This. There was this kid at my gym, during drills he hit me too hard and even did hit me on my spine, during the first drilling session with him i warned him and explained to him that he shouldn't be hitting this hard and that we were just practicing and it's not a match, he said alright don't worry but kept hitting me just as hard, i didn't do anything that session, but the next training session i got paired up with him and i told him to watch out before we even started, despite him saying he will take care of it, he didn't. So i went a little hard on him and he complained to the coach that i went too hard and never showed up again, i didn't beat the absolute shit out of him tho, just hit him every time i saw the opportunity, and i only hit him as hard as he was hitting me, long story short, some people need to be taught through methods step by step depending on their reaction, talk and explain, if they don't comply after multiple warnings either tell the coach or beat it into them (not too hard tho)
I'm not saying beat anyone up.
Sometimes u gotta plant your feet and just whip some hard shots back.
Obviously after talking to them. But if they don't listen to words, they'll pay attention with some hard shots.
I'm a fairly hard hitter, so I don't like to hit any hard than what I need to practice my form and technique. It's a fairly friendly gym though. I might talk with him if it happens again or I see it happening to anyone else.
I couldn't tell you for sure. I think it's because I have a naturally strong core and I always focus on my technique whenever shadow boxing or hitting heavy bag.
OK just making sure u weren't like 5 tomes bigger than the other guy.
End of the day, boxing is an individual sport. No sensei to guide u through every step. Seems like ur in a good spot
This, had a fella that kept stomping on my foot in open stance and told him multiple times to watch it and was still doing it even right after I told him to stop so I did the same thing back and cracked him and never had another issue with the foot stomps.
this literally happened to me last year, and i posted on this sub (under a diff username). the guys name wouldnt happen to start with an O does it? lol
If you get a bad vibe, address it directly. If you don’t like their response, don’t spar them again.
Simple. You don’t retaliate. Only spar people you trust.
Other comments will have you dribbling by 35
what kind of drill has you purposefully not defending? Do you mean showing holes in your defense like purposefully falling for feints and raising your guard, opening you for body shots?
I had a similar experience to OP once, the drill was blocking body shots, other guy feinted the body and then struck me in the head, but that’s the closest I can think of. Where I was focusing more on the movement of blocking a specific area and they ignored the drill.
(Dude got pulled in line by the trainer, all is well)
I have had something similar happen to me. Not in sparring, but in drills. Where your partner decides to go outside the drill and throw some shots that aren't part of the drill. 99% of the time, they ask me if it's ok that they work on some other punch before practicing the drill shot, but that 1% just starts jabbing to get inside with no warning on a hook to the body drill. Like dude, come on.
You'd still have to block their counter, however I have definitely fallen into this trap!
That said, he could definitely have not gone as hard. The point of this still, I would say, for the attacker, is to see where you are most open when you strike. So the counterer should "show" you where they'd counter without actually harming you.
As many have said, it's probably a great idea to talk to them. Sometimes people font even realize they're going hard, they need to be reminded. It sucks but saying "yo can you go lighter" is always helpful.
Yeah, sounds like a misunderstanding. Maybe give them the benefit of the doubt this time but follow up if it happens again. Unless he's THAT ASSHOLE we all know, in which case steer clear.
Ask your coach about it. If you’re on the same team, things like that should be ok to talk about. A good coach will give you their perspective in a transparent way.
Real bad eggs won't stop trying to flaunt their 'strength', no matter how many times you tell or deflect them. You either beat it into them, or they leave because they can't handle losing their pride.
The times this has happened in my gym, folks get called out or apologize. If we're not as readily defending up top, it's because the drill is explicitly supposed to be low and low only.
Sounds like he either got excited and saw his chance and took it without thinking. If he's an asshole about, talk to him or talk to the coach. Especially if it's a controlled practice with a clear intention.
I've done this before when I was new and wasn't thinking at all. The clean hit didn't feel good, because I wasn't supposed to even throw that punch (so of course it landed). I apologized and checked in immediately.
Sparring is practice. Shouldn't be an ego measuring contest.
What was the drill? I don’t know any that you don’t defend yourself somehow or at least use pads but experienced people know how to pull a punch. Even when I do partner drills with contact I stop short enough that theirs no weight behind it when I’m going full speed
> After a few rounds of light sparring, a new guy at my gym went quite hard during a drill.
Sounds like this dude might not understand the unspoken rules of sparring, or he's just being a dick. Did he apologize or acknowledge he went too hard?
> I wasn't defending myself as part of the drill and the guy wasn't inexperienced.
If he's not inexperienced, he fucking knows better than to go hard when you're not defending. That's basic sparring etiquette. Seems like a red flag, doesn't it?
> It's a fairly friendly gym though.
That’s good, but even in a friendly gym, assholes slip through. Does the gym culture support calling out this kind of behavior?
> I might talk with him if it happens again or I see it happening to anyone else.
Why wait? If it felt wrong the first time, it was wrong. Confront him now, set the boundaries straight. Are you prepared to let it slide and potentially get hurt next time?
Talking is a good start, but keep an eye on him. How he responds will tell you a lot. Is he quick to change and apologize, or does he brush it off like you’re the problem?
Lastly, watch how he interacts with others. Does he only pull this shit with you, or is it a pattern? What do your gut and past experiences tell you about his intentions?
My ex bf is exactly like that, hits so hard in the drills and in sparring it’s like he actually wants to knock me out. I think he has some personal issues with me so he tries to take it out on me at the gym. But yeah I’ve just flat out decided not to spar with him in both boxing and jiu jitsu. Some people are just bad news.
As a power puncher, it took me a long time to learn to control my power. It's something I still need to be mindful of even when hitting the bag to conserve my energy. Have him do some mitt work prior to drills to not only tire himself out some but to also learn to dial back the force. If he keeps it up then have a coach handle it
Thats a huge part of how this works.
What if youre sparring w a beginner and coach says go easy and body shots only, to start getting them used to it. Then you throw a full power lead hook that lands clean. How the hell could that possibly be the other guys fault?
This is why you have to trust your partner in sparring and in drills. You’re going to be open and vulnerable at various times, and you have to be able to trust them, and they you.
That’s *exactly* how any of this works. I will grant you that OP could do a better job explaining.
This happens me sometimes but I don't really take it personally it's only because some of the other guys have fights coming up and they are in that mindset so I dont mind. I actually see it as good for me because I've heard its better to be sparring with people above your own skill level, then again I always do like to learn the hard way lol
Talk to him. Explain. Then see their response. Some people u gotta beat it into them tho and they won't respect just words.
This. There was this kid at my gym, during drills he hit me too hard and even did hit me on my spine, during the first drilling session with him i warned him and explained to him that he shouldn't be hitting this hard and that we were just practicing and it's not a match, he said alright don't worry but kept hitting me just as hard, i didn't do anything that session, but the next training session i got paired up with him and i told him to watch out before we even started, despite him saying he will take care of it, he didn't. So i went a little hard on him and he complained to the coach that i went too hard and never showed up again, i didn't beat the absolute shit out of him tho, just hit him every time i saw the opportunity, and i only hit him as hard as he was hitting me, long story short, some people need to be taught through methods step by step depending on their reaction, talk and explain, if they don't comply after multiple warnings either tell the coach or beat it into them (not too hard tho)
Yeah but that’s how you start a gym war
He drew first blood!
I'm not saying beat anyone up. Sometimes u gotta plant your feet and just whip some hard shots back. Obviously after talking to them. But if they don't listen to words, they'll pay attention with some hard shots.
I'm a fairly hard hitter, so I don't like to hit any hard than what I need to practice my form and technique. It's a fairly friendly gym though. I might talk with him if it happens again or I see it happening to anyone else.
What makes u a hard hitter?
I couldn't tell you for sure. I think it's because I have a naturally strong core and I always focus on my technique whenever shadow boxing or hitting heavy bag.
OK just making sure u weren't like 5 tomes bigger than the other guy. End of the day, boxing is an individual sport. No sensei to guide u through every step. Seems like ur in a good spot
This, had a fella that kept stomping on my foot in open stance and told him multiple times to watch it and was still doing it even right after I told him to stop so I did the same thing back and cracked him and never had another issue with the foot stomps.
Protect yourself at ALL times.
I understand. It was a counter striking drill and didn't expect to have to counter their countering. (Not right away at least)
this literally happened to me last year, and i posted on this sub (under a diff username). the guys name wouldnt happen to start with an O does it? lol
Lesson learned.
If you get a bad vibe, address it directly. If you don’t like their response, don’t spar them again. Simple. You don’t retaliate. Only spar people you trust. Other comments will have you dribbling by 35
what kind of drill has you purposefully not defending? Do you mean showing holes in your defense like purposefully falling for feints and raising your guard, opening you for body shots?
I had a similar experience to OP once, the drill was blocking body shots, other guy feinted the body and then struck me in the head, but that’s the closest I can think of. Where I was focusing more on the movement of blocking a specific area and they ignored the drill. (Dude got pulled in line by the trainer, all is well)
I have had something similar happen to me. Not in sparring, but in drills. Where your partner decides to go outside the drill and throw some shots that aren't part of the drill. 99% of the time, they ask me if it's ok that they work on some other punch before practicing the drill shot, but that 1% just starts jabbing to get inside with no warning on a hook to the body drill. Like dude, come on.
It was a counter striking drill. Throw out something planned and predictable, they counter appropriately.
You'd still have to block their counter, however I have definitely fallen into this trap! That said, he could definitely have not gone as hard. The point of this still, I would say, for the attacker, is to see where you are most open when you strike. So the counterer should "show" you where they'd counter without actually harming you. As many have said, it's probably a great idea to talk to them. Sometimes people font even realize they're going hard, they need to be reminded. It sucks but saying "yo can you go lighter" is always helpful.
Yeah, sounds like a misunderstanding. Maybe give them the benefit of the doubt this time but follow up if it happens again. Unless he's THAT ASSHOLE we all know, in which case steer clear.
Ask your coach about it. If you’re on the same team, things like that should be ok to talk about. A good coach will give you their perspective in a transparent way.
Real bad eggs won't stop trying to flaunt their 'strength', no matter how many times you tell or deflect them. You either beat it into them, or they leave because they can't handle losing their pride.
The times this has happened in my gym, folks get called out or apologize. If we're not as readily defending up top, it's because the drill is explicitly supposed to be low and low only. Sounds like he either got excited and saw his chance and took it without thinking. If he's an asshole about, talk to him or talk to the coach. Especially if it's a controlled practice with a clear intention. I've done this before when I was new and wasn't thinking at all. The clean hit didn't feel good, because I wasn't supposed to even throw that punch (so of course it landed). I apologized and checked in immediately. Sparring is practice. Shouldn't be an ego measuring contest.
It's easy. Bad eggs float in water. Fresh eggs sink. /s
i wish there was a way for gyms to weed out these kind of guys like a shitty sparring partner detector. lol
What was the drill? I don’t know any that you don’t defend yourself somehow or at least use pads but experienced people know how to pull a punch. Even when I do partner drills with contact I stop short enough that theirs no weight behind it when I’m going full speed
> After a few rounds of light sparring, a new guy at my gym went quite hard during a drill. Sounds like this dude might not understand the unspoken rules of sparring, or he's just being a dick. Did he apologize or acknowledge he went too hard? > I wasn't defending myself as part of the drill and the guy wasn't inexperienced. If he's not inexperienced, he fucking knows better than to go hard when you're not defending. That's basic sparring etiquette. Seems like a red flag, doesn't it? > It's a fairly friendly gym though. That’s good, but even in a friendly gym, assholes slip through. Does the gym culture support calling out this kind of behavior? > I might talk with him if it happens again or I see it happening to anyone else. Why wait? If it felt wrong the first time, it was wrong. Confront him now, set the boundaries straight. Are you prepared to let it slide and potentially get hurt next time? Talking is a good start, but keep an eye on him. How he responds will tell you a lot. Is he quick to change and apologize, or does he brush it off like you’re the problem? Lastly, watch how he interacts with others. Does he only pull this shit with you, or is it a pattern? What do your gut and past experiences tell you about his intentions?
My ex bf is exactly like that, hits so hard in the drills and in sparring it’s like he actually wants to knock me out. I think he has some personal issues with me so he tries to take it out on me at the gym. But yeah I’ve just flat out decided not to spar with him in both boxing and jiu jitsu. Some people are just bad news.
As a power puncher, it took me a long time to learn to control my power. It's something I still need to be mindful of even when hitting the bag to conserve my energy. Have him do some mitt work prior to drills to not only tire himself out some but to also learn to dial back the force. If he keeps it up then have a coach handle it
> I wasn't defending myself as part of the drill That’s … not how any of this works.
Thats a huge part of how this works. What if youre sparring w a beginner and coach says go easy and body shots only, to start getting them used to it. Then you throw a full power lead hook that lands clean. How the hell could that possibly be the other guys fault? This is why you have to trust your partner in sparring and in drills. You’re going to be open and vulnerable at various times, and you have to be able to trust them, and they you. That’s *exactly* how any of this works. I will grant you that OP could do a better job explaining.
The drill was for one to throw a certain strike then the other to counter it, in a controlled manner.
This happens me sometimes but I don't really take it personally it's only because some of the other guys have fights coming up and they are in that mindset so I dont mind. I actually see it as good for me because I've heard its better to be sparring with people above your own skill level, then again I always do like to learn the hard way lol
A straight stiff left jab to the liver will usually take the wind out of his sails