Pulling Punches

[Kayo]

this is kind of a weird question to ask..

So anyway in sparring your not sappost to go all out and not hit hard and such. So i end up trying to slow it down and it just doesnt feel right and i end up getting hit more. So when i speed it up just trying to throw shots quickly but without power i get called on for hittin to hard from my trainers. Im not trying to say i've got like Julian Jackson type of power my question is how do you pull your punches but still be effective and be able to work on stuff in sparring.

[shawn_]

Its not really punching, its more reaching out fast and touching them. Its like a game of tag. As soon as your glove makes contact, you want to pull your punch back to you, hence the name. No punching through the target, just too the target and back.

[msagrain]

yeh i get that to because when i tone it down to much is dead hard to hit you oppoenet. but i guess it good beacuse it gets you thinking.

[platinummatt!]

I don't actually box but in my experience and knowledge of martial arts, and that type of thing, I would say that that type of sparring in which your only allowed to go say, 70% power, that it cannot be good for your muscle memory.

Muscle memory relating in this case to the distance you follow through a punch. In some martial arts where their sparring or competitions involve you pulling your punches on contact, the competitors train this way so they can do so.

IF you train tens, hundreds (whatever) of thousands of punches pulling on contact this is what happens when it comes to crunch time.

This is the same with this type of sparring I imagine. Same with shadowboxing because you are ont hitting anything.

Whereas if you always train contact so you can always train your follow through (i.e. 3 inches) thats what will come out at crunch time.

But that is how sparring is, isnt it? I guess I could say train more full contact, full follow through, full power punches on the pads, bag etc. But that will mean that will come out in sparring.

Hard to know what to do, really.

[Kayo]

Of course im full out on the pads and such its just sparrign i cant seem to pull my punches without being a complete flop.

Like last night i sparred a dominating round where i was thinking about not throwing to hard and still my trainer said i was turning to much into my punches.

[platinummatt!]

no I know you would do but thats what I mean your used to going full out on bad, pads etc.

Thats why youd find it hard, its normal. Its just the way they make you train in boxing.

[Malchius]

When I spar we go straight through in punches just not as hard, I got my head knocked back once and I looked at the ceiling.. then I wobbled and then I stumblen, then straight back in to it.