Well guys, some of you may know that I've been incorporating workouts at the local boxing gym here. It's been a lot of fun and always good to meet new people there. One of the guys I've had the pleasure of meeting turns out to be an ex-pro boxer. Really friendly guy and he asked me if I'd be interested in a sparring session.
How could I turn that down?
So how did it go? it was pretty fun. Here are my observations:
1) the sparring session is not free fighting. At the end of the day, it's just another tool that's available to the fighter to add different variables to their drills/skills. It should also be seen as such by both parties so that everyone benefits.
2) No egos in the ring. The guy's really cool and we weren't out to kill each other. Sure there's that nervous tension, but that's healthy and I really like that sparring can easily bring that out of you, of which drills may not..or at least, takes a lot of imagination to.
3) It's freaking exhausting. This is one of the major things I noticed. I'd like to consider myself to be fairly fit, have decent stamina, my cardio is pretty good..and yet, i was drained by round 2..and at the end of round 1. it really goes to show you the value of sparring, how it reveals things that need improvement right away..and that cardiovascular training is so important. YES you could hope to subdue your opponent in 15 seconds..but why not raise the bar a bit higher and aim for conditioning so that you can last 20 seconds? 30 seconds? etc.
4) Wing tsun go forward approach works. Guys, let me make it clear, i was boxing. It was not a wing tsun vs. boxing match..it was boxer vs. boxer. But things like always attacking when the way is clear, or when the centre line is open really gave me a lot of hits to the opponent's head. When he would expect other boxers to cover up, I would hit with jabs and rights.
5) It was fun!! that's also one of the best parts of the whole thing. It was fun - we both had a good time.
6) The sparring session and the lessons from it adds a different perspective/dimension to your regular training drills, either bag work, shadow boxing, etc.
I look forward to the next session.
Until then.
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1 comment:
I am impressed but not surprised with you Brian. Takes guts to train with pros, and skill to hang in there. Well done.
your point about losing it though is valid. Top pros like Ali used to try and get the other fighter to lose his cool, knowing he may well make major mistakes.. 'cold' anger might be a better response.
First ring fight i ever had i was in phenominal shape,, bell for the first round to start rang, and i was literally exhausted all of a sudden.. It took me about 20 matches spread over a few years before i ever felt not tense at the start. Fitness has little to do with it. I wont say I ever felt really 'fully' relaxed in a fight.
But other things like awareness, focus,determination etc improved noticeably. I miss that now and seem to have lost most of it.
yes, 'sparring' is a intense training tool that works a lot of stuff to a higher level than found in regular training. Intensity can be trained though, its a matter of working with people of like mind, and imo, can get to about 80% of a real fight, with time and practise. But only in certain areas for specific amounts of time.
At higher levels of intensity, ego is something that cant be avoided and shouldnt be. It is necessary to draw from it and use it. Control is key though.
Fighting is a fundamental human thing in the way that food, and sex and stuff like that is. And in 'sparring' at any level from playfighting to aggresive, the competitve nature will push you to highs and lows. But you can really live and experience something real in there.
anyways this is just one old guys opinion. Thanks for writing this post...
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