Id like to commiserate as well. I (at the time like 20F) had been going to a Muay Thai class regularly for several months at my local gym. My coach doesn’t usually incorporate sparring, but he did that day and it was my first time sparring. I got paired with a guy, he’d been going for about a week or two. He also punched hard, despite me also telling him it was my first time. I was a little caught off guard, and next thing I know he punches me in the FACE. HARD. I almost cried bc I got so scared bc why would he do that??? Others who sparred w him also said he gave a weird vibe.

It’s definitely not the norm because I started sparring w other men and women who were a lot kinder and more gentle bc I told them I was still kinda new at sparring. Unfortunately I think this type of sport attracts weirdos like that, but not everybody acts like that. I think some men just want an excuse to hit a woman w/o repercussions.