When Should A Beginner Start Sparring In Muay Thai?
Sparring is a part of Muay Thai training that makes the overall experience fun, dynamic, and of course, dangerous. As a beginner or a person considering joining the classes, you may wonder, when is the right time to start sparring in Muay Thai?
The right answer depends on various factors, most importantly, your experience, level of skills and fitness, and your personal feeling. Some people may start sparring after just a couple of months of training, some may do it after six months or one year.
It doesn’t really matter as long as you are not forcing yourself into it. Once you feel ready and your coach gives you a green light to do some light-contact sparring, go for it.
Also, bear in mind that you can train in Muay Thai for fitness, and you don’t have to spar at all if you don’t want to. Most schools include amateur groups where you can learn at your own preferred pace and intensity.
Gain experience first
You can’t just walk into the gym thinking you are the next Buakaw and start sparring. Even if you are confident and fearless, you have to focus on building a strong base and perfecting fundamentals. On average, students spend the opening month working on the heavy bag and improving their fitness before they move to pads.
Mastering the fundamentals is crucial and you don’t want to get this initial step wrong and develop improper technique and bad habits. You need to learn how to stand in a proper stance, move, coordinate the movements, perform each technique in the right motion, and stamp the techniques deep into your muscle memory.
Once you do that, you will start doing live drills with a partner in a controlled scenario. For instance, you will attack with a body-head combo while your partner is defending, and then it’s your partner’s turn. This will condition your body to absorb punishment, and your mind to stay calm upon receiving a shot.
Then, once you perfect the technique and do enough live drills, you might start considering doing some light sparring, but not before talking with your main instructor first. In the end, they are the ones who must approve it.
Talk with your instructor
You can’t start sparring in Muay Thai or any other martial art before your main instructor does not give you a green light. They are the ones who monitor your progress and can determine whether you are physically and mentally ready to start sparring. But again, they can’t and won’t force you to spar if you are not interested in it.
After a couple of months, they might approach you or through other conversations, ask you to take part in a sparring session. When this moment happens, be honest about your feelings. If you are anxious, tell them about it, and what your concerns or fears you have. In most cases, they will bust all of the myths, and introduce you to this part of training by being your first sparring partner.
Overall, they will do anything in their power to make you feel comfortable. Even if you feel the urge to try it, but do not feel ready for some reason, it’s fine, be sure to take your time. No one, especially a good instructor, will force you to do anything against your will.
Start slowly and be careful
Sparring is not a fight or a match. No, it is part of training where students learn how to apply techniques in a real scenario against a person who is putting on resistance. Thus, the emphasis is on technique, light contact, building instincts, timing, and making yourself comfortable under pressure.
This might sound discouraging, but injuries are quite common among beginners due to one simple reason. Beginners might have a hard time controlling their emotions and power in their shots.
Due to the sudden rush of adrenalin and even fear, they might start swinging shots with full power, and even freeze out of fear. Thus, the coaches are always closely monitoring beginners’ spar, and pay extra attention to how they behave.
Beginners should not use more than 50% of their power in their kicks and punches. They must focus on technique, movement, and practical application of offensive and defensive moves. Do not get obsessed with “winning” a sparring “match” because the such thing does not exist.
Even if you get beat up, always remember that sparring is a learning process. It’s better to have your weaknesses exposed in training than in a match or self-defense situation.
Always wear protective equipment
Sparring is relatively safe (even the hard one) only if you are always wearing proper protective equipment. Don’t buy the stories about how only “tough” guys spar without it as this only increases the risk of injuries. In most cases, the gym will have all the gear you need, but in some others, you might need to buy it by yourself.
As a beginner, you must wear a head guard that protects your face and absorbs the force of the impact, full padded gloves, shin pads, mouthguard, and groin cup. Combined with light contact striking, protective gear significantly minimizes the risk of both minor and severe injuries. And it also makes you feel more comfortable and enables you to focus on technique and learning without worrying too much about getting hurt.
Sparring without headgear or shin pads is reserved for experienced students, mostly the ones who prepare for competition. Even they will do this occasionally just to simulate the environment of being in a real fight. Most of the time, they also wear full gear because there is no point not to.
Stay relaxed and learn how to maintain focus
Sparring should not be taken lightly if you are a beginner. For some people, it can be stressful, and even traumatic if you are not well prepared for it. Hearing stories and watching other people do it is nice. But you never know how a person is going to react when the fists start flying until they actually do it.
In order to perform well and with proper technique, you have to have a clear and calm mind. All the skills and talent mean nothing if you don’t have the ability to stay collected in the heat of the moment. Being overwhelmed with emotions and a rush of adrenalin only leads to mistakes and you entering fight or flight mode. And this is one of those skills you develop through repetition.
Feeling scared or losing your cool in the opening sparring sessions is completely normal. Just think about it, someone is chasing you across the ring, throwing punches, and “trying” to hurt you. Of course, you are going to get scared or overwhelmed with adrenalin. Of course, you are not going to breathe properly, move around, or defend. These are natural reactions and do not let this discourage you.
Over time, your mind will get familiar with these types of intense situations, and detect them as “safe” and this is where the real learning begins. Having a clear mind enables you to fully focus on what you are doing, and improve your overall game.
Take extra rest to recover
Muay Thai training is hard on your body and frequent sparring increases the risk of injuries. What also increases the risk is not taking enough rest to recover from all those grueling workouts. It doesn’t matter if you feel good or not, you should always plan your training schedule and make sure you are giving your body enough rest.
But don’t just sit at home on your day offs as you need to keep the muscle activity and blood flowing. Instead of watching TV and playing games all day, go for a light jog around the neighborhood, go for a swim, or do some light stretches at home. And lastly, be sure to drink enough water and eat healthy food, rich in nutrients such as protein and healthy fats.
Not allowing your body to repair itself would likely result in an injury in a very short time span. So instead of pushing yourself all the time, be smart and take a methodical approach. It would pay dividends in the long run.
Have fun!
Sparring in Muay Thai, or any other martial art is essential as it teaches you a practical application of techniques. When is the right time to start with it is an individual question that depends on many factors. But in most schools, you will start sparring when your main instructor says you have reached the required level of fitness and skill to do so.
