How Do I Improve In Sparring?

I wish I had a guide for this before I even decided to do any kind of sparring. There are various type of sparring. Read till the end and it is the most important part of sparring.  If you are wondering “how do I improve in sparring?”. I wrote this blog just for you because I don’t want you to overthink or keep spinning your wheel.

Focus on one thing

You want to pick on one thing you want to be improve on. Here is the reason why. It helps you to remove overthinking during sparring. Focus on one thing allows you to execute that one thing properly without rushing.

Pick ONE of these before your sparring session :

• Head movement
• Distance Control
• Staying relaxed under pressure
• Guard discipline
• Jab timing

  If you try to do everything, you improve nothing. Trust me, you will get annoyed during your sparring session.

Slow down the pace

I agree sparring is chaos. You get hit, you need to move, constantly thinking, have to control your breathing, your heart is racing, list goes on. You want to let your sparring partner know to slow down the pace. Establish this agreement before putting it on your gear.

3 different ways to help slow down the pace:

• Breathe through your nose
• Keep your hands, shoulder relaxed not clenched
• Let exchanges end before re-engaging

Speed comes naturally when the mind is calm. When the mind is calm, your body can flow. I am still working on this!

Master Distance

This is what everyone should be learning way before learning how to punch. Knowing where you are can help you to decide to be on offence or defence. There is a saying in boxing “those who control the distance control the fight”. Most mistakes in sparring comes from being too far or too close.

Simplest way : Use your jab to measure. You can flick a jab and from there make whatever move you intent too.

Work on:

• Jab → step out
• Jab → pivot
• Jab → slip → reset

If you’re in range only when you choose, sparring suddenly feels easier.

Defence – Always

It is way harder to learn defence and make it natural. Nonetheless you have to learn it. Boxing is both punching and defending. Pick a defence and do it before and after punching. You have to drill these before your sparring so when it comes to your sparring, it will be just instinct. Remember boxing not just punching, you won’t look smart if you always get hit at every exchange.

Work on these first and you will see progress in your sparring. Now if you need more guide of how to really see progress, I have created a journal boxer’s that I use on myself and know it can help you progress faster!

Share with me what else you did that has helped you with getting better at sparring, comment below!