sparring

[johnjamieson]

I've been boxing for close to a year ish now, but for the first 3-4 months I realy didn't learn much, just tried to get into shape. Now I'm in good shape and I've been sparring and doing alot the last few months and have really improved. I am a 195lbs just turned 16 yrs old and have sparred some bigger guys 240+ and some lighter 140-160 ish. Tonight I sparred a guy at 160 and I really got nailed a few times good. We sparred for 8 rounds and for most of the rounds my jabs were sharp and nailed him constantly and kept him far away, the only problem is when he ( or anyone) gets close and starts to rip shots I stand up and my chin gets open and I get clobbered, hard. I am not overly good at fighting close but Im really good at snapping tons of jabs out and landing most of em. My problem is once anyone gets close I stand up and bam I'm done, anyone else have this problem and how can I work on if I can other then just getting low ? it also kinda bugs me because some of the guys im getting hammered by have a bit less experience then me and sometimes i just take a beating.

[sukhenkoy]

Are you pretty tall for your size? From what I've noticed, taller guys tend to be more prone to damage when fighting against smaller fights; I remember when I sparred a tall skinny kid at my gym, my coach would keep telling me to lay low, avoid his jabs, and, when I see the opportunity, go for his body (swarm-like style you could say).

Best advice I can give you is to probably keep him at a distance as much as possible; keep using your jab.

Others on this forum will give you much better advice than this.

[JayCoe]

You're 195lbs at 16!? What's your body fat %? Either you're tall or a solid mother****er haha.

Sounds to me that you're style, through nature, is that of an "out-fighter" which is quite different to myself who prefers to be the "in-fighter". This means you prefer to use your reach to keep the distance, which I believe, when used correctly by somebody who is gifted with a good height, is probably one of the more effective styles. However, your problems will come most against those who are effective at the "in fighting" method as they come in close and you become lost as you've lost the "cleaness" of the fight that you seek. You begin to move back in order to find your safe ground but an "in fighter" will chase you down resulting in you just moving around on the defence getting laid into. Here's what I believe you could possibly do:

1) Bring your guard closer. I could just be saying this because I personally prefer this guard, I doubt many will agree with me though. This means instead of using the more orthadox stance of left hand 12" infront, right by your face bring both of your hands infront of your face with your gloves at eye level. This will give you more coverage and will protect your lower face alot more because of the placement of your forearms. It is also a tighter defence meaning when you're getting laid into you're less likely to drop it and leave yourself open. The problem here is, like I said I prefer the in fighting stance, it is more of an in fighting defence because the orthadox means is far more apt at keeping others away. A tighter defence like i've suggested can invite them closer. But give it a go and see how you like it.

2) Learn to slide. Rather than simply ducking and blocking learn to sidestep (without crossing your legs as this damages your balance) out of danger. If he is in closer the worst thing you can do is try and flurry him if you've got long arms because of the natural pivot point in your arm. It's very simple really, put something just ahead of you and you can hit it well, put it right infront of you and you can't hit it as hard. Being tall usually leads to longer arms which means your "pivot point" is further way. So when he comes in close, try side step it to get to safety to continue.

3) Don't use many hooks when they're in close. This relates to point 2), that pivot point in your arm is most noticably in the hook. A jab is nice to open defences and keep them away but a cross is enough to move them backwards. So when they're in close and you feel stuck throw a powerful cross, this will hopefully get them to move backwards. Remember to punch throw, their head is not the target, the air behind the head is.

Hope this helps.

[Hwann]

You seem like the tall "out-boxer" type (as the guy said above). And you seem to having problems with infighting. If that's the case you should either practice infighting and/or learn to pivot real fast and be good at it. Of course while you're pivoting around them you should be constantly popping the jab (Since you sound like you're good with the jab anyways). Also be sure to always have a general idea of where you are in the ring (but don't concentrate TOO much on this), just enough so you don't get backed into a corner or ropes(probably the worst position to be for you against the swarmers).

[aussieboxer2320]

your an outfighter, you want a slower, more clean and controlled fight, some things you could try.
keep your left (or right if your a southpaw) constantly in his face, jabbing, probing him obscuring his vision a bit (but dont stick it fully in his face cos u will be vulnerable and its a foul) setting him up for a straight right (or left if ur sthpaw) so throw that jab and keep him out of punching range, if he breaks in and starts clobbering you, pivot sharply off either foot and slide away, and nail him with a jab as he turns around to attack you again, you have to make him hurt with your jab, as an outfighter its your main punch, make sure he damn well respects it!


also, if he starts clobbering you and you cant pivot(or dont have fast enough feet)well you seem to be a big guy (195 lbs at 16) and if the guy whos giving you trouble is 160 lbs, you can simply pull him into a tight clinch and wait till your coach or whoever yells break. pretty much a bearhug. but this is a last resort and its also a foul if you do it heaps so only do it if hes landed some stunners and you cant pivot.

also, keep the centre of the ring and use your height, reach and size to keep him away

[Salty]

A few more things to add, keep a "live" lead hand happening so your constantly jabbing or even feinting jabs with it, basically waving it around (not too much obviously, just so it takes his attention). Then when he tries to come in on you throw a hard straight right, since he will be paying most of his attention to that lead it can be devostating and defently make him think twice about coming in on you.

Also the hardest thing to do against someone tall and an outfighter is to walk in on them without the tall guy going towards them. So make him come to you and don't get caught on the ropes. Hope this helps.