First go 'sparring': now all I can do is squeal

[Shouathra]

Been training at an MMA gym for about a month; main focus for now being boxing. I always thought I'd leaving a sparring attempt for a challenge goal down the road because it seemed so darned scary.

Then this morning near the end of a session officially called 'diet kick', the instructor told me to pad up. I thought cool, more guard practice. Then he said, 'Come at me with anything. Anything you want'. I triple-checked this is what he said, what with it all being in Japanese and me being a total wimp. The closest thing to this I'd ever done before was Punch Out on the wii. This was, needless to say, a world apart. No predictability here. Can't just wait to counter either.

So it ended up a good mess of me alternating between freezing like a deer at an interrogation table and flailing like a kitten on a cactus, and him mostly humoring me. But, it was that much-needed first step into the journey of becoming a real fighter. With time and further practice, I'm sure the instinct and sense of flow will develop.

[Rooks]

Haha... awesome stuff.  It's funny how practice never really prepares you like you hope for that first time.  I know I used to get very nervous before my wrestling matches even though I'd been doing it my whole life and it's not nearly has violent as MMA.  I can't even imagine the surge you'd get that first time in an MMA match or Boxing match, etc. 

 

Thanks for sharing!

[ferguson911]

Trust your training! The best advice I can give...is that the person in front of you is as scared as you are (unless its your coach)