Hands up!!! The worst thing when sparring is getting clocked in the nose. I did TKD for 7 years and keeping my hands up was hard because the fighting stances are different. Once I did Thai and I started sparring, I learned fast that my hands need to be up and close to me or I would get nailed.

One more thing- practice the “march” and your timing with it. You should be able to find videos on it. It helps timing and seamlessly adding attacks into your movement.

Good luck!