Boxing: Sparring Tips

It's a hard knock life; just ask Hasim-Rahman pictured to the right after being punched to deformity. When you face-off inside the ring, a 1001 things can happen to you. Most of them are bad. The hand is faster than the eye, so it's inevitable that you will get hit. It's only a matter of how often, and how hard? I liken boxing to trying to dodge 5 lanes of busy traffic with your eyes closed. You just know there is a big Buick with your name on it. No matter how hard you prepare for your first sparring session, you'll end the match realizing that you still have a long way to go. On average it takes about 3 years before you become a smooth operator, but if you believe you've got what it takes and you're willing to work hard; time will pass quickly. For anyone who is aspiring to be a competitive boxer, here are some battle tested tips based on my personal experience as both a competitor and an instructor.

1. Keep your hands up & your elbows down. Just having your guards in the right position can spare you from a considerable amount of punishment. Use your hands to protect your face, & your elbows to protect your body. Flare your elbows up and your body will get banged out. Drop your hands and your dome will get lumped up.

2. Jab to get in & jab to get out. When you're trying to get on the inside of your opponent, jab while moving forward to tie up their attention. As you move back out, duck and roll and throw a jab to the head to once again tie up their attention, and to stop them from following you out. Never stand up straight when moving from inside - out. You will almost always get caught with a punch.

3. Stay on the balls of your feet. You will move faster and decrease your reaction time. Flat-footed fighters have a tendency to get rocked up on their heels when moving backwards, which causes instability.

4. The best defense is a good offense. Don't be overly concerned about getting hit. Focus on your opponent's motion only in regards to deciding how you will attack and exploit the circumstances. The object of a boxing match is to score points, so aggressively seek opportunities to do just that. Defend as a means of countering.

5. Be first, be fast, be last. Once you make a decision to attack, it will never do to go about it in a round-about-way. The way of a fighter should be one of immediacy, and it is best to dash in and out with conviction.

6. The retreat of a punch should be just as quick as the initiation, thereby minimizing the amount of time you are left open to a possible counter attack. Offense is initiated at the cost of defense. That's why one hand should always be up to guard, while the other hand is attacking.

7. Foot work, foot work, foot work! I can't stress how important it is to work on balanced and speedy multi-directional foot & hip movement. In my opinion, this is the single most important technical difference maker in deciding the outcome of a bout.

8. If you doubt that you can, you probably won't. Your vision for success must be clear. Boxing is not a sport that allows for self-pity, indecision, abundant fear and reluctant approaches. If you are easily frustrated and intimidated, box as a form of exercise; but not competitively.

9. Relax, and get into a rhythm. If all things are equal, often the fighter who wins a bout is the one who can settle into a comfortable flow, and initiate their game plan first.

10. Time & distance are the two most important variables for making decisions in the ring. Mastering the manipulation of these two factors relies heavily on sparring frequently. The best way to become a good fighter is to fight.