When am I ready for Sparring?

[Blaize]

How can I tell if I am ready to start sparring?

I've been training about 6 months now, about 2-3 times a week. We do light sparring sometimes, so I'm getting used to being hit.

[Hardball]

Depends on the instructor and your dojo's insurance regulations. I would think you could spar now if you wear headgear, chest protectors, gloves and foot gear. Light contact to the head and full contact to the body. No knee strikes or groin strikes allowed.

[docthai]

You are always ready to SPAR in Real Muay Thai. ;-)

Training in Thailand is so much fun, I am training with TWO South Thai Champs that have over 300 fights each, both are smaller than me and at any time can KNOCK me the heck Out!!

BUT they Spar with me anyway, they give and take and I learn from their relaxed movements ... once and awhile they will kick or hit me hard BUT then again they let me hit them back.

I guess what I am saying is SPARRING in Muay Thai starts at all levels and IF it is done right ... relaxed and fun in a family way ... then IRON sharpens IRON and it is all good. ;-)

Develop RELATIONSHIPS with your CO-Fighters, work with each other and SPARRING should be constructive FUN that turns into KO techniques.

Phra JAO uay phra pon, DOC. ;-)

Muay Thai Missions - Ao Nang Krabi South Thailand.

[maxi]

You ready when you believe you are ready.

[docthai]

Make SURE you have FUN and workout with FRIENDS!!



I did some sparring with some crazy FRENCH guy, he tried to KNOCK me out so I had fun fighting him and trying to KNOCK him out. Well, I had a head ache for a. week and they do not do that in Thailand.

Consistency, work on humbleness, relax, open your eyes, move, feel the distance and practice counter strikes.

Phra JAO uay phra pon ... God bless, DOC. ;-)

FaceBook = "Muay Thai Missions"
Ao Nang Krabi South Thailand

[Tee Sok]

I agree with the working on humbleness, from what I have seen most Thais are teachers of humbleness and jai yen-the opposite of most of us Westerners.
you don't just turn a sparring sessions into a fight like that. Either you move around, spar, spar hard or fight and both know what to expect. Sometimes it's easy to get carried away especially at the beginning that's why an instructor should always be there to step in if necessary and it's better to spar with someone you know, completely agre with that !

[docthai]

Excellent POINT:

Have your Instructor be the Referee and do the coaching!!
Hopefully your Instructor is a good one and cares about constructive sparring.

In my Case I was sparring the head instructor ... I guess he was trying to prove a point ... like most westerners try to. ;-(

It is a good ... DOC. ;-)

[fire cobra]

Doc,

Both your posts are excellent and very true.

Another point when sparring is to know the rules of the sport,understand what scores well and what doesnt,for instance balance and keeping shape is sooo important,its these qualities you should work in sparring not trying to win but to learn together with your partners,drop the ego and learning kicks in.

[fire cobra]

Depends on the instructor and your dojo's insurance regulations. I would think you could spar now if you wear headgear, chest protectors, gloves and foot gear. Light contact to the head and full contact to the body. No knee strikes or groin strikes allowed.

Hardball,
why would you want to spar with no knee? its Muay Thai after all bro!.

[blanker]

you should start with light sparring and then build it up as your kru instructs you. at your level you would not get any benifit from hard sparring.

[Hardball]

Hardball,
why would you want to spar with no knee? its Muay Thai after all bro!.

I was speaking of roundhouse kicks to the knee, not knee strikes. Sorry for the confusion.

[docthai]

fire cobra

SawazzzzzzzzDEE,

Hmmmm ... many good points are coming out ... we just do not do sparring there is many things to think about.

In Thailand the RULES and POINT spots is our focus ... almost everything we do is to do a Shin Kick to the body ... biggest point and then KNEE to the body.

That is why Boxing is not a focus and in South Thailand they do sparring so they can ELBOW ... #1 KO in Ao Nang Krabi South Thailand.

Muay Thai FAM rocks!!

[fire cobra]

I was speaking of roundhouse kicks to the knee, not knee strikes. Sorry for the confusion.

Thanks for that bro

Sparring in my opinion should be light mainly because of the danger of the point of the knee and the shin to ribs and to joints,remember kicks to the knees are legal in Muay Thai so we should practice them but with control and the correct attitude to sparring.

[WildWest.]

You are ready for sparring when you think you are ready. And if you find out you weren't, at least you'll know.

[docthai]

Yes ... it is all about LIGHT Sparring. ;-)

In Thailand the fighters here have Mastered this and it is so FUN. ;-)

They do all their movements really FAST and Powerful until the HIT the Target ...
that is when the Totally RELAX and get soft ... it is amazing BUT very Few have taken the time to Master this technique which makes Sparring FULL ON Fun!!

Phra JAO uay phra pon from Ao Nang Krabi South Thailand. ;-)

DOC.