I've just begun boxing two weeks ago and have been doing some (light) sparring with another beginner. I do well for 30-40 second periods mixing up a jab to the head and body and get slightly the better of it ''controlling the pace'' before he feels the need to do something and charges forward with a 4/5 punch combo (head and body). I can spot when he's about to unleash a combo, but I'm not skilled enough yet to time his punches coming in so I just end up backing up and covering up. The action then reverts back to me picking away consistently, him throwing very little until he comes alive again. What's the best way to nullify his bursts? I've tried moving laterally to my right (he's a conventional right hander) but i tend to lose my balance when he rushes in. Is it just a case of working on timing his punches and answering his flurries? All thoughts welcome.
If you've only been training two weeks ago, then you don't even have basic fundamental boxing skills yet. No offense meant, but no way should you be sparring at all! You should spend months on basic drills before ever sparring. At this point, work on basics outside of ring with coach, although I have no idea why he is letting you spar already.
No offence taken, and I know what you mean. There's a mix of different experience levels and only one coach so he can't cater for all e.g spend much time on beginners. I felt pretty thrown in at the deep end with the sparring. I'm going to look into other gyms around the area because learning the fundamentals is what I was hoping for but doesn't look like I'll be getting it in this particular gym!
fighters who set themselves before they punch- or unset themselves between flurries are asking for a jab. try it.
some coaches throw people in early to see how tenacious they are, to pick out the timid ones from their killers. It might be as easy as telling him you'd rather work on the fundamentals first, a good coach shouldn't be offended. If he is offended then definitely find a new one.
Sounds like you are just green with the balance issue. If he is rushing in throwing hooks your best escape route is probably left anyway. Try this. Make sure you shadow box as that will give you the ability to move your feet fluidly... You know he is coming so jab, drop back on your rear foot, bend drive and let off an uppercut like you are trying to detach his head from his body. Best to aim for his throat not his face. As soon as you land throw your left hook and either punch him again or punch-push him and spin your rear foot out left. Since you are new to Boxing, just work on landing the uppercut while staying "safe" and then closing and clinching to take the steam out of his attack. You can add the hook and spin out later.
IMO bro, if you just started 2 weeks ago, you really shouldn't be sparring. Period. You still need to get your body conditioned and strengthen parts of your body so it can become accustomed to fighting and when I mean that I mean basically everything like parts many people don't bother to work on like their necks and back. But going back to someone that fights in spurts, that's just their way of pacing themselves because they can't be active the whole round or that's just how they fight. That's their comfort zone. The guy is just as green as you are so I doubt he's reading your patterns, but I may be wrong. It may also be that since you dominate him on the outside he prefers to infight with you, that is why he waits for his chance to get inside and you don't know how to avoid him or tie him up. It sounds to me when he gets past your jab you have trouble getting him off you and your footwork isn't developed enough to move fast enough out of his way. Are you flatfooted or fighting off your toes? Your stance has alot to do with it to. When they tell you to slightly bend your knees and stay on your toes it's so they can act as springs or shocks so you can quickly move away, to the side, or anyway you want as a defensive measure with your hands up always eyes on your opponent or as an offensive measure by catching him as he walks in. Since he's right handed, keep your left high and move to your right when he's within range and move to your left when he's out of range. Use the ring buddy don't be afraid to use it. You feel the bottom rope on your ankle, quickly move out of there so you won't get trapped. I can go on and on, but hopefully you can use this to help you out. Buena suerte.
I fight in bursts. One thing I can say is, straight after his burst, lay on to him, he's not gonna be able to fire back very well because he's trying to recover, and you hitting him will make it even harder to recover.
This sounds pretty good, thanks. I can read when he's going to attack I'm just not co-ordinated enough yet to react physically. I think returning with something like an uppercut would definitely make him think twice though. I'll remember the spinning off for down the line, cheers. He's a decent guy I just don't think he has the time to devote to me individually. I imagine beginners come and go so he's prob waiting to see if I'll stay. I've been a little timid so far, trying to box intelligently rather than lay it all out. Got a heavy bag recently and hoping to invest in some more equipment next month so looking forward to practicing the exercises in the instructional videos. Yeah that's spot on. I'm fighting off my toes. I'm reasonably quick footed which is a bonus, but my footwork certainly needs to be developed. I play a field sport aswell so my cardiovascular fitness is good, muscles/conditioning for boxing= not so good! Thanks for the advice. Yeah he's pretty tired after which is why I dominate the next minute or so. I should try put money in the bank by getting to him right after the burst, thanks:good
