Amateur question about concussion

I would never recommend sparring on your second day. I was training 3 or 4 times a week for at least 2 months before I had my first sparring session, and even then, I was still brand new. There really isn't any set timeline though. That's up to the coach to decide if someone can spar or not. But in my opinion, you should at the very least know how to keep a basic stance, how to move around the ring, how to throw a jab and a cross, keep your head down, and keep your hands up. Head movement, advanced combos, pad work, cutting off the ring, that's more advanced and things a new guy shouldn't be concerned with. Some of which I myself still struggle with. After I have a rough sparring session, I usually take the next day off. I won't do anything physically strenuous. You have to know your own body and pay attention to it. Always use a mouthguard and wear headgear. You don't want to play around with things like that. Be smart.got it. thanks for the info.

Hi boys, Im new to this site. I've been around sports (especially ice hockey) since young age and got into boxing about a year ago. Im 24 now. To keep it short, the first boxing gym I found was led by a guy who let me spar on my second training, with no mouth protection. I did not get knocked out but I got brain concussion for sure as I felt like throwing up for two following days and basically had to leave work to see a doctor. Ever since Ive changed the gym, the new class trained told me I should put my head gear on and go to the ring to spar, the thing is I am afraid. Not to sound as a pus*y but I just cant afford being two days KO. I guess my question is: -was my concussion just because i did not wear any mouth protection? -how do these people in bare knuckle that I saw (some of them with no mouth protectors) do it? -is it only a matter of time and its necessary to get used to it? -are those pro fighters that get knocked down basically non-functioning for a day or two afterwards? Thanks a lot! I would never recommend sparring on your second day. I was training 3 or 4 times a week for at least 2 months before I had my first sparring session, and even then, I was still brand new. There really isn't any set timeline though. That's up to the coach to decide if someone can spar or not. But in my opinion, you should at the very least know how to keep a basic stance, how to move around the ring, how to throw a jab and a cross, keep your head down, and keep your hands up. Head movement, advanced combos, pad work, cutting off the ring, that's more advanced and things a new guy shouldn't be concerned with. Some of which I myself still struggle with. After I have a rough sparring session, I usually take the next day off. I won't do anything physically strenuous. You have to know your own body and pay attention to it. Always use a mouthguard and wear headgear. You don't want to play around with things like that. Be smart. Also, you should always have a coach monitoring you and your partner sparring to make sure you guys are doing everything right. The coach should be attentive.

thanks everybody i appreciate it!

My thought is no, the lack of mouthpiece didn't directly contribute to your head injury. As noted, a concussion comes from cerebral impact against the cranium. A mouthpiece doesn't really minimize that. Additionally, you would have an accompanying oral injury, broken jaw, missing or loose tooth, etc, if that were the case. Still, a mouthpiece is a MUST for contact sparring. I would advise headgear as well to help cushion the impacts. Glad to hear you've switched gyms

Sparring so soon seems pretty shocking, especially allowing you to get hit hard enough to have a concussion.

Hi boys, I guess my question is: -was my concussion just because i did not wear any mouth protection? -how do these people in bare knuckle that I saw (some of them with no mouth protectors) do it? -is it only a matter of time and its necessary to get used to it? -are those pro fighters that get knocked down basically non-functioning for a day or two afterwards? Thanks a lot! - No, your concussion was due to head trauma. I sincerely doubt a mouth piece would have made a difference. - There's a lot of people doing stupid things, you shouldn't compare yourself to them - Your brain isn't built "to get used" to it, what you and your trainer should be doing is learning proper technique to mitigate the damage you take. - Every fight, and every fighter is different. Some fighters after a fight can just shower and go home. Others are never the same again.

I know i left the gym after that accident. The new gym is fine, trainer is watching out for you and everything. Im improving the technique, the whole year ive been working on myself, hitting the bag, watching fights, body spar etc. Im just wondering if I get hit bad this time with mouthpiece,if I should expect the same results. Lets say with trainer involved etc. Im watching guys sparring all the time. Even with a good defence you get hit hard here and there, I need to know if I should not be as bad as last time with mouth piece and trying to minimize the punches. Did any of you experience something similar or it was just me being complete rookie with no mouthpiece. Thanks for replies.

I'm amazed once again how a "trainer" lets a green novice spar without putting months into learning techniques that are accentual to learn before spar sessions are granted You need to know your jab and all your counter moves defending a jab and positions just to have a bare minimum session. You need to work pads long before you spar also. Find a gym with real trainers, your age hurts you and if your not there to compete most trainers simply aren't going to have time for you. Where are you located? Ray

You went to a shyt gym. Don't go back there. A mouthpiece is a must, unless you want to put your dentist's kids through college and have scars on your face where your teeth poked through your lips and cheeks. Headgear has benefits and hindrances alike. Best to start with it though. Even if you have head-gear, your brain can get hurt. When you get hit, it the brain jars around in the skull. You want to mitigate this. Until your defense improves, it's critical to start with sparring partners who are holding back and a coach who is monitoring the situation. If you aren't required to wear a mouthpiece, you aren't getting the rest of the above. As to the question of "how do bare knuckle guys do it?" That's the wrong way of looking at it. People of all sorts used to die of various diseases, have teeth rotting out of their heads, etc. When knowledge advances us, we either get smart or suffer. Destroying yourself needlessly isn't being "tough", it's being ignorant.

Go to the training subforum and you'll see some similar threads done in the past few months. At least you can read something while you wait for someone to reply here in your thread