Are You Sparring Too Much?

I recently came across an article regarding MMA fighter Jamie Varner and his recent retirement. In it, Varner talks about his concerns that too much sparring can lead to severe head trauma and prematurely end a fighter's career.

The whole article can be read here at Bloody Elbow - good stuff.

This brings up a great point that I've talked about in the past. Namely, brain trauma is a serious concern for those of us involved in full-contact fight sports and we should take steps to prevent it. The effects of brain trauma accumulate over time and can lead to progressively worse issues - slower reaction speeds, impaired memory and speech patterns, changes in personality, impaired motor control, and even dementia.

Not fun stuff.

In previous posts I've talked about ways to prevent brain trauma. One of the suggestions I've put forward is to take it easy on the sparring. Obviously, if you are getting hit too hard by your sparring partner then your risk for brain trauma will go up significantly.

But, even if you're sparring with light contact, could you still be sparring too much?

Sparring Like the the Thais:

Came across this great video and I wanted to share it with you guys.

It's from Kru Kiatphontip at Kiatphontip Muay Thai Gym in the UK (Leeds).



So many guys think you have to "win" a sparring match and this just isn't the case. If you think this way you're a dumbass and you're not only holding back your own training, but your holding back the training of everyone you spar with.

Train Hard,
Josh Skinner

3 Quick Tips for Better Sparring!

At least once a week I get an email from a reader asking how they can improve their sparring.

It seems that most of the people reading Uncaged Fighter understand the importance of sparring. However, a lot of guys out there are apprehensive about it. The idea of hitting your training partner and
having them hit you back is unfamiliar to most combat sport newbies and "weekend warrior" martial artists. It goes against everything we were taught growing up: "Play nice", "Don't hit!", "Take turns", etc... Changing those habits in the gym or dojo can be difficult for some.

And let's not forget that being hit in the face can be scary as hell for most people!

So, I'm going to give you guys some tips that I've found very useful at really improving my sparring - and, therefore, making me a better fighter.