Yesterday I had my first real sparring session. Not sure if I wanna spar again.

[_Maxi]

I've been training for a few months and doing some joke sparring sessions with one friend, but now things got more serious and yesterday I had to spar for real.

I'm 5'9'' and walking around at 142 now. I have good reach, at least 70'' but maybe more. I was put to spar with a guy that was almost 5'11'' and arms slightly larger than mine. I think he walks around 145. He had some sparring experience, I hadn't.

So it was a fair sparring. The thing is, I love to train boxing, but I'm not sure if I love sparring.

I just sparred two minutes, with a 10 seconds break in the middle. I was hit in the head twice, hit in the forehead once, hit in the right eye once, and hit in the mouth once. I hit him a few times too.

Yesterday when I went to sleep, I felt pain in my forehead, pain in my head, pain in my eye. I put some ice, and I still feel some pain, which I think will take some days to heal. I guess this is normal. I think it's too brutal, not sure I wanna take punish to be honest. I might not spar again.

I started good, I caught him so nice with an overhead right (Maidana's like), just in the cheek, and I almost score a KD. I didn't throw it with full force that's why he didn't go down. But that's when he put some ****ing angry look on his face and started throwing more at me, and at some point I entered in survival mode and lost my stance and didn't know what the **** I was doing. Then I tried some jabs to the body. At that point I realized that I didn't actually want to hit his head, because I didn't wanna hurt him, another reason why I think maybe sparring is not for me. But he had no problem in hitting me a few times in the head and after that second minute I had blood in my mouth and said I'm done.

Then my friend also sparred for the first time, and he was going forward like Porter, but throwing no punches, so he got worked easily. He had no pain on his head, just pain on his jaw because he was caught there a few times.

So, my thoughts are:
1) I don't wanna get hurt to be honest. I don't want permanent brain damage.
2) I feel like I don't wanna hurt the guy at some point. I want to control the strength I put into my punches but at some point you can't control it right?

Very important point. None of us were using protecting head gear. Yes, that was some savage shit I guess, but our trainner doesn't give a **** about that and just wants us to get used to it.

Do you think I should train in another place? Or should I just quit sparring?

[DonutHunter]

Just quit being a boxer in general, you're just pathetic.

[Redd Foxx]

Good thread, Maxi. Bravo for getting in the ring, as well as being honest about the experience. I can relate to a lot of that. When you have a good life and don't need boxing to prove anything to yourself, sparing can seem like an idiot's venture. Though I've done it and will do it again, I fully believe that the brain jarring that happens in sparring is not without consequence. Even a little bit of brain damage is still brain damage.

I also understand what you mean about hurting the other guy. I love combat sports and have a fierce desire to win that makes me very aggressive in training. But, I don't like hurting my training partners. I'll confess that I've actually become a far better body puncher because I feel less guilty about hitting the mid section than the face. I seriously hurt a guy in jiu jitsu once and since then have preferred to be cautious.

That said, something still draws me back. Because I love the competition, the danger, the pain, the pride. If there's anything about it that you truly liked, go at it again. Maybe do it somewhere else though. It sounds like you were just thrown in there. A good coach will get you better prepared, and start you light. Yes, you can control your strength in sparring and I personally consider that to be a sign of skill. My coach would always tell us what percent to put in and we understood. Some guys, mostly insecure ones, try to steamroll you but if you're clever you can put them in check (a right to the solar plexus is my go-to for saying "back the fk down").

Headgear is overrated as it doesn't stop concussive blows and makes you actually get hit more. But, it will mitigate a lot of those cuts and bruises that are bothering you today.

I hope you stick with it but no shame if you don't. Getting punched in the face is a ****** hobby. But, damn it can be so rewarding.

[Clegg]

Sounds like typical sparring in Argentina is tougher and more intense/aggressive than in most places which probably helps produce the kind of fighters they've had in recent years. If you're new and getting marked up you really should wear headgear.

In my experience, older guys take it easy on new guys unless the new guy thinks he's Mike Tyson and tries to destroy people. Next time wear headgear and just worry about your jab and movement, throw it and then move, don't lead with anything big and don't stand still after you finish punching as 90% of the time return fire comes straight back. Keep your right hand high and in place to block/parry at all times unless you are punching with it. You're less likely to get countered that way and more likely to establish a basic understanding/style that you can build on. When new people stand and trade their feet get out of position almost instantly and their punching technique suffers as they rush to land the next punch, not keeping their hands up or moving their heads. Not a great way to learn.

If you really don't enjoy it or want to continue though then no point forcing yourself. A coach can't step in everytime people trade punches but he shouldn't want you busting each other up just to toughen you up. Boxing is the art of hitting and the art not getting hit and that should be especially stressed to young/new people.

[_Maxi]

.

.

Thanks to both, really. I learnt from reading your responses. I think I'll do it again once this pain goes away. The pain in the eye already gone away, and the head ache is getting better and will probably go away soon.

Yes, this coach is too savage, I might not spar in this gym again, just train and spar when I find a new gym.

[Redd Foxx]

Thanks to both, really. I learnt from reading your responses. I think I'll do it again once this pain goes away. The pain in the eye already gone away, and the head ache is getting better and will probably go away soon.

Yes, this coach is too savage, I might not spar in this gym again, just train and spar when I find a new gym.

Good to hear. Yea, your coach needs to be someone you can trust, who has your best interest at hand. If you want to be hammered like a piece of iron so that you can be a pro boxer, a hard coach might work. But, I remember you saying you're in school and such. There's no point in you putting yourself through extra advise.

Clegg made a good point about older guys following your pace. Start each session as light as you want to be treated and hopefully they'll respect that. Start hammering and they're gonna hammer back.

[Mr.MojoRisin']

If you can't handle a rough sparring session in the gym then I doubt you have the mental strength to be a fighter. If it was your first spar then of course it is going to be tough. If it were easy then you aren't going to learn. Changing gyms isn't the answer. That is all I hear from novices on forums, when the going gets rough they think they should change gyms. The real answer is to not listen to people you have never met on the internet. There are people on here who lie on purpose just to make themselves feel better (juggynutz).

So pretty much stick it out and keep going. The time to change gyms is when you stop learning from your trainer because at that moment you will stop getting better.

[_Maxi]

If you can't handle a rough sparring session in the gym then I doubt you have the mental strength to be a fighter. If it was your first spar then of course it is going to be tough. If it were easy then you aren't going to learn. Changing gyms isn't the answer. That is all I hear from novices on forums, when the going gets rough they think they should change gyms. The real answer is to not listen to people you have never met on the internet. There are people on here who lie on purpose just to make themselves feel better (juggynutz).

So pretty much stick it out and keep going. The time to change gyms is when you stop learning from your trainer because at that moment you will stop getting better.

No, I don't want to be a fighter that's for sure. I'm 28 years old and have a full time job+college. This is a hobbie. So sparring is optional. Thanks for the advice. I still don't wanna spar without head gear so I'll see what I do. Next sparring session should be next saturday.

[Mr.MojoRisin']

No, I don't want to be a fighter that's for sure. I'm 28 years old and have a full time job+college. This is a hobbie. So sparring is optional. Thanks for the advice. I still don't wanna spar without head gear so I'll see what I do. Next sparring session should be next saturday.

Oh, well in that case do whatever you want lol

[yngwie]

Good for you.
I'm not one of those persons that thinks that a person that doesn't box can't talk about boxing, but i think that experiment in a minor scale what boxers do, can give you a new way to appreciate what boxers risk and do.
You can quit sparring if you want, sure can get tough, but you can put the gloves once in a while to feel the adrenalin and release stress.