My Take On Sparring By Coach Danny Ives

Everyone wants to be a UFC fighter…until they get punched in the face. That’s where sparring comes into play.

So for today’s blog I’m going to talk a little bit about sparring and how it should be done. Well that plus what it should mean to you.

First off, sparring isn’t for everyone. Not all martial arts students need to or should spar. If you’re just in MMA for the workout and friendship part then sparring need not apply to you.

We don’t make anyone spar and don’t have sparring in any of our fundamentals (basic) classes.

Our students here at Ivey League MMA don’t get to spar until they’ve got a whole lot of training under their belt. And again, that’s only if they want to hit/get hit.

Now wait before you start thinking that sparring is the devil let me point some things out to you. After all, Sparring isn’t all bad and does have it’s place in martial arts.

The one good thing I can say about sparring is that it has a way of weeding out the talkers. You know, the guys and gals that say they’ve got what it takes to fight in the UFC and K-1.

Sparring will sort out the talkers and help you find the “do’ers”.

Now with all that said let me talk about the right way to conduct sparring.

The #1 rule is that students shouldn’t spar without the watchful eye of a qualified instructor, at all times. That’s for a bunch of different reasons but the main one being safety.

Sparring needs to be controlled. No good will come from two people going toe to toe and trying to knock each others head off. Save that for a real fight.

Good sparring can also be light contact. Notice I didn’t say no contact, but light.

Remember the whole point of sparring is to work on your techniques and timing, not to get your brains beat in.

A good instructor will oversee and make sure that it doesn’t get to spirited. The instructor makes sure that techniques are worked on in a safe manner.

What is the time frame for sparring? Muay Thai or MMA sparring is done most of the time in rounds.

The round times vary depending on the skills of the students. For a beginner I’d say 2 mins max is about all they can handle.

The funny thing is two minutes might not seem like a long time but let me assure you it can feel like an eternity!

You should only spar 1-2 days a week. That’s all you need. Any more then that and you’ll burn out. You’ve got to give your body a break.

Sparring is tough, sure. Like i said it’s not for everyone. However if you’re looking for the workout of a lifetime and want to know and feel what a real fight is, sparring is the ticket.

Take your time and keep going to your fundamentals classes. In time when you move up the ladder if you so choose then you’ll be able to spar.

Don’t worry the staff will be waiting to take you step by step through everyone 🙂

Below are some great sparring videos. Different high level guys getting in there and going a few rounds. Really cool stuff, check it out.