How intense is sparring supposed to be?

My advice is to start light, and if they hit you hard, then just hit them hard back. If I'm sparring someone I usually don't hit them that hard if they weigh less than me, but if they get too confident and hit me hard, I hit them harder back.

 

It depends on the level of opposition and the goal of the sparring session. New people usually come out hitting as hard as they can because they're scared and tense. Obviously I do not return the favor on them. But if an experienced guy does the same, the heat is on. Unless of course he outclasses me in that case I'll start crying and call for mommy

@Znaak:
Which leads to an all out war usually

 

Yeah... :yep But it really depends on which person you are sparring, how his mind is. Sometimes they can be a bit confident and cocky, but right after you punch them hard they retaliate and think "if I hit him hard, he'll hit me harder back", so they realise they have to play it nice.

But then again you have those guys when it just becomes a war.

Last year I was sparring a very inexperienced guy. His technical ability was very bad, but he had power. A lot. I just moved and made him miss with his punches to make him look like a fool. He threw everything he had in every punch towards me. Then a trainer stops us for a second and says to me that I should set him in respect. We continue and he launched a wide punch at me, I just snapped out my right cross and *BAM*. Down on his ass he goes. He stares confused around him, gets up... And guess what? He doesn't throw a single hard shot at me. Now he just hits like a little girl.

 

Me and the guys I spar with do about fifty percent power. We just really focus on speed and snapping them. I know a couple guys in my gym that do go full on though and one of them's now out with a broken rib... I save the power shots for the bag and competition.

 

:thumbsup

 

If they don't go easy on you, you don't go easy them.

Take them out..

 

I made these videos for Frank Maloney, they're both of Darren Sutherland (the Irish Olympic Bronze medalist) sparring in preparation for fighting in Dublin 18th of December.

I know for a fact Sutherland was holding back a little. But if he didn't I'm not sure how much sparring he'd have available to him, if you get my meaning.

HD link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79ZJWMY9pKI&fmt=22

HD link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2Yuhr_2qXM&fmt=22

 

Sounds about right...

Also depends on your gym, your trainer etc...I strongly believe that when you first start sparring you should be doing it with someone more experienced than you who will help you work and not start brawling with you. If you put 2 green amateurs together, they will undoubtedly start brawling. Because when you start hard sparring right away, it takes longer to develop proper technique and you will likely not polish your boxing skills until much later, if at all. When you go slower, you can think, work on technique etc...Then you work your way up to harder sparring with people at your level.

 

in my gym against smaller people just focus on speed and making them miss the when you fight someone heavier you throw like you would in a fight.

im a bleiever in throwing as you would in a fight so you get used to bigger shots, in my gym i let people go all out on me even if they are bigger

 

interesting clips. finally I see a noob I like:thumbsup


That youtube HD looks pretty good.

 

I hope the original poster read this post, because what happened to this guy could happen to him if he gets too in over his head sparring. Getting gun shy can be very frustrating for a newbie when they feel like they're doing well on the pad and bags and with some sparring and then they get tooled by someone much better and all they think about from then on is not getting hit so much. In my experience it can be a big step backwards.

So yeah OP, do your best to stick with people who are either on your level or if they're better people who won't go balls to the wall on you. If you can't help it/don't want to look like a puss then try to work your footwork and defense agaisnt the really good guys and hold back a bit on the offense. Getting countered into a bloody pulp early on could really wreck any progress you've made.

My two cents.

 

el terrible what the **** is up with your picture dude? thats xtremely gay....

 

start slowly and put the importance on technique and tactics,thats the purpose of good sparring and not hitting each other until the doctor needs to come