What is it like sparring for the first time

[Hype job]

Out of interest what is it like sparring and how long until the average joe blow schmoe gets to spar after attending a boxing gym..?

Do they weigh you and ish?

I'm also worried about hurting people as I've always been a big puncher... I just feel very strong when I punch and am afraid of hurting people.

[TheSwiftAsSa5in]

First time I was nervous, but it was against someone that was sparring for the first time also.

[Beercules]

Got beat the **** up.

[AlexKid]

its like a scary frustrating shambled angry mess


1st there is the fear the adrenaline b4 you start, then you get jabbed on the nose and your face goes red and you emotionally experience rage/anger, then I started punching from the waist instead of the hips and my balance was all over the place because i was leaning in to get range and power, after being hit a few more times rage is replaced with a feeling/thought of oh **** rage isnt enough im ****ed, followed by humiliation, emasculation and hunger, hunger to get good and kick ass !

[nivek535]

i went to a dumb **** gym lol
i weighed 125, the kids weighed 130+
they told me to hit as hard as i could
i threw a left hook to his face and he started crying about how his nose hurt and they put in someone better and i got tagged by 1, 2s easily lol

[2ofEverything]

Nervous as hell, went in with an experienced fighter, got hit over and over but just managed to make it through round 3 and get out. Almost threw up, adrenaline + getting hit in the head and body + out of breath. The first thing that happened was I went from full stamina to zero in like 20 seconds

[ELPacman]

Butterflies in stomach is best way to describe it. Typical kid that walks in to the gym wants to spar immediately. This is until you actually get told, OK, tomorrow your sparring.

My coach had me working the mitts, heavy bag, shadow boxing, and going thru the motions for about 2 months before he wanted me to spar. I was so pumped to spar and confident that I had no idea the feeling I'd get when he finally told me tomorrow I would spar. It caught me almost off guard and I was like, oh crap, after weeks of just hitting things that don't hit back and practicing, now I got to put it to work against someone that will be moving, hitting back, and generally will express ill feelings towards me in the ring, lol.

Well, after you pass the intial butterflies that you will get when your putting on a the groin protector and head gear and the nausea passes, you'll settle down once you take your first few hits.

The feeling of being hit with the head protector on is kind of jarring because the protection absorbs the impact but you feel the vibration go through your head. Also, body shots for some reason I didn't feel but this kid was letting those rip on me. I guess I had a strong mid section when I sparred.

First thing you usually realize when you go to spar is that you think you hit hard and you don't when you get in there. I'm not saying I was over confident with power, but it's just a surprise with many people. TS feels he's a strong puncher but has no idea what it's like when you actually land those punches and they aren't having an effect. That's when you realize crap, it was all mental.

Just don't sike yourself out, that's all.

[ELPacman]

Oh and one last thing. Don't give up after your first session. Many many many dudes give up after the first because it's a RUDE awakening. Generally you don't perform how you built it up in your head and you feel your not good enough anymore.

I'm not sure what you want out of this, to make it a career or just for a workout/self defense, but eitherway, don't give up after your first session. It's mostly emotions and butterflies that go thru your head and you aren't thinking right. Once you get a few sessions, it'll become natural.

If I didn't have a problem breathing thru my nose, I wouldn't have quit sparring as soon as I did because after a few sessions, I was getting more relaxed but believe me, stamina and breathing plays a huge role because when your body is in constant motion, your trying to defend yourself, plus return fire, the amount you burn in SECONDS is staggering.

Boxing makes you respect the fighters in that conditioning makes you or breaks you.

[Hype job]

Butterflies in stomach is best way to describe it. Typical kid that walks in to the gym wants to spar immediately. This is until you actually get told, OK, tomorrow your sparring.

My coach had me working the mitts, heavy bag, shadow boxing, and going thru the motions for about 2 months before he wanted me to spar. I was so pumped to spar and confident that I had no idea the feeling I'd get when he finally told me tomorrow I would spar. It caught me almost off guard and I was like, oh crap, after weeks of just hitting things that don't hit back and practicing, now I got to put it to work against someone that will be moving, hitting back, and generally will express ill feelings towards me in the ring, lol.

Well, after you pass the intial butterflies that you will get when your putting on a the groin protector and head gear and the nausea passes, you'll settle down once you take your first few hits.

The feeling of being hit with the head protector on is kind of jarring because the protection absorbs the impact but you feel the vibration go through your head. Also, body shots for some reason I didn't feel but this kid was letting those rip on me. I guess I had a strong mid section when I sparred.

First thing you usually realize when you go to spar is that you think you hit hard and you don't when you get in there. I'm not saying I was over confident with power, but it's just a surprise with many people. TS feels he's a strong puncher but has no idea what it's like when you actually land those punches and they aren't having an effect. That's when you realize crap, it was all mental.

Just don't sike yourself out, that's all.

Oh and one last thing. Don't give up after your first session. Many many many dudes give up after the first because it's a RUDE awakening. Generally you don't perform how you built it up in your head and you feel your not good enough anymore.

I'm not sure what you want out of this, to make it a career or just for a workout/self defense, but eitherway, don't give up after your first session. It's mostly emotions and butterflies that go thru your head and you aren't thinking right. Once you get a few sessions, it'll become natural.

If I didn't have a problem breathing thru my nose, I wouldn't have quit sparring as soon as I did because after a few sessions, I was getting more relaxed but believe me, stamina and breathing plays a huge role because when your body is in constant motion, your trying to defend yourself, plus return fire, the amount you burn in SECONDS is staggering.

Boxing makes you respect the fighters in that conditioning makes you or breaks you.

Yeah good posts man, boxing must be so taxing I can't even begin to imagine how draining it is to miss and take punches to the pit of the stomach and annoying jabs, sounds exhausting as fk.

[odogg8121]

its like a scary frustrating shambled angry mess


1st there is the fear the adrenaline b4 you start, then you get jabbed on the nose and your face goes red and you emotionally experience rage/anger, then I started punching from the waist instead of the hips and my balance was all over the place because i was leaning in to get range and power, after being hit a few more times rage is replaced with a feeling/thought of oh **** rage isnt enough im ****ed, followed by humiliation, emasculation and hunger, hunger to get good and kick ass !

Spot on; I would add that after you get hit and realize you can take it, that's when you kind of relax. It takes time to get use to it, but once you can relax that's when the fun and learning really starts.