Do you spar with guys heavier than you or lighter than you? Or do you mix em up? If they are heavier than you, how many lbs are they usually heavier than you?
Mix it up, so you get a feel for being hit harder by heavier guys, and faster, by lighter guys. Spar as many different types of fighters as possible, taller, shorter, inside fighters, outside fighters, southpaws, etc. Itll prepare you for a fight against a fighter you've never seen.
Its kinda hard in my gym though since im one of the biggest and heaviest. And most people in my gym dont even spar so instead I get to spar with the trainers there who are usually smaller and faster than me.
What do you usually do if it is someone heavier and taller than you? In my case if it is someone heavier than me, I tend to move around a lot and try not to brawl with him as much. If i do have to get near him, I lower my head a bit and cut the distance and aim for his body. I kinda have a hard time hitting his head.
Try to keep them off balance. Work off the double jab. Make sure you take a half step forward before the second jab, and pop it hard. Come inside, rip a hook to the body, an uppercut, a hook to the head, then circle out quick. The best thing to do is use your speed to get in where they cant get the leverage to hit you hard, then circle out.
Try to force an infight. Like watch4sharx said double up on the jab, they'll lean away from the first one most of the time. Jab the body first, then come up. If you jab the body they'll forget to lean back. Once inside throw lots of hooks and uppercuts. Step away to your right side and throw a right uppercut followed by a left hook.
Seems like I did the right thing last night! Thanks for the advice guys. However, they dont seem to get hurt. Them heavier guys I mean.
if youre sparring someone that is big and inexperienced, if you hit them with 4-6 punch combinations from the inside, you can really throw them off their game. Especially if they are used to leading with a single lazy left followed by a big right. Next time youre doing some pad work, really focus on your double jab. Once you can drop that like a hammer, the whole inside opens up.
Know what dude, I just realized it a while ago. The first guy I sparred with last night, I could have gotten him. I rocked him twice. But what pisses me off is the fact that I was also nervous as hell which threw me off my game plan. My movement wasnt fluid in fact I wasnt moving around which made my footwork look bad. The second guy who was way taller than me, I did better.
Usually heavier; considerably heavier sometimes. There aren't many guys at the gym lighter than me; but we have about 3-4 within a reasonable range so it's good. And then there's the guy I've sparred the longest, who's 210 (I'm 160 on my good days).
Kolya, during your first match, where you nervous? And did it affect your performance? Last night was an exhibition match, not really the real thing because the real match would be in 2 weeks. Anyways, I was nervous as hell since there were many people watching and most of them are my gym mates who are waaaay better than me. Seemed to have affected my performance a lot! Wasnt my usual self because in sparring, I usually move a lot but last night I was just squared up. Also, i felt as if my punches lacked power. I guess I have to be tough mentally now.