Ass whooped really bad during sparring due to learning disability

[billeau2]

Thank you all for your comments. Most of you have suggested that I stop making excuse, work my ass off and just get into the ring. Few, however, seem to understand my problem and have recommended that I start playing some other sport which will translate into boxing in terms of coordination and better reflex.

Today I sparred again and tried my best to defend the blows. Fortunately, my sparring partners, although most of them kids under 15, understood my predicament and were easy on me, unlike the big agressive guy last week. They encouraged me to place punches rather than just standing there trying to defend.

One other thing I forgot to mention in my OP is that I have never been involved in fight and don't remember punching anyone or getting punched since past 20 years or so (I'm 29). So I lack that fighting instinct whereas a 23 year-old in the gym says he has been involved in at least 100 fights in his lifetime! Do you think this experience matters for a would-be fighter?

Yes and No... Think of it this way: People have been punching each other in the face from when we looked more like Apes... Trained fighting goes against most of how we do that. Meaning... technique overcomes most tendencies, PROVIDED you really understand how to use it... Fighters develop bad habits, if you develop flawless technique, you have that as an advantage.

[them_apples]

I got into boxing recently with the prime objective to get into a good shape and build
a great endurance. Stamina wise I am doing fine as I used to run regularly before joining
the gym. However, I have a couple of severe limitations:
1.I am too slow at learning movements and applying them owing to some sort of DCD (though undiagnosed) since early childhood
[I avoided sports that involved use of coordinationand quick reflex all my life in order not to feel embarassed]
2. I am too skinny for my height (weigh less than 130 lbs).
These two factors led me to get my ass kicked really bad in the last
sparring session by someone with less endurance but about 45 lb more muscle mass than me.
During the fight this otherwise friendly guy seemed to be possessed by the ghost of
a long dead heavyweight boxer and I simply couldn't think of and use right defense and offense
technique at all. All I was doing was flinching, use guards in vain and getting beaten.

This has made me dread the sparring altogether and made me reconsider if I'd want to spar at all the next
time. However there is another skinny guy just like me who although joined later than I did
was able to employ right techniques at right time and sparred really well with experienced
and heavier members. So I know that my weight is not the exact issue but combined with my
slow reflex and incapacity to learn and apply the movements (I still struggle to throw a
jab properly while newbies in the gym seem to learn it in a matter of days).

So in this situation what would you suggest that I do in order to save myself from being
severely beaten during the sparring? Also do you have specific suggestions for someone with
coordination-movement-reflex related learning disability who has finally decided to try
boxing despite having avoided sports all his life just in order to save himself from humiliation ?

you just take a bit longer to learn, but when you learn you learn it well I presume? The other peice missing though is having the dedication to keep getting better. Some people come out hot and plateau so fast