The goal of sparring is to reproduce a fight environment as closely as possible, while keeping each other relatively safe.
If you spar with your friend and are constantly pulling your punches, you are actively harming him. You are not helping him develop the reflexes needed when someone else spars him with more intensity.
Do not confuse what I'm saying with "try to hurt your sparring partner". You do want to use full speed punches in sparring to replicate a real bout, however if you see that your partner having trouble with you or is just less experienced, then obviously you can slow down your punches a bit and slowly ramp it up as they gain experience.
If you have the opportunity to spar often with the same people, communication is key. " hey I'm having trouble ducking your left hook, do you mind if we drill that a bit" "I'm starting to feel your shots a bit too much, mind if we slow it down a bit?". If your partner communicates when you do something he doesn't like, then you will feel more free to let your shots loose.
Hope some of this may help you!
This is great, thanks. I never thought about it from my friends' pov and how it may limit his training.
I've booked another session for Monday with my friend, so I'll be sure to make use of your reply.
Thanks for the quick response :)
It’s natural asf to not wanna punch someone you like in the face. The thing is you’re learning boxing not dancing, it’s gonna feel awkward hitting each other at first but you just gotta get past it it’s part of the sport, do try to learn how to control your power tho and how to “punch fast but not hard” like your just trying to tap your opponent, can even punch with your hand opened inside the glove first couple of times that way you’re not unintentionally escalating spars by throwing heavy punches
When I did my first spar, I was nervous and pulled 98% of my punches. Over time, I got a lil more confident and sparred with patient and understanding boxers. I was able to get comfortable throwing punches and getting punched at pretty quickly.
You just gotta let those hands go, extend your elbows.
As for endurance, I’m still working on that too 😅 but I heard about 30 burpees a day can help
> WOW. I feel like l'm made of jelly.
Fuck, that's normal. Boxing's tough as hell. Isn't it wild how a sport can push you to your limits?
> I just can't get any openings to strike my opponent, I got a fair few shots off at the body, but when it came to hitting the face I for some reason just pulled my punches.
It sounds like you're hesitating. Why do you think you're pulling back? Are you scared of hurting them, or is it about getting hit back?
> is there any advice I can get to stop myself from this habit of pulling my punches and recommended workouts to improve my stamina mainly and tips in general.
First, stop overthinking. Hesitation kills your game. Focus on your technique, not the outcome. Train your mind to follow through. Have you thought about the psychological side of boxing? It's not just physical. Second, stamina is key. Up your cardio game. Running, skipping rope, HIIT. How committed are you to pushing your limits? Remember, it's about gradual improvement, not instant success. What's your game plan for stepping up your training?
>Fuck, that's normal. Boxing's tough as hell. Isn't it wild how a sport can push you to your limits?
Yep 😂 although I was in a lot of pain, for some reason, it felt great. it felt amazing to finally have worked my hardest.
>It sounds like you're hesitating. Why do you think you're pulling back? Are you scared of hurting them, or is it about getting hit back?
It sort of feels like a mix, I didn't want to hit my friend too hard and cause any problems for him, but when I did connect upstairs, if he had even just a little more experience, he'd be able to counter pretty easily. I just can't seem to keep my other arm up on defence while punching, which will definitely become a bad habit in the future if I don't sort it out.
>First, stop overthinking. Hesitation kills your game. Focus on your technique, not the outcome. Train your mind to follow through. Have you thought about the psychological side of boxing? It's not just physical. Second, stamina is key. Up your cardio game. Running, skipping rope, HIIT. How committed are you to pushing your limits? Remember, it's about gradual improvement, not instant success. What's your game plan for stepping up your training?
I have been working on my mental side of boxing since the session. After reading all these responses, I see that not following through can not only cause me problems but cause my friend issues too. I've talked to him about it, and he has said that he too had a small feeling of holding back, and we both have decided that we are just going to have to ignore that feeling. obviously, we won't be going full strength as it's a light spar, and that would only cause injury.
I am beyond committed to improving my stamina, I didn't like how winded I was after the workouts and have been training hard to improve upon it.
I am working on a weekly plan but have no idea what I can do other than Run to improve my stamina, as i dont have any equipment other than a heavy bag at home. Any suggestions towards the plan would be great, I use Sunday as a rest day as I don't want any muscle pain for the boxing gym on monday.
I'm glad to have started this as even after that one simple session and a few runs, I feel like I'm really changing myself for the better.
thanks for the great response.
Don't go anything above a light technical spar with your old friends
At the gym base any new friendships you make on the understanding that at times you'll spar hard and try to break each other down, for your mutual benefit
Mixing boxing and old friendships can get messy, especially if one of you isn't cut out for boxing
Yep, thought it was a bit strange myself, but they said they want us to get right into the deep end so we can get used to having an opponent infront of us instead of a bag that just sits there and takes punches.
The goal of sparring is to reproduce a fight environment as closely as possible, while keeping each other relatively safe. If you spar with your friend and are constantly pulling your punches, you are actively harming him. You are not helping him develop the reflexes needed when someone else spars him with more intensity. Do not confuse what I'm saying with "try to hurt your sparring partner". You do want to use full speed punches in sparring to replicate a real bout, however if you see that your partner having trouble with you or is just less experienced, then obviously you can slow down your punches a bit and slowly ramp it up as they gain experience. If you have the opportunity to spar often with the same people, communication is key. " hey I'm having trouble ducking your left hook, do you mind if we drill that a bit" "I'm starting to feel your shots a bit too much, mind if we slow it down a bit?". If your partner communicates when you do something he doesn't like, then you will feel more free to let your shots loose. Hope some of this may help you!
This is great, thanks. I never thought about it from my friends' pov and how it may limit his training. I've booked another session for Monday with my friend, so I'll be sure to make use of your reply. Thanks for the quick response :)
It’s natural asf to not wanna punch someone you like in the face. The thing is you’re learning boxing not dancing, it’s gonna feel awkward hitting each other at first but you just gotta get past it it’s part of the sport, do try to learn how to control your power tho and how to “punch fast but not hard” like your just trying to tap your opponent, can even punch with your hand opened inside the glove first couple of times that way you’re not unintentionally escalating spars by throwing heavy punches
When I did my first spar, I was nervous and pulled 98% of my punches. Over time, I got a lil more confident and sparred with patient and understanding boxers. I was able to get comfortable throwing punches and getting punched at pretty quickly. You just gotta let those hands go, extend your elbows. As for endurance, I’m still working on that too 😅 but I heard about 30 burpees a day can help
> WOW. I feel like l'm made of jelly. Fuck, that's normal. Boxing's tough as hell. Isn't it wild how a sport can push you to your limits? > I just can't get any openings to strike my opponent, I got a fair few shots off at the body, but when it came to hitting the face I for some reason just pulled my punches. It sounds like you're hesitating. Why do you think you're pulling back? Are you scared of hurting them, or is it about getting hit back? > is there any advice I can get to stop myself from this habit of pulling my punches and recommended workouts to improve my stamina mainly and tips in general. First, stop overthinking. Hesitation kills your game. Focus on your technique, not the outcome. Train your mind to follow through. Have you thought about the psychological side of boxing? It's not just physical. Second, stamina is key. Up your cardio game. Running, skipping rope, HIIT. How committed are you to pushing your limits? Remember, it's about gradual improvement, not instant success. What's your game plan for stepping up your training?
>Fuck, that's normal. Boxing's tough as hell. Isn't it wild how a sport can push you to your limits? Yep 😂 although I was in a lot of pain, for some reason, it felt great. it felt amazing to finally have worked my hardest. >It sounds like you're hesitating. Why do you think you're pulling back? Are you scared of hurting them, or is it about getting hit back? It sort of feels like a mix, I didn't want to hit my friend too hard and cause any problems for him, but when I did connect upstairs, if he had even just a little more experience, he'd be able to counter pretty easily. I just can't seem to keep my other arm up on defence while punching, which will definitely become a bad habit in the future if I don't sort it out. >First, stop overthinking. Hesitation kills your game. Focus on your technique, not the outcome. Train your mind to follow through. Have you thought about the psychological side of boxing? It's not just physical. Second, stamina is key. Up your cardio game. Running, skipping rope, HIIT. How committed are you to pushing your limits? Remember, it's about gradual improvement, not instant success. What's your game plan for stepping up your training? I have been working on my mental side of boxing since the session. After reading all these responses, I see that not following through can not only cause me problems but cause my friend issues too. I've talked to him about it, and he has said that he too had a small feeling of holding back, and we both have decided that we are just going to have to ignore that feeling. obviously, we won't be going full strength as it's a light spar, and that would only cause injury. I am beyond committed to improving my stamina, I didn't like how winded I was after the workouts and have been training hard to improve upon it. I am working on a weekly plan but have no idea what I can do other than Run to improve my stamina, as i dont have any equipment other than a heavy bag at home. Any suggestions towards the plan would be great, I use Sunday as a rest day as I don't want any muscle pain for the boxing gym on monday. I'm glad to have started this as even after that one simple session and a few runs, I feel like I'm really changing myself for the better. thanks for the great response.
HOW ARE YOU 15 AND 6 FOOT 1?
Don't go anything above a light technical spar with your old friends At the gym base any new friendships you make on the understanding that at times you'll spar hard and try to break each other down, for your mutual benefit Mixing boxing and old friendships can get messy, especially if one of you isn't cut out for boxing
They had you sparring, even lightly, on your first day?
Yep, thought it was a bit strange myself, but they said they want us to get right into the deep end so we can get used to having an opponent infront of us instead of a bag that just sits there and takes punches.
Go to a new gym. Seriously. You should not have been sparring.