Was sparring this new kid today and he was trying to take my head off, even after I told him to cool off. Since he won't take me seriously I decided to do the same and just dropped my hands, constantly taunting him and doing punches I've never done before but only seen in vids, It felt almost exactly like this fight (Probably looked nothing like it though ) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=FWcY0tt0xQo#t=267s (4:28) I managed to dodge everything with ease simply because he projected his punch like 5 seconds before he threw them and tauning him only made him swing more wild. I still didn't really hurt him though but I hate it when you try to teach someone how to spar properly they thank you by trying to take your head off Too bad when I try the same against people my own level I get my ass whooped (And I find the style a bit disrespecting) Also anyone else notice a sudden influx of new members at their gyms? the guys try to take your head off and the girls even go easy on padwork since they are afraid they will hurt your hand/arm
Jorge Paez used to clown a lot during sparring, at least on the occasions that I was able to watch him. My friend- he had 12 pro fights at LHW-used to train at the Main St Gym in LA, and a guy clowned him like that, so he assaulted him in the parking lot after. It never happened to me, which saved me the trouble of bashing some clown in the head with something relatively heavy. I think that that type of nonsense has no place in boxing, especially in the gym.
i don't know... i think that showboating on a guy going too hard has to be better than the other option of beating him so bad he never makes the same mistake again. if it was an experienced guy or someone who he hadn't already warned, I could see the case for it being in poor form; but nobody's just going to sit there and allow themselves to take damage from someone who's nowhere near their level.
Lol "my friend assaulted him in the parking lot afterwards"... Sounds like your friend is a mental weakling..when someone clowns me or showboats, I just return the favor! It is all fun.
More relevant to the post - I am 135 lbs, so if a new guy is my size winging shots, Im not gonna knock him around, ill do just enough to keep him in check, but if it is a 160lber or something, I gotta keep myself safe! haha
when someone show boats remain calm and collective... Some people it works for their favor to showboat. Profesionals know how to keep calm when someone show boat. either way show boating is part of every sport and it does have a place for boxing as well as other sports.
Personally, I find having fun during a sparring match relaxes me more & less tense, which actually translates to quicker punches and slicker movement. So sometimes I like to clown with my partners at the start and set a fun tone. It tends to make for a much different round. So when it comes to showboating, it's probably not the clowning itself that makes the difference, as much as the release of tension and more fluid movement. The other day though, strictly for laughs and not showing off at all, i wheeled my right arm around and jabbed with my left (like Sugar Ray Leonard used to do). But my sparring partner didn't find it so funny. I got dropped with a left hook to the body. So the lesson is....use this sparingly, ha ha. And don't be like me and incite a LHW to hurt you during sparring if you're a LWW. Well, at least I can say I learned a valuable lesson that day.
