# Muay Thai sparring



## DA R00ki3 (Nov 18, 2006)

hello everyone i'm new to the fourm, but i have some questions about Muay Thai sparring.  

Well my question is i've been doing Muay Thai for about three months and i currently train with a Muay Thai teacher from Thailand, there is a long time student of his that has been training with him for over seven or eight years.  I have a hard time hitting him in the ring when we spar and i have a habit of flinching when he comes at me.  He tells me to relax and just take it as a play fight, we're not trying to knock each others heads off.  And i have a habit of staying in one spot and throwing the same combos.

Any suggestions that can help?


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## thaistyle (Nov 19, 2006)

Definitely relax.  One thing that works pretty well is to start off slow during the sparring session.  Have your sparring partner go slower than normal.  This will help you learn to attack or counter-attack and it helps you to learn to relax.  Also you have to remember that you have been training just a few months while this other student has years of training.  It takes a little time but you will get it with constant training.  Hope this helps you out.


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## micah (Nov 20, 2006)

relax and move with confidence at the same time...get in a rhythm if u can, dont flinch, but react if u need to. dont worry about u only being there for 3 months, it all takes time..


if you want to learn fast, go slow, if u want to learn slow, go fast.


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## King (Nov 20, 2006)

There isn't much that I can say that thaistyle and Micah haven't said. The only thing I can give you is encouragement. It does take time to learn how to relax in the ring and only more practice will solve that. Remember to have fun with it and actually enjoy the rush 

I can definitely relate to your story about sparring experienced fighters. When I first got into sparring I went against one of the gyms best fighters and I could not land one single punch on this guy (I'm 5'10" 170 and he's 6'4" 200, his arms are longer than my legs!). Even when I dropped my guard to throw a flurry of punches he merely danced around me and punished me for dropping my guard. It was the most intimidating and challenging partner I've sparred with. So in my head I built up this guy as "untouchable" and I raved about his skills to my friends. 

Fast-forward 1 year later and I'm back sparring with my "untouchable" opponent. I was apprehensive sparring him again, the memory of our first encounter still fresh in my mind... However the moment I felt my counter uppercut hit his jaw I was screaming "Oh my god... I just hit him!" in my head. During the entire session I had the biggest stupid grin on my face just from landing one punch. The cool part was that I kept connecting and it was so exhilirating. It was one of those defining moments that I knew I had grown in my art. 

So basically what I'm trying to say is, don't be discourage and keep getting strong from challenges


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## Drag'n (Nov 25, 2006)

I think we've all probably had this experience at some stage. Especially when you're a beginner and spar with a more advanced partner. 
Its even more exasperating when youve got a few years experience, and it happens to you. I was sparring with some seasoned pros in Thailand a couple of years ago. They were ex champs, and I just couldnt touch them. They just moved around me laughing and hitting me at will. It was a rather humbling experience.
Now I find myself in their position when I'm sparring with less experienced partners.
As everybody has said, it just takes time and perserverance. Slow it down and work on your technique. After a while it will start to feel more natural.
Enjoy the journey.


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## Slihn (Dec 13, 2006)

if you want to learn fast, go slow, if u want to learn slow, go fast.[/quote]


.............I have to say,I total agree with that statement.Ive been to so many Dojos/Gyms etc. where students are "accelarated" to quickly in the art.The first day they are learning advanced techniques and within a week they are sparring.This is very bad for the student because they havent had ample time to really learn the art;all of its attacks and evasions;and since they have not had time to grasp the true foundation of the art,they are forced to evade and attack in what ever way they can;this results in sloppy technique.The sad thing is ,is that it is not the student's fault,but the trainer's.


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## DA R00ki3 (Dec 20, 2006)

Hey guys thanks for the help, i'm trying to get down all of the advice that was told to me.

Thanks alot guys


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## Shark (Jan 1, 2007)

Keep training, you will always improve and in time your confidence will as well. Like most things in life the more time and effort you put in the better your results. Relax and enjoy.


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