My first sparring competition is finally this Sunday

[Soju]

As an aside, the kid you were sparring with is a **** sparring partner. After realizing he could land at will, he could have at least made it interesting and worked on a bit of defense or footwork, rather than simply flurry on you the whole time. He got even less out of that spar than you did.

[Young Money]

Is this normal to see this type of sparring in Japan?

I feel as if they over matched you and it's not building your confidence.

Not really your fault but I think the gym or coaches should of never put you in there to begin with.

I've seen this before you in guys that need to have more "mongrel" in themselves.

By mongrel, I mean you have to have that instinct to be more aggressive.

[moneymayforever]

he wasn't my sparring partner, he was a dude from another gym. again, the sparring was an exhibition except we had win/losses. he really came at me to beat the **** at me, i should have done the same.

[Young Money]

All I can say is not to get too discouraged.

You just need to worry about the things you can control.

Being confident in yourself is also being confident that you are 100% prepared in terms of fitness.

It looks like a mental thing holding you back in terms of not wanting to get hit etc.

[moneymayforever]

i don't know mate, i wanted to enter this exhibition and they actually said yes cause im quitting the gym so for experience, they let me in.

japanese boxing is just ****ing messed up. places that only raises professional fighters never, ever looks at newbies (unless they are young or have special talents)

[Young Money]

Interesting.. I actually wanted to go live in Japan for awhile and always wondered what the boxing gyms would be like.

[moneymayforever]

nah, if you live in the UK or US don't even think about living in japan, you guys are truly blessed to be able to live in a land of opportunity. boxing gyms here suck balls (personally for me that is). Not being a troll here but who cares, I'm going to a boxing gym that has a lot of foreigners at december.

imo what i really hate about japanese boxing gyms is that their BGM is ****. im a guy who loves american r&b and rap and get motivated easily when listening to it. my gym's BGM all suck so bad that you never find the atrist/song on youtube lol.

[BoZz]

You're in Japan and you're doing boxing?? I know you like the sport but if I was in your place I'd be training in Shotokan or Kyokushin Karate..you guys have the best dojos in the world.

[Rockin']

hey rockin', i appreciate your advice. guess i'm still scared of getting punched. i'll try to get used to the punches, i really do need to hit back. i don'T know any defense at all, i did learn all the basic blocks and shoulder roll from a coach at the new gym but just practiced it when i went there once. i don't know what anyone means by head movement, i don't know how to do it. do you mean weaving or bobbing? if you are then i have not learned such thing, my coach never told me those kind of stuff and we never, ever go over the drills of defense. all i'm doing at the gym is improving my form, practicing throwing punches as well as increasing speed. also, i have actually bad eyesight not bad enough that i can't see the punches coming though. a bit blurry i guess.

Head movement... go to you tube and look up a song by the ****les called walk like an egyptian. You'll see exactly what to do with your head. Head movement is a huge part in controling an opponent with ring generalmanship, it also helps to set punches up aswell as making punches miss. It is hugely underated in the training of the fighters today.

The head movement will not help you tomorrow in the ring MoneyMay, but still start incorporating some into your shadow boxing and mirror work. What I recommend that you do during sparring is not worry so much about looking great while throwing perfect punches, just throw them. If you spar that same lefty again I would be very curious to see how he reacts when you start punching him square in his face. Get in there, keep that gaurd high and go after him. Use straight right hand leads to the body and the head and follow with hooks for starters and see where that takes you. Force him backwards......Rockin'

[any craic lad?]

You got heart Mm from what ive read off your story you should change gyms