MMA fighting/sparring difficulties?

Question

Okay Im havin a few prroblems..

Well i've been sparring atleast once a week for about a month or two & i'm having difficulty connecting with my punches. I'll make an attack & get got with a straight or even a cross. Sometimes my punches will land, but not as i expect, then I feel as if my punches I'm throwing are weak.. should every punch feel powerful? or is this normal?

I mean ill throw jabs to set up a right cross or overhand, but when I release my jab I get caught. What should i do to improve my punches connecting & avoid their punches. Basically, what approach should i take in a fight, how should i attack, etc.

Also my right shin has been being a b*tch, ever since I gave a right low kick to my oppoenent which he blocked with his skin & then swelled up that day into a little ball, which i massaged out & iced... Today our shins collided & my shin was fully healed i believe, but that colision popped something inside or something, because it bruised up again instantly.. Any advice on this? Should i lay off kicks? If so how long? r is this fine? Is it just pain?

Answer 1

I'll address the punches first:

Every punch will not feel powerful.  I'm sure you already know there are jabs and such that are not intended for power.  Aside from that, other factors are involved that negate power.  For example:

-your opponent slips and you punch does not land flush

-you are off balance and your punch lands awkwardly

Make sure your entire technique is correct including your stance, hip rotation, and arm movement.

Now for you getting "caught" as you throw.  I suggest practicing a small head slip every time you jab.  Just a short head movement to the right as you throw a left jab.  You will be surprised at how much this can help you avoid counters.

Also, as you throw some of your punches and kicks, step forward but to an angle.  Try to move around your oppenent as you strike, keeping your balance and base solid.  This will position you for better strikes and help you avoid counters.

As for the kicks....yeah, shin clashes suck.  I know what you mean.  To toughen my shins, I'll try to throw a couple hundred low kicks on the heavy bag each week....sometimes more.

But wait until your shin heals if it is that bad.  You don't want to prolong the injury.  You should also consider using shin pads until you have developed enough tolerance.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Sounds to me as though you are just making yourself too easy to read. Could be that you are telegraphing your strikes or you could just be using the same combinations over and over. To get more of your strikes to land and to eat less in return, I would suggest a couple of different things. First off I would say try using more foot work and head movement. No just head movement to avoid strikes, but also head fakes to sell them on a strike you really don't intend to throw and then strike them as they are moving to avoid the fake strike. Also work on your footwork, I've seen a lot of guys who have pretty good foot work when they are doing drills or working the bag just go flat footed and barely move when they spar. You can also try doing more shadow boxing to start to make your combinations and your movement feel more natural, this can also help you to not telegraph your strikes as much.

As to your power issue, every strike doesn't need to be with knock out power in fact they shouldn't all be with KO power. This could also be part of why you are making yourself easy to read and counter. Mix up how much power you put into your shots and change the speed you throw them with. This will make you harder to time as well as make you opponent guess as to whether a strike is full power or just really fast with out much power. I use to throw a lot of fast stuff right off the bat in sparring with little power and then wait for my opponents to adjust to that and when I saw them setting to counter what they were expecting to be a weak shot I would jack some power on it.

As to the shin problem, we've all been there and done that man. At least anyone who has ever done any really hard training or competed has anyway. Sounds like your shins just haven't gotten toughened up to the abuse yet. I'd say get some shin and instep guards, fairtex's are great probably the best I have personally ever used. Use them during sparring to cut down on the impact force ecspecially the bone on bone contact they are taking. You may also want to add a little more shin conditioning to your work outs or on your own time away from classes. You have several options for how you go about it, but I would suggest starting very light and with fewer repetitions since you are already having problems with the shin. I would suggest either going shin to shin with a partner with the shin pads on or just hitting your shins with a focus mitt or the like at first and then moving on from there. Sounds like you already have a fairly decent idea of how to take care of it when it acts up, so you will just have to play it by ear. Take it slow and don't push too far too fast you could cause yourself some serious problems.

Best of luck!!  

Answer 3

Throw your jab and bob and weave. If your staying still you'll get tagged. Throw you jab and move at the same time. If you throw a left jab then duck towards your right, you are setting up a KO right cross or uppercut.  

Answer 4

First the punches - I bet 2 things are going on.  

1 -You are throwing your punches too hard and pushing through the hit without a snap at the end.  Instead of banging your punches into your opponent, hit and recoil into a "ready" position.  Think more of a whip crack than a baseball bat.  Just at the moment of impact clinch your fist really tight then bring it back really fast.  This will do 2 things - it will get your punches more accurate because you aren't off-balancing yourself by over-powering your punches AND it will increase your defense by bringing the fist/glove back to a protective place.

2 -  When you throw that jab, throw it with force.  Sounds like you are sparring counter-punchers - switch from a range-finding jab to a power jab.  If they aren't worried about being hit by your weak jab they can eat it and deliver a cross with no consequence - they are taking a light shot to deliver a power shot...good tradeoff for them.  Once you demonstrate that your jab has some power they'll be less likely to eat one, and you can use it as a distraction again.  Switch power levels on the jab!

And just to make sure you don't get hit after, remember to use some head movement after EVERY punch or combo.  If you aren't moving your head it's a target.

Now the kicks - the shin probably wasn't healed all the way.  Probably the outer layer of skin healed and the lower layers weren't 100% when you got kicked - so you had instant bruising on the same spot.  I think you should use some shin guards.  Bruising is really no big deal - it won't have long term effects.  But your training will be interrupted if you hurt it badly.  Don't feel like you have to be a tough guy.  Wear the guards for a few weeks and spar like usual.  You already know how to take care of it - now let it heal 100%.

Answer 5

My advice is tor spar more often if possible. Four sparring sessions a month is better than nothing but still fairly far from enough.

Do not worry about every punch landing with KO power. Pick your shots and think about how your opponent will react. Your jab cross combo is an example... but look at it from your opponent's view, they know what is coming and so they stop it with their own strike.

It is a very cerebral art and you have to practice often to become proficient.

And for your shin, that again is just a matter of not enough practice. Your body will toughen up if you train it regularly and give it proper time to heal. You will hear a lot about Muay Thai fighters kicking tree stumps to deaden the nerves and tough their shins. If you really want to toughen your shins start small. Work with a partner and just kick shin to shin, very lightly, because this WILL hurt at first.