Brain-Maim During Sparring?

[Ahoym8e]

Along the lines of the other thread inquiring about the likelihood of injury: how badly do you get hurt when sparring Muay Thai or simply Boxing?

I am very new and can just barely deflect a slow jab and squirm my way out of being mounted. Well, ok, I am sandbaging a little. I've learned a bit more than that. I have not yet sparred with anyone though beside an instructor going in slow-mo.

The reason I ask is that I am fairly opposed to brain trauma, and am as of yet undecided about actual sparring and "practice fighting." My brain is addled enough as is.

I am sure the level of contact varies from gym to gym, but what are the thoughts regarding realistic training versus the dangers of having your brain smacked about once a week or more?

Any input would be most appreciated!

[gregimotis]

I think your worrying too much.

If a gym sparred hard enough to injure its students (brain damage or otherwise) that gym would be out of business for lack of students.

What you are going to find out with more sparring time is that getting hit often looks a lot more violent to the uninitiated than it actually is. What happens is everyone learns to hit fast, but without a lot of power. Which is not to say you don't get hit kinda hard sometimes, but that is not the norm.

All that being said... if you're instuctor is running a school where real injury is expected and normal, then run away.

[Ahoym8e]

I think your worrying too much.

If a gym sparred hard enough to injure its students (brain damage or otherwise) that gym would be out of business for lack of students.

What you are going to find out with more sparring time is that getting hit often looks a lot more violent to the uninitiated than it actually is. What happens is everyone learns to hit fast, but without a lot of power. Which is not to say you don't get hit kinda hard sometimes, but that is not the norm.

All that being said... if you're instuctor is running a school where real injury is expected and normal, then run away.

Sounds fair. I just need to do it, and If I get bashed in the head too much I can always just not do it again (i'm sorta partial to my brain).

I am sure that the gym I train at takes every precaution to avoid injury. I imagine I'll have an opportunity for a genuine sparring experience soon enough. I'll post my thoughts afterwards.

[Tom Yum]

Hey matee, you're mentally going through what alot of people go through when they get into contact sports, except it sounds like you're a bit older. A 16 year old doesn't have second thoughts about getting in the ring and going a few rounds, but a more mature 30 something guy will cause he has wisdom and fear.

You probably won't spar until you've been training for a few months - your instructor will watch you carefully. You generally start off learning proper technique first while building up your general conditioning. Then you learn how to move - for some people integrating strikes + movement takes practice to build coordination and timing.

Once you can move comfortably while throwing quick, precise strikes you get mitts and kicks thrown back at you, so that you can handle a little pressure and build your defense.

Then you spar - you might have been able to work up to 4 rounds of pads, but sparring intensely for the 1st time you'll feel like puking after the 1st round and will probably take a beating in the 2nd, but be ok. You might get a few aches and pains, but nothing that an ice pack and advil can take care of.

Slowly, you learn to keep up your focus while dealing with fists and feet flying at you, this might take anywhere from 6 more months to 2 years - instead of feeling fear about getting hit, you build a laser like focus and only notice the hits that really rock you.

While this is happening, you will spar people who are way better than you. They will toy with you and when the time is right, you will get hit by something you didn't see - when this happens you loose leg control and stagger to the ground, while seeing a purple kalaeidescope and maybe a purple flash. When you get up, someone will tell you what happened and you will practice that scenario again so that it never happens.

Congratulations, you've been KOd - take the next day off, train light and work with your coach

[HuSanYan]

excellent post Tom Yum, I couldn't have explained the process better myself, very good reading and very accurate re the training.

[Ahoym8e]

Hey matee, you're mentally going through what alot of people go through when they get into contact sports, except it sounds like you're a bit older. A 16 year old doesn't have second thoughts about getting in the ring and going a few rounds, but a more mature 30 something guy will cause he has wisdom and fear.

You've got me pegged. 32 and counting. I have a wife and two kids, and the last thing I need is to become a vegetable from getting ko'd to much (one Tyson'esque KO might do the trick).

I really liked the rest of you post. Gives me something to look forward to (except the KO. still not really too sold on that one...)

[Tom Yum]

You're welcome, both of you. I love the sport, what can I say.

Keep doing what you're doing maytee and let it happen naturally. Take good care of yourself - do so by warming up properly, building up a good base of anaerobic and aerobic conditioning and know when to throw in the towel. The better shape you are in, the more resistant to injury you'll be.


Its best to sparr with people who are around your level and those that are a little better. If you end up at a seminar or gym where everyone has had professional fights and you've only had a few recreational or local amateur fights, you will get passed around like a new member of the penitentary if you know what I mean...lol. You'll know; you can carve the testosterone out of the air.

Husan - do you fight on an amateur circuit or professionally?

[dkm]

Tom. Excellent post. You are right about the age thing. When I was younger, sparring is the only thing I wanted to do. Since I turned 31, I started hating sparring. Now at the age of 34, I still hate sparring but do it out of forcing myself rather than for the love it.

[HuSanYan]

TomYum,
I have gone into some intense private 1 0n 1 Boxing training over the last few months, I was training Thai but am now doing straight 'Western' (due to availability of instructors),

My coach has said that he is happy for me to do some amateur stuff if I want to as well as some interclubs.
As it stands, I am going to have a couple of interclub fights and take it from there.
This should be good enough for me at my very old age (39). I have noticed that the body does injure SO much easier with the passage of time, as I sit here, I have taken 10 days off due to nagging side muscle pull (oblique/side of ab), this was from twisting just a bit too far while doing some pad work the other week, this makes me realise that I must get my Boxing in before I get diagnosed with old age!!.....
Tom Yum, yeah, I love the sport as well, especially Thai.

bye for now

[Ahoym8e]

Since I turned 31, I started hating sparring. Now at the age of 34, I still hate sparring but do it out of forcing myself rather than for the love it.

What makes you hate it?

I have a friend that has studied Shaolin stuff all his life, and he gave up tournaments because he would feel like a train hit him aftrerwards. I'm hoping that sparring is a little less intense.

Keep doing what you're doing maytee and let it happen naturally. Take good care of yourself - do so by warming up properly, building up a good base of anaerobic and aerobic conditioning and know when to throw in the towel. The better shape you are in, the more resistant to injury you'll be.

I'm doing all of the above already. Lots of stretching, jumping rope, some weigthlifting, lost of crunches, pushups.... I work for myself, so I can make time for that stuff.

[dkm]

"What makes you hate it?"

Getting hit......and it's worse on the ego when it's someone younger/less experienced but has the energy and the heart to keep going for an hour straight while I feel like puking after 30 minutes.

[Tom Yum]

No one likes getting hit

but you come to terms with it after awhile.....its kind of like getting up early in the morning (for some people). Getting up at the crack of dawn is mentally and physically punishing for some people, like getting hit, but its how you deal with it.

After getting up at 5:30am for 5 years in a row, 6:45 is considered sleeping in...lol.

[kiddbjj]

i agree tom yum. i get up at 5.00 am and for the first six months or so it was BLOODY hard to do. After work i would crash for 2-3 hours in the afternoon. but you do adjust and can get used to almost anything over time.