Been doing Muay Thay for 5 months, getting destroyed in sparring... Why?

**Natlex** · Posted On: 4/23/2012 5:22pm

Hey guys, I'm kinda of at a loss currently. I've been doing muay thay and practising punch/kick combinations for about 4 months. I've started just doing MMA sparring now (mostly just striking with punch/kicks) and I'm getting destroyed! Granted, most of the other fighters seem to have been doing this for a year but I'm really discouraged... If I punch them, I reveal an opening that they will exploit and destroy me within a few seconds. I still often close my eyes though slowly getting better at this.

Anyway, knowing that as soon as I punch the retaliation will get me destroyed makes my punches even weaker since I kinda hesitate to trow them. I'm not too sure what I should be doing.

Should I keep sparring? I've mostly been doing 2 1 hour sessions of sparring a week now and stopped doing my 2-4 hours of muay thay a week where I would practise on pads.

I do decent punch/kicks when hitting a pad but on a moving target in sparring (where I also hesitate to fully punch subconsciously)

I'm getting discouraged of getting destroyed in actual fights (sparring) I'm determined to get this done but not sure if the only solution is private classes (will get expensive at at least $80/hour but maybe only a few will help?)

So for those who have improved... Do I keep sparring? Will I naturally get better as I gain more confidence to dodge/keep my eyes fully open/strike with more confidence?

Should I take some boxing or muay thay classes and practise further? We only do like 10-20 min of "technique" practise before the actual sparring.

**Permalost** · Posted On: 4/23/2012 5:42pm

4 months isn't a super long time, so there's that, but this concerned me:

I'm getting discouraged of getting destroyed in actual fights (sparring)

Sparring should not be actual fights. If everyone's swinging for the fences and its making you flinchy and afraid of being hit, then your sparring intensity is probably too high.

**Natlex** · Posted On: 4/23/2012 5:52pm

Originally Posted by Permalost

4 months isn't a super long time, so there's that, but this concerned me:

Sparring should not be actual fights. If everyone's swinging for the fences and its making you flinchy and afraid of being hit, then your sparring intensity is probably too high.

Well I don't think they are hitting me at their 100%, maybe like 70% but it's still so fast I barely can see it coming...

**Azatdawn** · Posted On: 4/23/2012 5:59pm

Four months isn't much. It also sounds like in those four months there have been times when you've only done two hours of training per week, which isn't very much as well.

Have you done sparring in those four months or has it only been practicing combos? Also, who have you been training with? Did they just hold pads for you or did they give you the occasional jab etc. when you're doing your combos and letting your guard down?

Anyway, yes, keep sparring.

**JohnKenner** · Posted On: 4/23/2012 6:00pm

Originally Posted by Permalost

If everyone's swinging for the fences and its making you flinchy and afraid of being hit, then your sparring intensity is probably too high.

This is super solid advice. Don't let your ego get in the way of getting better. If someone is dropping bombs on you to the point you can't think, don't hesitate to ask them to tone it down. (Now that means you have to be willing to do the same thing as well)

**Azatdawn** · Posted On: 4/23/2012 6:05pm

Originally Posted by Permalost

4 months isn't a super long time, so there's that, but this concerned me:

Sparring should not be actual fights. If everyone's swinging for the fences and its making you flinchy and afraid of being hit, then your sparring intensity is probably too high.

Originally Posted by JohnKenner

This is super solid advice. Don't let your ego get in the way of getting better. If someone is dropping bombs on you to the point you can't think, don't hesitate to ask them to tone it down. (Now that means you have to be willing to do the same thing as well)

Definitely true. I'm still wondering though if Natlex might perceive the sparring harder than it is.

**thrutch** · Posted On: 4/23/2012 6:13pm

Originally Posted by Natlex

Should I keep sparring?

Stick with it dude. Do as much as you can.

It sucks when you're sparring with people who are significantly better strikers and it feels like they're just unloading on you with ease. Personally I've found I learn and improve more by going up against the better guys - getting kicked repeatedly in the face and leading leg is a very effective way of learning to keep your guard up and check the leg kicks.

Does your coach/coaches watch you spar? Are they giving you pointers at the end of the round about things you're doing wrong?

**gregaquaman** · Posted On: 4/23/2012 6:18pm

Op would know if the power was 70% because he would be picking himself off the deck a lot.

Othrerwise work on your guard and having that get hit. Once you are comfortable there then you can plan strategy.

**JohnKenner** · Posted On: 4/23/2012 6:36pm

Originally Posted by Natlex

Well I don't think they are hitting me at their 100%, maybe like 70% but it's still so fast I barely can see it coming...

Is it their speed or their power that is the problem? Are you getting tagged with a bomb and then having a hard time recovering? Or are you just not able to keep their shots from landing?

Because if it was 70% of full power...

Originally Posted by gregaquaman

Op would know if the power was 70% because he would be picking himself off the deck a lot.

Originally Posted by gregaquaman

Othrerwise work on your guard and having that get hit. Once you are comfortable there then you can plan strategy.

Again, solid advice. Spend time working on your guard. Shadowbox with a mirror and look for where you are open (and learn how to cover). One last thing, you are going to get hit. It is completely unavoidable. You will get hit. Recover, and hit him back. Hit him back more than he hit you, if you can :)

**Natlex** · Posted On: 4/23/2012 8:21pm

Wow, thanks a lot guys. I did not expect so many good comments! It's good to know this does not seem uncommon...

Originally Posted by Azatdawn

Four months isn't much. It also sounds like in those four months there have been times when you've only done two hours of training per week, which isn't very much as well.

Have you done sparring in those four months or has it only been practicing combos? Also, who have you been training with? Did they just hold pads for you or did they give you the occasional jab etc. when you're doing your combos and letting your guard down?

Anyway, yes, keep sparring.

Ya the first 4 months were doing combos, about 1 hour a day for 3-4 sessions per week. We would sometimes do light 10 minute sparring at the end but since we did not have protective gear it wasn't much.

Last month I changed gym and went to a much more well known one since they had a great promotion and a couple of well known MMA guys. Here I'm only doing 2-3 1 hour MMA striking classes a week where it's the reverse, 10 minutes of technique (dodging + striking in slow motion) and 50 minutes of sparring with a few minute breaks between rounds.

Originally Posted by JohnKenner

This is super solid advice. Don't let your ego get in the way of getting better. If someone is dropping bombs on you to the point you can't think, don't hesitate to ask them to tone it down. (Now that means you have to be willing to do the same thing as well)

Originally Posted by Azatdawn

Definitely true. I'm still wondering though if Natlex might perceive the sparring harder than it is.

While they hit me fast (well for me) it's not too hard and they usually stop after they know they "got me". I find most people wait for me to punch and then immediately see an opening and counter with a few punches and get really close (and then they back off but in a real fight if they kept going I'd probably be on the ground soon). I get a few hard punches to the head/face but nothing that sent my head spinning more than 10-20 seconds so they probably are going easier on me than what I perceive...

Originally Posted by thrutch

Does your coach/coaches watch you spar? Are they giving you pointers at the end of the round about things you're doing wrong?

Not that much, most of the feedback I get (which is definitely legit) is to always make sure my eyes are looking at my opponent and not at the ground even when I duct/move to the side. I also still can't keep my eyes open 100% when I see the hits coming, definitely improving though.

Originally Posted by JohnKenner

Is it their speed or their power that is the problem? Are you getting tagged with a bomb and then having a hard time recovering? Or are you just not able to keep their shots from landing?

Again, solid advice. Spend time working on your guard. Shadowbox with a mirror and look for where you are open (and learn how to cover). One last thing, you are going to get hit. It is completely unavoidable. You will get hit. Recover, and hit him back. Hit him back more than he hit you, if you can :)

I guess it's speed then, I don't take too long to recover. Once a day I get a hard hit to the face/nose that takes me a good 10-20 seconds and then I am fine. The rest of the time I'm just like wow if I did not have this gear I would be on the ground before I know it...

I'll definitely shadowbox in front of a mirror, also I get from the comments that this is probably normal and I should just keep going at it? 2 hours of sparring a week might not be enough I suppose, I sohuld do another 1-2 sessions it seems. I'll do some shadowboxing at home, anything else that could help? Such as mma striking videos with commentary maybe or exercises so I can learn some combos by myself because I tend to forget everything during a fight besides jabbing to measure distance and a straight.. usually after that they see an opening and it's over.

Thanks a lot guys I was getting discouraged :)