First Full Contact Spar Last Night

**arkanscott** · Posted On: 10/04/2007 9:36am

...and boy does my head hurt.

I've been training combat hapkido and bjj for a few months and didn't really like it as it wasn't "alive" enough (i.e. very little rolling). So, I joined an MMA gym. I guess last night was my fifth class. So far we'd only really worked on grappling (the coach's speciality). Last night we did stand up for the first time. We didn't use headgear and used MMA gloves. We were told to go full speed but to pull our punches and kicks.

I did okay against a taller guy who was my own weight and skill level. The coach then put me up against two of his better students. One was a tall lanky guy who was pretty quick. The other was a short stocky guy with cauliflowered ears. These guys beat the **** out of me. They were fair, but I was outclassed from the start and was basically a punching bag that blocked (somewhat).

I was not impressed with my performance...but I also wasn't impressed with my "heart". I let myself get beat out of the gate and would stop whenever a good blow was landed. The coach is regarded as a hardass who throws fresh meat in front of his real fighters. If the meat the lasts (or learns) he will be cultivated into one of the real fighters. I am pretty sure that I didn't impress anyone last night and that I'll be again placed in front of the better fighters to see if I'm gonna make it.

Here are my questions:

1) How do you mentally prepare yourself for getting hit in the face repeatedly?

2) How do you physcially prepare yourself? I remember seeing Joe Frazier do some work with a speed bag in which he would hit it, bob, let the bag hit him and then do it again...something like this is what I mean.

My reason for asking is, When I spar next time, I want to keep going. I don't want to
have to stop, catch myself and go back at it again.

3) Should I worry about getting hurt by the better fighters. My understanding is that this guy's methods (i.e. throwing fresh meat to the wolves) is not the way good trainers operate. My understanding is that most bring people along by having them spar with people their same skill level. I want to improve, not be a punching bag.

4) I had difficulty dealing with kicks to my legs. How do ya'll drill for closing range?

Appreciate your time. Feeling a little humble after last night. Want to improve.

**Vector** · Posted On: 10/04/2007 10:01am

"Last night we did stand up for the first time. We didn't use headgear and used MMA gloves. "

I know a lot of folks on here have different opinions on headgear, but using MMA (4 or 5 oz) gloves for your first standup, and going full speed, sound like real alarm bells based on my experience. Maybe that is the "new" training method, but sounds very risky for a new guy. We do spar this way, but only the fighters with some fairly extensive striking experience. I'm suprised that somebody didn't get clocked.

**Ming Loyalist** · Posted On: 10/04/2007 10:02am

ok, first thing, that wasn't "full contact" that was just sparring. maybe it was hard sparring.

to your questions:

1) more sparring. it gets easier
2) more sparring. you start to get used to it.
3) don't worry about it, they should be watching out, and smacking you around without doing any serious damage (although **** happens of course.)
4) learn to check leg kicks.

**JRS** · Posted On: 10/04/2007 10:30am

Comments as previous post really.

At the end of the day the only way to get used to the situation you are in i.e. sparring is to keep sparring. After a while you will loose your bodies "usual" inital reactions to the situation e.g. flinching, turning the back etc and then start to get used to punches coming towards your face and taking hits and sucking them up and reacting off of them too.

Also don't beat yourself up that you got smashed around by more experienced fighters - just remeber they were once you too :-) Personally i think it helps sparring with people above your game regualry and from the outset as you are always being pushed; there is of course a balance - these people are realistically going to catch you with stuff more than you do them, but if their decent people they should not just be using as a punch bag but helping you i.e. why did you get with caught with that etc.

Sorry for the rushed post.

Spar on and all the best.

**cyril** · Posted On: 10/04/2007 10:42am

Don't just say you were a punching bag that blocked, learn what they did that made you feel that way. Was it their speed? Their power? Their tenacity?

Learning your weaknesses is what sparring is about.

**FickleFingerOfFate** · Posted On: 10/04/2007 10:44am

Originally Posted by cyril

Don't just say you were a punching bag that blocked, learn what they did that made you feel that way. Was it their speed? Their power? Their tenacity?

Learning your weaknesses is what sparring is about.

I just wait to see what hurts the next day,

and I know what I forgot to protect.

(currently sporting a bruise the size of a baseball on the side of my elbow from a badly blocked kick)

**JRS** · Posted On: 10/04/2007 10:49am

Originally Posted by FickleFingerOfFate

I just wait to see what hurts the next day,

and I know what I forgot to protect.

(currently sporting a bruise the size of a baseball on the side of my elbow from a badly blocked kick)

LOL.

Yep, and just pray you don't get caught in the jewels to often. A groin guard is a false sense of security!!

**ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE** · Posted On: 10/04/2007 10:52am

I had my second MT class last night, it was absically a 3 hour complete overview of MT, we covered two of the things you asked about

Originally Posted by arkanscott

1) How do you mentally prepare yourself for getting hit in the face repeatedly?

We spent quite a lot of time head butting fairly gentle punches to our head when the other guy was wearing gloves, it was good because it got new guys used to punching other people in the face (As opposed to punching about 6 inches in front of your face)

Originally Posted by arkanscott

4) I had difficulty dealing with kicks to my legs. How do ya'll drill for closing range?

We drilled shin blocks for the leg kicks and retaliating with our own kick if people ever steppeddown to close to us, not sure if that helps any but there you go.

**arkanscott** · Posted On: 10/04/2007 10:52am

Appreciate the comments so far...was feeling like a bitch. Never thought about the fact that I should say, "okay, why do I feel like a bitch...what was it they did".

I think the kicks to the legs is what really took away my will to fight. I've never experienced anything remotely like that before. I did okay blocking most of the heavy hand strikes, but did eat too many jabs...exp. from the lanky guy. And, the guys were very respectful. The lankey guy really hurt my leg and he told mr. cauliflower ear to lay off my lead leg. I just want to get better so I can give them more. Eventually I stopped and said, "Look, I'm not good enought to give you anything." I don't quit anything.

Thanks for the tips. Keep them comming.

**FickleFingerOfFate** · Posted On: 10/04/2007 11:06am

Ibuprofin is your friend,
take it before the pain sets in, and absoloutly before you go to bed.

The only thing that helps with the pain of getting kicked in the leg, is having been kicked in the leg alot. You just build up a tolerance, and your legs get tougher.

After you start to get a feel for the basics, you can start to focus on specific improvements, but at first, just do your best not to get hit any more than necessary.

Don't focus on any one of their appendages, try to watch your opponent as a whole unit, otherwise you fall into feints and eat kicks or punches from another location.

Best I've got for now.

Trust me, after a while sparring is a ball.

I will get off my ass to spar any day, even on bad days.