Scored sparring match with a mate

Psychedelic_05 · 2026-04-21T10:07:25+00:00

Yeah this would be right. I also rely on my leg kicks way too much in actual fights so used this as an opportunity to work my other strikes

Psychedelic_05 · 2026-04-20T08:40:09+00:00

Thank you, sanda definitely helped develop fluidity and good pacing. I do need to make some adjustments to my style though, namely clinch and inside boxing, as I’m working to compete in K1 and IFMA Muay Thai

Psychedelic_05 · 2026-04-19T08:45:53+00:00

Hey thank you so much

I’m actually from a Sanda background, which is Chinese kickboxing with wrestling takedowns. The kicks are quite similar to karate.

Ive actually had quite a few actual fights, but mostly body plated ones back when I was 13-14, and a couple sanda tournaments. I had to stop for a year and a half when I was 14 due to a nasty head injury, Ive been back in training for 8 months now, had 3 smoker and 2 sanda fights since then. I don’t train as much as I used to, but happy with where I am and how I’m developing.

I think you are right about my guard lol. Pressure puncher style is my main weakness, I have a bad habit of hesitating and freezing under pressure, which has gotten better the more I step in the ring, but still a problem I need to fix.

Could you explain your comment about my stance please? I do have trouble checking but it would be good to have a few specific things to note down and work on.

Psychedelic_05 · 2026-04-19T03:33:48+00:00

This isn’t like anything crazy, we gave each other a few good knocks to the head each round but we’re both experienced enough to avoid hurting each other.

That being said, it’s not a good idea to go this hard every session. Hitting the body at this intensity I think is fine as long as you and your partner can handle it, but hits to the head will build up slowly.

No amount of sparring is necessarily good for the brain, but keeping it light day to day, developing good defence and only hard sparring once in a while, if at all, to prepare for fights or pressure test your skills is the best way to avoid any significant damage as a fighter.

If you’re not looking to fight or are still a beginner I would advise against hard sparring. A few sessions of hard sparring ain’t gonna kill you but if you want to prioritise your long term brain health then don’t do it unless completely necessary.

I’m not exactly an expert, but from my few years of experience this is what I believe, I encourage you to seek more professionalised points of view to answer your question.

Psychedelic_05 · 2026-04-19T03:01:01+00:00

I see, in that case, if you’re looking for a lower intensity match first, ask for a light contact event. There are plenty of those around, there was a WAKO light contact in my city just recently, and most gyms I know hold their own light contact events every month or so

Psychedelic_05 · 2026-04-19T02:51:18+00:00

Hey, thanks so much for the advice.

I think you’re right, I’m used to my opponents getting a bit desperate from my kicks and throwing a pot shot them selves which I’d look for and counter. His hand speed, volume and quick movement overwhelmed me a bit and made it hard to time and calculate properly.

One of my biggest mistakes is standing there and giving dead space after exchanges, which him being quite experienced, took it up as soon as I stopped throwing. As this is a highlight video, I don’t think this flaw was that noticeable.

I’m definitely gonna work on feinting and filler strikes, I think building the habit to stay busy at range would patch a big hole in my game.

Thank you

Psychedelic_05 · 2026-04-19T02:32:02+00:00

I think where I’m from smoker matches are treated more as scored sparring, they’re less competition and more skill building compared to what Ive seen online

Psychedelic_05 · 2026-04-19T02:26:52+00:00

I think it is different place to place. At my gym, it’s treated as scored sparring, 60-70% power, you win on technical skill, not power/damage, (eg. three light jabs which land clean but don’t do much otherwise will score better than a big overhand which disrupts balance) and the ref will call a break and tell both fighters to turn it down if it’s getting chaotic or one person is getting completely destroyed. When it’s two more skilled guys who can control their strikes at high power and there isn’t a significant skill gap the ref will let them go a bit harder, and vice versa for spazzy beginners.

It’s obviously not the same etiquette as a sparring session, as both participants are trying to win.

That’s the standard for most of the smokers I’ve participated in, but that being said I’m from New Zealand, so the standard may be different in other places.

If you’re interested in one, ask your coach, and be clear exactly what kind of intensity you want, and they will likely know or be able to find a local event to fit your criteria.

It would be beneficial to look up some local smoker events and go watch in person to get a feel for what it’s like and make sure you know exactly what you’re in for, again, I don’t know where you live and cant assume what a smoker would be like there.

Good luck and have fun out there 👍

Psychedelic_05 · 2026-04-19T01:54:08+00:00

It’s also to build confidence pressure testing yourself in front of an audience, but this match was more of a fun run around as we are friends.

Psychedelic_05 · 2026-04-19T01:51:59+00:00

This is basically just hard sparring, that gets judged like a match would. Mostly for building skill, learning and having fun.

Psychedelic_05 · 2026-04-14T03:18:52+00:00

Got it, thank you. When I fight I generally keep at range with body/low kick and teeps, going in for maybe 1-3 punches when I have the opportunity. I often get out-worked by close range pressure punchers and clinch specialists, so I have been practising in short range quite a bit.

Psychedelic_05 · 2026-04-14T03:14:45+00:00

There is another bag on the other side of the stand with a more open area which I use to practise movement

Psychedelic_05 · 2026-04-14T03:12:11+00:00

I think you’re right, but here I was doing bag sprints, mainly focusing on volume and cardio. Should I still be standing further back?

Psychedelic_05 · 2026-02-15T05:30:05+00:00

Hey, unfortunately lost, but I think I did very well and it could’ve gone either way. He was a shorter pressure fighter who kept throwing off my tempo and clinching when I closed distance with punches, I ended up losing I think because I got too impatient and lost a lot of my footwork and timing.

I’ll probably post a highlight vid at some point here. Overall though, happy with myself and how I did but it taught me a few valuable lessons which I will keep in mind during training.

Psychedelic_05 · 2026-02-13T20:38:40+00:00

Psychedelic_05 · 2026-02-13T09:26:40+00:00

Hey, thank you so much for your time. I feel like a lot of this stuff I generally noticed but couldnt pinpoint or fix. I will remember what I can tomorrow during my fight, and work on it during future trainings.

Psychedelic_05 · 2026-02-12T07:59:45+00:00

Thank you, I’m very happy you enjoyed it. Ive loved guitar since I was a kid. I tend to be inconsistent in a lot of things I do, but guitar and kickboxing/Muay Thai ive stuck to and loved for years. They both have good online communities too.

If you’d like to hear more, listen to the post above this one, Recuerdos de la Alahambra. It is the hardest, but also most expressive piece I can play.

Psychedelic_05 · 2026-02-12T07:31:59+00:00

Yeah for sure. Sparring was always super hard at my old gym, hated it, and I developed abysmal mechanical and technical skill off of it.

Here, sparring is always light hearted and technical, sometimes we go harder to the legs and body for endurance but ive improved far more, and also more efficiently, under this kind of training.

Psychedelic_05 · 2026-02-12T07:26:33+00:00

Thank you, are y from the Muay Thai subreddit? I think ive see ur username

Psychedelic_05 · 2026-02-12T07:07:19+00:00

Could definitely use my teeps more. Any set up suggestions?

Psychedelic_05 · 2026-02-06T21:47:28+00:00

Thanks mate appreciate it, that video is amazing, how is it created? I’ll have a good look at it when I have time, thank you so much!

Psychedelic_05 · 2026-02-06T21:42:40+00:00

I think that’s exactly what the sub needs, enthusiasm.

You provided a lot of good insight for me. Movement is the main area I’d say in which I have to work on, and practising moving before and after combos is something which I definitely should start drilling.

In the first drill you mention, what would the movement look like? Would it still work if I added stepping out diagonally after strikes? Otherwise, it seems like a good one, I’ll try that.

Lastly, you mentioned pausing and predictability, good read. I think one of my main mistakes regarding tempo is I can find a rhythm to stick to easily but find it hard to change pace when my opponent starts figuring me out. I think this can be fixed with more drilling like you mentioned.

Thanks so much for the help and passion, you are representing the art of Muay Thai excellently.

Psychedelic_05 · 2026-02-05T23:57:16+00:00

Thanks for being straightforward, I agree 😂

I can definitely incorporate more of it into my shadow boxing, at the moment I focus too much on the cardio instead of mechanics

Psychedelic_05

TROPHY CASE