Diff between fighting and sparring

[GrizzleBoy]

I started boxing this september and my trainer thinks im ready to spar already but the head coach says i have to get a medical check which will happen next sunday.

After that ill be able to spar properly as all ive been doing is "touch sparring" where you pull your punches before you land and its getting frustrating cos im getting really anxious to just get in there and fight someone! I want to know how it feels to get hit hard and what it takes to be able to carry on. I also want to know what it feels like to hit someone else hard and measure my power.

Which leads to my question how hard do you/are you supposed to/do you normally go at it when sparring as a percentage of your full potential?

Im itching to let loose and im tiring of pounding at the heavy bag.

[fraidycat]

It's pretty much up to you. My understanding is that traditionally, the less-experienced fighter sets the pace. Be prepared to get hit back as hard as you hit your opponent. This is the primary reason, IMO, that most people spar at 50-75%.

Sparring is mainly a way to let you put your skills to use under pressure, not to kill the other guy. You want your sparring to be heavy enough that you have a motivation to keep your form good and not do anything ******, but not so heavy that you can't show up to the gym the next day.

Even at 50-75%, it's going to hurt. A lot. Be brave.

[GrizzleBoy]

Thanks for the reply Fraidycat. I hope i didnt come across as overconfident/over-aggressiv or something like that i just dont feel ive been able to test myself properly and see any progress ive made because i havent been in a situation where it can be seen and im just a very impatient guy lol.

[msagrain]

a real fight is around 5 times harder than spraring.

[fraidycat]

im just a very impatient guy lol.

Get over that ****. Impatience will get your face busted up in this sport. This is a man's sport, not a boy's game. Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

FWIW, there is no harm in telling your sparring partner how hard you want to go before you get in there with him, and in telling him "lighter" or "more," once you get going. Especially if you're new; I worry about hurting a new guy because he's too shy to tell me that I'm throwing too hard.

[GrizzleBoy]

"This is a man's sport, not a boy's game"

Near enough exact words my coach told me the first day i went to the gym lol.

[fraidycat]

"This is a man's sport, not a boy's game"

Near enough exact words my coach told me the first day i went to the gym lol.

It's true; keep in mind that a lot of the attributes you need to be good at this are things that differentiate men from boys. Any boy can fight. Being a skilled boxer requires courage, patience, intelligence, discipline, self-sacrifice, humility, sound judgment under pressure, sportsmanship, mercy, and the balls to have your flaws and weaknesses shown to you in stark terms -- usually in front of other people. And that's all in addition to having a gleeful love of violence and an inhuman tolerance for pain.

[GrizzleBoy]

It's true; keep in mind that a lot of the attributes you need to be good at this are things that differentiate men from boys. Any boy can fight. Being a skilled boxer requires courage, patience, intelligence, discipline, self-sacrifice, humility, sound judgment under pressure, sportsmanship, mercy, and the balls to have your flaws and weaknesses shown to you in stark terms -- usually in front of other people. And that's all in addition to having a gleeful love of violence and an inhuman tolerance for pain.

Only time will tell if i have what it takes but i knew what id have to go through when i started. The first time i felt a hard stiff jab in my face all i could think was "WOOOO IM BOXING YEAHHHH" and i couldnt stop smiling lol.

To be honest ive never been in a fight my whole 19 years of life because people were kind of scared of me because im a big guy. Ive always kinda wanted to fight someone just to see what i can do, thats why the idea of getting in there and exchanging with someone excites me so much.

I dont mind if i get busted up i just want to get in there and do it and learn what i can from the experience.

[Verstyle]

a real fight is around 5 times harder than spraring.

I wouldnt say that much,all depends on how you spar.

[British Pitbull]

When I spar my team mates from my club, I pull back punches and we take it easier on each other, sometimes it can get very physical still.

Normally if other clubs come down to are gym to spar or we visit theres its practically full out but if anything gets to heavy were told to brake.