Watch your step
COVID-19’s lockdown period meant I had a lot of downtime. Because of this, YouTube became a rather good friend of mine. Watching videos of people sparring against good fighters, doing the wrong thing, and getting their ass kicked became common place in my home.
The question is, “how do you do the wrong thing in sparring?” As it turns out, there are a number of things you can do wrong. To put the situation in context: think about a good club level fighter going up against an international level fighter. Most of the time, the local fighter comes out on top in sparring. So, they get a false sense of their ability. Then someone they have heard of steps in the ring and they think that this is their chance to prove a point. The better fighter, however, is simply sparring – trying out a few things, testing out the waters, often starting off slow and it may build up. Then the mistakes start.
Starting off too hard
Against a more skilled opponent, it’s not a good idea to start off throwing heavy shots. All this does is annoy the better fighter. Usually, they will let a couple of punches go, returning with a few lighter shots. This is an indication from the more experienced fighter that this is the level that is required in the session. Then another power shot comes in, which tends to cause a retaliation or a ‘calm down’ shot. This is usually a punch that lets the other know that they can be hit so just take it easy. In my head this is the final warning. If the level is not taken down after this, the better fighter may go into “fight mode” and will continue until the demise of the opponent – or until they’ve sent a significant message. A standard way to prove a point is the body shot. This is a great way to calm someone down, and also a great way to put someone down without doing any real damage.
Commentating
When a better fighter is going at the level of a fighter that isn’t as experienced, their fight brain is hardly ticking over. Since they’re not going hard, their brain is not in top gear. They may be working on something specific like distance management or setting up a specific technique. Either way, they are not giving their best. This means that the odd punch is going to get through. When a punch does land though, the less experienced fighter may stand back make say, “wooo, did you see what I did there?” Then go on to tell you how they set up this punch. This usually creates a false sense of ability and think that they won that fight.
Uncontrolled
Throwing a technique that is uncontrolled shows a better fighter that you are unsafe and out of control. This will switch on the warning lights. Often making the experienced fighter shut you down in an attempt to avoid receiving unnecessary damage to themselves. For me, an uncontrolled shot is a spinning back fist. In this scenario you can’t really put the brakes on it if it goes bad. Same with a spinning kick. Then you have the punches when you have someone against the ropes and you’re hitting them lightly. Sometimes people will have their eyes down and just swing for your head with full power. All these shots show no respect or concern for your opponent and a better fighter will get frustrated.
Obviously not every fighter thinks the same and some fighters have a longer fuse than others. But at the end of the day, they are all still fighters and they are competitive – ready to throw down for real if they have to. On the short fuse end of the spectrum, I witnessed a good one when training in America. There was a UFC fighter (whose name I will not mention) sparring against a guy who let everyone know he was a black belt in BJJ. During MMA sparring, the guy went for a heel hook on the UFC fighter who retaliated by kicking him in the chest and saying “you tryin to end my career m…… f…….” The UFC fighter then went into fight mode and was trying to hurt the other guy bad. Other fighters had to restrain the UFC fighter. It was quite a thing to watch, I
can assure you. You can only imagine what the top fighters have to put up with, with every Tom, Dick and Harry trying their luck against them. So, you can understand why every now and then they put the hammer down to let them know who’s boss.
When going against a better fighter you can go harder against them but be prepared for it to come back. If they start throwing harder shots, you most likely pissed them off. Understand what you are up against and give it your best, but this often doesn’t mean hitting harder. Power is the easiest thing to increase and that is why lesser fighters rely on it. The better fighters are using footwork, head movement, timing, and every other skill to beat you. Embrace the challenge and stay smart.