Ive only been boxing for 3 months, I decided to train in a new gym today and i paid to spar, respectfully of course. And i was shocked that the coach did a full on winded up hook to start our session. We didnt talk about the intensity before the session but i understand that it is their gym and their rules. Its just that in my home gym we dont usually hard spar. Ive also read before that only 20% of sparring sessions should be hard. I am fairly new to boxing training so i dunno any better at this point. I actually learned so much more in this hard spar session than i did in my previous soft spar sessions. But im not used to the speed and the power and i definitely got flustered. He was a much taller and longer guy than i was, he probably had a 4 inch height advantage over me and a big reach advantage. I struggled getting inside as i ate counter hooks after counter hooks. I made adjustments such as pawing my jab at his lead hand, im a soutpaw btw, which worked as i got inside more often. But my aggression once inside was still pedestrian at best. What is the rule of thumb when it comes to sparring? Any tips on how to manage and succeed, and how to manage the size/hand speed/punch power as well? Thank you.
You answered your own question when you said that you learned more going hard, and there is only one way to get used to the speed and power. That is to experience it. Also, there is a rule...when you spar guys from your own gym, you are trying to learn and get better. When you spar a guy from another gym, knock him out.
Sounds like a good sparring experience to me. This will serve you well. I think a mix of hard sparring, lighter sparring and situational sparring (the latter two you’re more likely to get at your own gym, at least until you have a relationship with people in certain other gyms) is the best way to go. If you only ever spar light, a fight’s going to be a shock to you. If you only ever go hard you aren’t going to get the chance to work on as many things you need to improve. Situational stuff is to me very crucial. I would often call time in the middle of a round and say, ‘Boxer A, you just broke your right hand, you can only use your left the rest of the round’ or ‘Boxer B, you just got rattled, you need to move and hold to survive the last minute.’ Or have a guy just work on body punching or outfight if he’s a better in-fighter to add to his skill set.
