without gear except a mouthpiece that gets pretty annoying, pretty fast. I can't really blame my opponents, either, since we're all relative beginners. For the record, no one is hitting hard when we're fighting like that. It's just that everyone's defense seems to be normal speed, while the attacks are pulled, and I think that kind of misses the point.
I haven't heard "chinsy" in years. That cracked me up. Hahahah.