My ego hurts

[BostonGuy]

Rockin has a point. In some areas you have no choice but to go to war since the other guy is determined to go to war

I say **** that. Sparring is to practice and shouldn't involve getting ****** up. A lot of fighters who have sustained brain damage, have done so by "warring" in the gym.

When I spar, I am explicit with my sparring partners that "we're going light, not all out." There was several times where I sparred guys who were "going all out" and, instead of, sticking in there and going to war, I took a knee. My brain is bigger and more sensible than my ego. I may look cowardly or foolish in the gym in front of people watching, but I have all my senses intact and have never got a concussion or anything close to that. At the end of the day, that's all the matters to me.

[Wuckoo]

I say **** that. Sparring is to practice and shouldn't involve getting ****** up. A lot of fighters who have sustained brain damage, have done so by "warring" in the gym.

When I spar, I am explicit with my sparring partners that "we're going light, not all out." There was several times where I sparred guys who were "going all out" and, instead of, sticking in there and going to war, I took a knee. My brain is bigger and more sensible than my ego. I may look cowardly or foolish in the gym in front of people watching, but I have all my senses intact and have never got a concussion or anything close to that. At the end of the day, that's all the matters to me.

I agree with you that excessive sparring is bad but either way you need to get used to the pace and intensity of a fight. When you are brought to another gym or if people come to yours then it's anything goes. If they go hard, you go hard. I don't agree that constant hard sparring is good though. But sometimes there will be a guy who just won't or can't go light. Then you have no choice. But you are smart and there's no shame in taking a knee. As long as you don't make a habit of it.