need some advice on sparring

[Ryan G]

hey guys
i took cardio boxing for 2 months, done some light sparring during class, today me and a friend decided to put on gloves and spar at a park.

he's about 6'0, 150 lbs and im around 5'6 weigh 120lbs, thnk he took some boxing before but not for long.

anyway, when we sparred i pretty much jsut tucked my head down, blocking my face most of time. and whenever i tried to get him it just didnt connect, cause he had a longer reach. is there a way around this when facing a taller opponent or how should i approach a different way to train?

please help.
thanks in advance guys, feel free to criticize.

[Ghost]

HI mate your in the beginner zone where what you know is more harm than good. You are trying to do things you cant actually do yet. its just a matter of time and training and it will come together.you are at a disadvantage being shorter.
But dont worry, if you keep training it WILL come together. the problem is simply you have some basic knowledge which you are trying to apply and its actually holding you back, this is normal for now.

As for tactics there are plenty of tactics to deal with taller opponents. right now i think you shouldnt worry about that and should simply get down the gym and stick with it. youve only been doing it 8 weeks, it takes longer.

good luck with it all, keep training, it will come.

[DickHardman]

if you are fighting a taller guy, aim for his body more. since he is taller, your head is going to be his main target, instead of covering up all you really need to do is just squat like 2 inches and the punch will pass over your head, letting him walk into your punch.

also you cant stay on the outside with a taller guy, thats were his reach will come in. you have to get in close to his body. you need to learn how to duck under his punches, and you need to learn how to parry. when you duck under punches dont tuck your head in or bend your back, just squat your legs a few inches, thats all. then you can counterattack his body. the parry is used in a similar manner, use a parry to knock away his hand, and then get in close to his body with uppercuts.

[Hardball]

Practice before you spar. Jump rope, shadow box, hit a heavy bag if available, hit a speed bag if available, get some books or tapes on the fundamentals of boxing. If you can, get a coach. Watch that sparring without a referee, things could get out of hand.

[Ryan G]

thanks guys, every reply i got on this site was awesome.
i tried to come in during one of his punches and close the distance but i just wasnt fast enough, i agree with GHOST that i felt everything i learned was useless, because i kept blinking even when i punched i couldnt focus on target, i was too scared of getting hit. is being defensive the only way for shorter guys to win bigger opponent?

and thank you, i will keep sparring though.

[Ghost]

thanks guys, every reply i got on this site was awesome.
i tried to come in during one of his punches and close the distance but i just wasnt fast enough, i agree with GHOST that i felt everything i learned was useless, because i kept blinking even when i punched i couldnt focus on target, i was too scared of getting hit. is being defensive the only way for shorter guys to win bigger opponent?

and thank you, i will keep sparring though.

alright mate, i woudnt even worry about sparring yet. just focus on learning and repitition.
For some info, the way for a shorter opponent to fight a taller opponent (very basically) is to get up close to them. close up their range advantage becomes a disadvantage. This is because its easy for you to punch in very close range against a big target and he has to punch CLOSER to his own body than you do. making his punches harder to perform from his perspective. CLose up he is a big target you are a smaller target.
There is more to it than this though, and also you have to take into account what type of fighter he is, aggressive, defensive, counter puncher, the tricky type that uses faints alot or someone that keeps on moving and almost seems to not want to fight and just takes pot shots here and there and so on. all these things affect tactics.

Have a search on youtube for mike tyson. he was 5 foot 11, i know hes taller than you but thats irrelevant, whats relevant is that most of his opponents are 6 foot 2 or more.
and you can see directly how a shorter opponent gets in close to defeat a taller opponent ignoring tysons power hes still using those tactics. actually try and watch a fight of his rather than a highlight video which only shows a few neat tricks or powerful punches landed rather than actually being able to analyze the fight.

As for sparring i simply wouldnt bother for now. just keep learning how to punch and move and spar later.

[Hardball]

thanks guys, every reply i got on this site was awesome.
i tried to come in during one of his punches and close the distance but i just wasnt fast enough, i agree with GHOST that i felt everything i learned was useless, because i kept blinking even when i punched i couldnt focus on target, i was too scared of getting hit. is being defensive the only way for shorter guys to win bigger opponent?

and thank you, i will keep sparring though.

Strategy and Preperation is the key.

[Tom Yum]

hey guys
i took cardio boxing for 2 months, done some light sparring during class, today me and a friend decided to put on gloves and spar at a park.

he's about 6'0, 150 lbs and im around 5'6 weigh 120lbs, thnk he took some boxing before but not for long.

anyway, when we sparred i pretty much jsut tucked my head down, blocking my face most of time. and whenever i tried to get him it just didnt connect, cause he had a longer reach. is there a way around this when facing a taller opponent or how should i approach a different way to train?

please help.
thanks in advance guys, feel free to criticize.

Learn the fundamentals of boxing first! If you don't have a coach, get one. He will teach you technique and give you some ideas about how to put it all together. If you don't get a coach and try to follow the suggestions we give you from the net, you might do something incorrectly that will actually hurt your sparring ability rather than help.

Here's a few suggestions:

1. Keep your head a moving target. Don't just come straight in, practice moving your head (with gloves up) around, while still keeping your balance.

2. Hit to the body first to drop his guard, then hit upstairs when he drops. Stick that jab into his solar plexus, back out. Do it again but hook off the jab upstairs. Stay close. Fire off a deep shovel hook into his body then fire off a short right at his jaw, then back downstairs with the shovel hook.

3. Use fakes.

4. Get him in a clinch and weigh him down. Make him throw you off then on the separation, fire a quick jab, cross upstairs. Take a short step back to make him miss a counter shot and come right back in with a shot of your own. Clinch again.

[Ryan G]

thanks again for helping me out, these are right on.

after reading them, i want to put footwork, fakes, weave and slip and strikes together into at least 2 solid combinations, and im going to shadow-box to these 2 combinations repetitively, practice them as fast as possible, then fire them on a bag to adjust my technique with impact. and then, well, then i use them on the guy...

hey tom yum, what is a shovel hook?

been watching tons of mike tyson clips on youtube. damn he's fast, love how he slips after every jab.
which is better? a jab thats from the back foot or the shoulder? i was taught that a jab should b fired from the shoulder??!

[Tom Yum]

thanks again for helping me out, these are right on.

after reading them, i want to put footwork, fakes, weave and slip and strikes together into at least 2 solid combinations, and im going to shadow-box to these 2 combinations repetitively, practice them as fast as possible, then fire them on a bag to adjust my technique with impact. and then, well, then i use them on the guy...

hey tom yum, what is a shovel hook?

been watching tons of mike tyson clips on youtube. damn he's fast, love how he slips after every jab.
which is better? a jab thats from the back foot or the shoulder? i was taught that a jab should b fired from the shoulder??!

1. Get a coach.
2. Shovel hook is a hook thrown at a different angle than your regular hook. A regular hook comes out with your forearm parallel to the ground; an uppercut comes out with your forearm perpendicular.

The shovel hook comes out at something around a 45 degree angle and is aimed at the body (kidney, liver or illegally in boxing at the lower back). I think it gets its name from the fact that the motion is like your are shoveling something.