Have more sparring tips? Share them below Watch Next: Instantly Punch Faster After You Watch This ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DGzdC2uaQXE.html
Hi i'm angel im interested in boxing i want to be a boxer i'll be 29 in november 15 Tony Jeffries can you be my boxing coach is it to late to be a boxer🥊at 29 years old
I sparred for the first time 3 weeks ago and I highly recommend it at some point. I have no plans of ever competing (34 year old engineer) and I only box for fitness with running. There are a bunch of guys in the gym who spar with no intentions of competing. It's one thing to hit, slip, and roll the pads, but things don't "click" until you're actually avoiding someone's punches. You realize there's a whole world of other things to learn such as distance management, using feints, etc. It's good to try it once to see if you like it even if your goals are just fitness. Never trying it is like doing basketball drills but never playing a pick up game at the park. 1. Stay fueled and hydrated on the day you spar, you don't realize how tiring sparring is until you do it 2. Go for light sparring. Unless you're going to actually compete, I don't see how hard sparring makes sense if it can negatively impact your professional life. My coach lets people spar hard if they are experienced and want to, but people just go light. 3. Keep your emotions and ego in check. Even if you are light sparring you'll still get hit and you and your training partner can accidentally throw a wild punch. I've gotten rocked a few times and my partner would apologize right there and we'd continue on. Don't let this get the best of you and turn it into a competition, sparring is for learning. 4. Communicate with your sparring partner if you have to. I'm 145 lbs and the people I've sparred with ranged anywhere from 150-190 lbs, even a light jab can feel like a whopper with that weight difference. If they're going too hard, let them know -- and always offer the same in return. My coach lets us rotate sparring partners during the class, so it's been a great way to meet other people in the gym. It's all love at the end of the session and everyone gives feedback on how to improve.
I'm 32 and plan on going pro next year. I know I know I'm too old to go pro. But I'm not aspiring to be world champion, although if the opportunity presents itself, I'm taking it. The main thing is to remain calm which is easier said than done.
Those are great tips! I tell everyone to control your breathing and control your footwork when you're in there. It's okay to reset and establish a pace so you can engage your oponent properly. One thing that a lot of people forget to do is to get used to breathing through your mouthguard and headgear. It can get bloody hot too.
I had a coach like that - a coach that upon my first day in the gym threw me in the ring to spar knowing I had no clue how to box - and the guy with which I was sparring threw bomb after bomb and all I could see after every punch was white… left out of that gym with a concussion and never went back. To this day I loathe that coach.
That sucks bro. When I was a teenager I was hit by a heavyweight (a tall and fat grown man, a cop, who was pissed he could not get the hand on me because he was a beginner and I boxed several years) in the ribs and could not breathe for a long time, my coach saved me by pressing my solar plexus or something like that, I don't know exactly how he de-blocked my breathe). We were not supposed to hit in savate everyday training, just sting without putting power (it is called "assault boxing" in French) and that really took me off guard and I was hesitant to go training as I almost died from that. It's a shame what happened to you was the fault of the coach.
Coach made me spar on my second day against one of the top guys that had been boxing for years. I got beat up so badly, he had to make me a spar a 12-13 year old. I left that gym shortly after. I'm Glad I'm not the only one that feels that way.
I unknowingly sparred a pro mma guy on my first day of sparring class, tried knocking me out, made my nose bleed, and took out my air with a hard kick to stomach all in one go. The pro and manager are denying responsibility and see me as the problem. I'm glad I'm not alone in this case because cases like this need to be exposed so that new kids, teenagers, or YA don't learn the hard way and they're trained correctly until they're ready to compete. P.S. - I sparred 3-4 guys before the pro guy and it was nice and easy, mutual energy, up until I came across the pro. Some guys are just rats in combat sports whether they know it or not.
Best thing I’ve done getting in to boxing training, not to be a fighter at the age of 41 obviously but for fitness and just knowing how to fight properly/smartly.
One of the great things about Tony's videos is it always reinforces what a brilliant coach i have. Now sparred hundreds of rounds, had one white collar fight at 42 and have always been brought along at the right pace, helping me to improve and also stay safe
I've been boxing for about 6 months and I think sparring is an absolute necessity, even if you don't plan on competing. After learning for a while, I thought I had some skill for fighting, but boy was I wrong. Sparring humbled me in an instant because someone, unlike a bag, is hitting back. So sparring introduced me to the vital art of strategy - knowing when to hit, how to set up combos, how to defend, slip, duck, move - all of this a bag or mits cannot teach you. So I spar lightly every training session to learn how to strategize and practice my techniques under stress. I think this would translate to the real world too, so you'll be able to remain calm in a real confrontation, and be more confident in your skills.
Absolutely brother! its the uncertainty and pressure you receive from an opponent that forges ur skills and develops ur ability to Apply them in a real situation...there is no substitute for this....
Thank you so much. I HAVE to do sparing because the teaching is only one hour, with some combo and then sparring. It is good motivation to work technics, but it is hard for me without basics. I have today tried to focus on my breath, defense and basics and it was really helpful. Hope you are going to post other vids about beginner sparing !
I thank my coach for teaching us how to breathe correctly. I didn't understand it at 1st why he had to do so until I got in the ring. Man!! Your channel is great to learn from Tony, I am a kickboxer but for my boxing I watch this channel. We watching all the way from South Africa. Peace!
Love to spar , getting to put the training and tips to good use . Go light to maybe 70% .At 40 Most likely won't get to competition but sparring is a lot fun .
You make it sound like a real fight, honestly it wasnt too big of a deal for me. I didnt expect the other person to beat me up, and luckily they didnt. So bascially chill light sparring
@@animal9470 Soft sparring is a great way to learn to box, but it will give you a false sense of security. You will get a rude shock when you actually fight someone and you haven't sparred hard before.
Im training and working on becoming a professional boxer now 😄. Im 35 but i been in and out of it but i am truly following it andnyoure videos definitely help me a lot. I know how to fight and now learning to box as a fighter. Makes it simpler and learning techniques and relearning and discipline myself. Im definitely taking youre words as Gold 🪙🥇. Thank you so much for youre time and wisdom. God bless you ❤. Much respect on my end
I've boxed in the army around 7 years ago, I picked up kickboxing and man.... I feel like a beginner again. Dutch kickboxing sparring goes hard, and i mean really hard. I usually tell the other guy I just got back into it, is 60% ok for you? They usually agree and even start giving tips while sparring. That being said, there's always the guys with something to prove. I've been liver punched, got a black eye 3 weeks ago and last Monday my tooth was temporarily loose... Guess i know to work on my defence now lol.
In my club we do group sessions with "light" sparring. Being punched in the face can occur even then although we're supposed to stick to body & shoulders and practice the moves. Boxing is the hardest sport I've ever tried.
Most honest tips I’ve ever heard. My first session I held my breath and barely made it through the first round. Thanks for spreading some real hands on knowledge.
1 of my coaches picks at me a lot be breathing hard for breathing hard in sparring. but im very fit, i last about 2 rounds before getting too tired. even before the match, i could hear him talking to my friend who im going up against say. "so are you here to kick Muggshot's butt" i been loyal to the gym, i been going there for 10 months. all he seems to want to do is only pic on me. practicing as hard as i can till i just about puked. sitting down, dripping like a kitchen sink, nearly ready to barf in a bucket. comes over to me and says "did your jump rope run out of batteries, why you sitting down?" despite getting dumped on by him on a daily bases, i still work my hardest to get where i want to go. he got on me, and tried to put me down so much. that getting punched in the face is not even a thing that i am remotely nervous about anymore. i even went in there with only 1 leg to work with, because the other leg had a cramp in it. so im hoping on 1 leg, trying to punch the double end bag. another time both legs gave out while in the gym, and then to get across the floor to get to the heavy bag, im using my arms to walk across the floor to get to it. so im punching it, he dont hardly say a word to me before leaving. i go to the MGGA mon through fri at 5:30pm to 8:00. the kind of lack of motivation he gives me, i doubt he is going to try to get me in a tournament. can you come in sometime, and see what im doing right. 10 months of being there, i got to be doing at least 1 thing right by now. can you come down sometime, and see what im doing right and wrong. i want to compete, and im not going to stop until i get to.
I have around 6 hours of boxing experience and I always look forward to the light sparring; my coach tells us to lightly spar with five different opponents/ one minute each. My first time I was able to understand the levels to boxing, you also get a better measure of your defense/offense and adjust. I also like to mimic moves higher level opponents use on me and try them out with others.
@Tony Jeffries Coming from a different art, karate (namely shotokan) we have a slightly different approach: We go gradual. First spar is 10-15% of force and speed. No gloves or anything, let it happen, like a play. After a couple exchanges, coach stops and make correction: "Hey look, he come with a long punch and you tried to "hunt his hand" instead of moving your body away at the same time.
Had my first sparring session in day I wrote this comment against newbie and it went okay but I feel like I was too soft. Cuz this guy got me in body, it was not hard punch but still felt kinda bad and disappointing. After this video I got motivated, thanks Tony. I understand now that first time is first time and you can still improve.
Tony thanks for the videos. I recently got into boxing. Started in January. Got in the ring for the first time about 3 weeks ago. Wasn’t bad. Wasn’t nervous at all. Went against my couch and I guess I knew he would take care of me. But awesome experience. He asked where else I was learning boxing from because he knew I had no experience. I told him Tony Jeffries. Great tips.
Can you make a video on how to do body sparring properly, and details on why it's still useful / what lessons we can learn from it compared to normal sparring?
body sparring is very useful as a way to approach sparring for those just starting out..certainly better than Not sparring at all.. the reactions and movements are the same as full body sparring except the head is off limits as far as contact... the downsides are that if this is the Only type of sparring you do, there is a tendency to be lazy as far a defense of the head becuz you Know you you are not being hit there... this leads to hands low and head exposed...thus if this is the only way you trained, your head defense could be lacking...For those who Do choose body sparring only, I'd recommend carry ur hands As IF the head were still a target... both fighters Incorporate feints To the head without real contact... this will train you to Still be aware and defensive to head shots and keep you from being lazy and unconcerned about it , which would not work well in a real situation.
Im 33, just turned, in 6-8 months in training/ learning at 3-5 sessions a week, doubles some weeks(2-3 hour long sessions) one day a week... I sparred 2 or three months in with two intentions to learn or objectives. 1. As a man, i think its a good idea to learn to take a hit, an keep on keeping on. 2. I plan on competing in amateur before i get too old.... I am thankful i have good coaches. I started out orthodox, an have just started switching to unorthodox.... I must now learn as well defense. This sport is challenging, for a reason, its peeling my bad layers off( insecurities, strength of mind, willpower,etc.) as well getting instincts clear. The main reason i joined as well, in addition to, was for psychological reasons and benefits. I have nothing to say but positive things on boxing. Thank you Toni, for the advice an tips.
Love your videos! By watching your content I started kickboxing training. Only thing I regret is I started it this late, im turning 37, but this is great exercise
I think the biggest thing I can say is, unless you’re just a crazy natural, sparring is WAY different than any other training. You got someone who’s going to be moving, hitting, and working on their selves along side you. The absolute worst atrocious things to look out for is nerves and a temper. You really got to be calm and remember it’s a sport we’re all bettering ourselves in. You want to apply what you have learned in training and improve on it as well as getting that experience. My younger self learned that lesson very quickly. Stay comfortable and remember your technique and try to get better.
I weigh 60kg and I bought 16oz gloves precisely to prevent and not harm my colleagues, but apparently not everyone is interested in that, some even use 8oz gloves, it's unfair Right now I have a broken rib and am now forced to rest for 6 weeks. I am seriously considering purchasing less oz gloves
Tony first gym I joined in NYC the owner said at least 6 months before you can spar and if you suck gotta train 6 more months. Of course I thought I was ready in shorter time but I waited it out and worked hard. Once in the ring the worst part was I didn’t breathe. Even though we worked on it. Did pass the test and continued sparring for years after. Eventually sparred with Kid Chocolate, lou savareece and others. Boxing is a great sport that challenges not just the body but the mind, the heart, the character and courage of men.
I wish i had taken an interest in boxing and/or martial arts when i was younger because its so much fun, i wont compete but i do love light-medium sparring, as soon as you've had a few sessions you'll get the hang of it and realise its the equivalent of having some banter.
I box's in England when to Australia to turn pro couldn't get lic waited 15 years when back England had two pro fight when back to Australia had 14 more pro fight retired at 40 years old love every minute of it unfortunately I left it to late
Being tense and nervous usually ends bad, but relaxing and being aware of your environment will lead to optimal results. The only caveat is, if you are too relaxed you might lose that fighting spirit. I suppose, and this is only conjecture, you need an appropriate balance between healthy tension and relaxed awareness.
I have been taking boxing for 3 months almost, and I've sparred a guy who's been there a while and along with some other newbies. My defense was the first time I sparred the experienced guy a few weeks ago, and him tonight was so much different. I took notes on how he was hitting me, and he gave me advice right after, and I got countering him as often as he got me. It felt good, but he knocked me real good when I gassed out. Lol I spent a lot of time trying not to punch hard because I was scared of hurting them. But I got pretty good at not hitting hard, or I hope. No one has told me to take it easy. I hope they'd tell me to ease up.
Since 3 years I'm going to a local muay thai gym and sparring is always optional they say but they always push even very beginners to do sparring and they are insulted and angry if you say you don't want to. I've had a few great sparring partners who like me wanted to focus on technique but most spar very hard. I still don't know if this is a common thing. In my opinion before anybody does any sparring they should maximize their footwork and defense techniques, I couldn't do any of that when I began 3 years ago and during my first sparring sessions then I received 2 strong liver shots and several strong hooks and jabs in the head by a guy who was very advanced, in 2x3 minutes I couldn't even land a single punch on him.
Hey Tony, have you already made a video discussing whether headgear is beneficial for sparring? If no, could you share when one might need headgear and what type you recommend? I'm actually a bit confused, as I've heard so many different opinions on this. Thank you for this incredibly helpful video!
I've had my first boxing sparring with my friend a few weeks ago! For context, I've been trained Taekwondo throughout my childhood, and during the pandemic, I've realized that I also need to learn punches. That's why I self trained Muay Thai with a punching bag, learning the foot rhythms and everything. When he invited me to have a boxing sparring session, I was pretty confident in my punches. That's when his first ever punch hit my solar plexus, I ran out of breath immediately and called for a timeout xD At that time I was thinking "woa, I totally forgot that was a weak spot" I protected my liver and jaw with my right hand, but due to the sparring session, I realized that my center was wide open. Throughout the session, my feet were itching to kick, but I stopped it. I only ended up pushing him back with a kick once, since my instinct kicked in when he rushed me. Sorry bro TvT Overall, training only with a punching bag can be detrimental, since you're up against someone who can't punch back. That's why I focus on offence in the bag, and defense and counter punches in my sparring sessions. I still hope that I watched this video before my first sparring though xD
A good mittholder will be able to help you work ur defense as well as offense... the mitts Can hit back when used to show you holes in ur defense by a decent holder.. they should Always be testing ur reactions, exposing flaws in ur defense and making you work ur returns off ur defense, changing angles and helping you develop ur footwork...never static.... the poorest example of holding mitts is someone who is just standing there like a portable punching back, who gives nothing back.
I have sparred a couple of times and it is really surprising the speed at which you correct mistakes, because you make them and you get immediately hit.
i have never been to a boxing gym, but have sparred once with a shool mate of mine (for fun we both agreed) and i lost, not by much we are having a rematch this friday so i am training for it cuz i really wanna win. I'll update you guys on who won
I've just took a step up into the amateurs and I've done a few white collar fights and I was never busted open or really gotten hurt but since I've took myself into the amateurs it's been a completely different ball game and I'm struggling to spar all of a sudden since I've dropped like 2 weight classes.. feel like confidence has gone and I'm struggling
Hey tony, can you make some more dodging tips? Ive been trying to learn how to slip away from jabs alot, but i didnt get much luck since im still a beginner
Well, I was never injured in my first sparring. I was just nervous, and exhausted. I mean even light sparring is hard on the body and stamina. It's basically brisk run while moving the whole body.
Thanks Tony, good stuff. I love sparring. I started late in life, in my late 50s, had an opportunity to spar related to self defense classes. Instructor gave zero guidance but I was against him....for the most part then I had no idea where the punches came from. Never saw them coming but since he was the instructor they weren't hard. Since I sought out ways to spar, not to be hard but to get better in my defense. And it did work. There is nothing like actual punches and people trying to get past your defense to build a defense. Most of the sparring I do isn't hard, but it is challenging enough to help me get better and hopefully my partners. I had someone recently that seemed intent on hitting me hard so I just got lighter towards him and gave him some opportunities to get it out of his system. Egos are the worst thing to bring to sparring.
How do you become a boxer when your poor no boxing gyms anywhere near and everybody hates boxing. I’m just starting boxing and I want to be world champion but it’s kind a hard to do when my family members don’t help and don’t want me to become one
Build confidence and start with the basics,by having your first go with a professional like Sean Strickland,that way you won't get taken advantage of and you wiil get the chance to improve your skills.
I dont know how true it is, but yeah I was concerned about just being thrown in the ring and being told to tough it out. So to avoid that, I just started with some private lessons. Ive got some nagging injuries and issues that are way easier to communicate privately at first.
When i started to really spar at 16 i had no head movement whatsoever. I did kickboxing and relied on my kicks more and more but was severely open for punches
From very limited experience, when I wasn't too nervous before sparring I got my ass beat. When I was nervous and worried, usually goes rather well 'cause I took it seriously a focused on basics.
I really wish there was a gym in my place that had coach with the same mindset as Tony. I would love to spar technique, but all they do at my gym is go 100% war every round. Im 30+ years old and won't risk my moneymaker (brain) for this experience. My friend left after 3 months of training because he sparred with a guy who gave him everything, KOd so hard, that he couldn't come back to consciousness for a few minutes...
Imagine that coach seeing Tony emerging from his screen while watching this vid after doing what he should not have done earlier that day, and then proceeds to get absolutely beat up.
