Important Sparring Tips for Muay Thai Fighters

If you’re new to sparring, it’s not surprising that you’ll find yourself not knowing what to do and what to expect. And, as such, you may find yourself doing a bit too much or doing a whole lot less, two things that aren’t going to help you or your sparring partner.

That said, here are a few tips that may help. Do keep in mind that these tips aren’t just for novices as even hardened fighters or those who’ve been training in Muay Thai for quite a while may find these tips useful too.

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  1. Don’t give your all. Whether you’re a beginner or a veteran fighter, you’ll want to hold back a bit with sparring matches. Or else, you may find yourself getting injured or you may injure someone else. Yes, hard sparring, where the fighters don’t hold back, are good, but it’s only best for those who really know what they’re doing and those who have a fight coming up. Considering that you’re not a professional fighter, or at least, not yet, try to take things a little slower.
  2. Keep Your Emotions in Check. When sparring, always expect to get hit and to get hit hard. If that happens, don’t burst out in anger. Accept it. Remember, sparring is going to prepare you for the real thing, so if you can’t handle a few hits from your sparring partner without losing your cool, you have no chance against someone who’s trying to knock you out. Plus, you’ll never want to be that guy who nobody wants to spar and train with.
  3. Treat it like a real match. Not giving your all doesn’t mean holding back and putting in as little effort as possible. It’s still important to put in the right amount of effort and do as you think you would in a real fight.
  4. Give and ask for inputs. Your sparring partner is your teacher and you are his as well. If you’re new to Muay Thai, try to soak in as much knowledge as possible from the people you’re sparring with. Ask them where you’re open and how you’re open so you can try to figure out how to defend yourself later on. Once you’re a bit more experienced, give appropriate feedback and tips as well.
  5. Have fun. Sparring, much like fighting, should be fun. You should never think about who won or lost because sparring is a great way to learn and improve your Muay Thai. So, in the end, regardless of who had more hits, or who was knocked out, etc., both you and your sparring partner gained a lot of experience.

That’s it, the five essential tips to remember whenever you’re sparring with someone.

So, spar hard, spar with all you’ve got and remember, respect your sparring partner at the end of the round.


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