What'd U come 2 appreciate first time U sparred?

Breath boy!!!

 

It would have helped a lot.

 

Oh yes. Especially when you're coming in.

 

I shadowbox all the time in my house. I've been doing this for years, and I think a lot of the hardcore fans on this site have often talked about doing the same thing. We can't help it. But when we shadowbox, perhaps those of us who have never boxed before, could be forgiven for taking a step back and thinking, "I'm pretty fast, I'm good". Then when you try and do this stuff in the gym on a bag, it's a whole different story. My left hand is non existent, I can't seem to do anything with it...it's all my right, and even that loses snap after a minute on the bag. Obviously this stuff comes with training and the more you Box, but it's amazing how helpless and terrible you feel before having any training at all.

 

As I say, I've never sparred unfortunately, but I've played Football (Soccer) for the best part of 10 years, and after games I'd come home aching a bit. When I went to a few Boxing sessions, I ached all over my entire body the next morning. It'd hurt just to get up out of bed.

 

how totaly exposed and vulnerable you feel, how quickly you get tired, how hard it is to land a punch, how you get so weak and are done after 30 seconds but have to keep going. how loud you breath, how little you can see with head gear on...I actualy bit down so hard on my mouth peice I forgot to breath. my first sparring sesion was very very frustrating. It was a shock. sheer panic sets in, you cant read what the other guy is going to do or how far away he can still reach you.

I felt strong and I knew I could fight but I ran out of evrything i thought I had in 20 seconds. I was left feeling so inadequate that I knew that I realy needed to start running more regularly before I could do myself any justice. I got the bug. You know you need to be beter and you know you need to be much fitter just to get through it. You also know that you need to get back in there and do it again to get beter. Its the most self motivational thing I ever did.

 

One of the gyms I used to go to had work gloves (you know, the soft brown ones in the check-out line) laying around for those he didn't have wraps. Put the work gloves on, then the boxing gloves and it worked ok.

 

Getting hit with a sharp counter really, really sucks. It's not like a heavy, jarring, teeth grinding slug.... It's a razor sharp cut that makes your brain go white for a moment.

I think I found myself better able to take advantages of my reflexes boxing than my mainstay sport in high school-football. The weirdest thing to me was deciding how to lead, something I didn't learn prior to my first spar.

 

You really find out that it's a long way from having good reflexes and applying them reasonably well. To begin with you do everything wrong when being attacked; close your eyes, pull you head straight back and your chin up etc.

It'so nly now, after close to four years, that I begin to feel some degree of satisfaction with my defense, even though I have had quick reflexes all along.

 

You learn how incredibly hard it is, and that thinking you're smart by throwing a double jab is not going to save you that first session.

 

That it is easy to throw text box combinations on a heavybag, but a moving dangerous person takes getting used to

 

I've only sparred twice ever, the 2nd time I dislocated my shoulder and it was never the same again

what I did learn is that

1) It takes a hell of a lot of stamina, I felt so drained after the 1st round... my respect for boxers increased tenfold after I realized just how tiring it was
2) getting hit on the nose really really stings