Sparring To Improve In Street Fight: Is It Realistic Enough?

Sparring is great to improve your martial arts skills but it doesn’t always help you in the real world of street fighting – where no rules applied and environments really matter.

I used to think that sparring would definitely help in street fighting and it’s the best training. However, after getting into a few street fights myself, it was clear that sparring is great to improve your skills but won’t make you a pro in street fights.

In this article, I will go through in detail about sparring and how it helps (or does not help) you in street fights.

Sparring can be helpful during training or in an official match but rarely in a street fight. In a street fight, there are no rules and so, there are factors to consider, sparring in a street fight completely depends on how good you are and how much you have mastered your skills.

When involved in street fights, identify your surroundings and use it to your advantage. For example, if you are fighting against multiple opponents, it’s a good idea to go somewhere narrow so they can only come at you one at a time.

If you are fighting too many opponents, finding an opportunity to flee is another thing you could focus on. Remember, street fights are never fair. Practicing sparring alone will not help you much.

In street fights, your best option is to avoid it. But if you cannot, then the least you can do is make sure they come at you one at a time.

Sparring is as realistic as the fight itself, sparring helps you to monitor and master your moves.

Real-world combat is not something we are prepared for from the word go. With the help of sparring, we can accustom ourselves to the high-intensity environment of a fight.

Sparring in my opinion will help bring the best out of you. Sparring is the only thing that can help you memorize the things you have learned; it helps you measure your progress and skills.

The Muay Thai sparring class can help develop a fighter’s skills further, you could find Muay Thai sparring highly enjoyable and beneficial.

Even though sparring in MMA or boxing can be very hectic depending on the level of the fighter and the kind of tournaments that such a fighter is preparing for could be the determinant of the level of sparring.

Also Read: How Long & How Often Should You Spar? Boxing, MMA & Muay Thai

Hard sparring is important for fighters, especially professional fighters. However, it must also be controlled to avoid sustaining permanent injuries. 

Nothing will ever push you harder and simulate the stress of a real fight more than a good hard sparring session. Just make sure that hard sparring happens only occasionally.

Ideally, you should spar 1–2 times per week but no more than 3 times per week. Sparring can be risky and cause injuries when you are tired. So make sure you don’t do it too often and have plenty of rest.

Too many young boxers get into ‘Gym Wars’ and accumulate neurological damage in sparring – even more so than in their fights. Sparring must be controlled by coaches or gym instructors.

Also Read: 7 Boxing Sparring Gear You Will Need As A Beginner (+ Cost)

The sooner you start sparring the better – even as beginners. It’s completely normal to spar in the second or even in the first week after you start practising your martial art. 

Sparring is one of the most important exercises in any martial art. It helps you improve your timing, distance understanding, and your overall understanding of the game.

It’s normal to be scared of sparring to some extent. And it’s also normal to work on your fears and make sure you overcome them. Most of us have felt the same way at some point. 

I have always believed that in learning to become better in fighting, be it MMA or boxing, or Muay Thai it is important to know that “hard is the only way” and you must sometimes break the sweat to get to where you want to be.

Q: Is It Normal to Get Knocked Down in Sparring?

Do not get yourself worked up for getting knocked down during sparring, It’s the most regular occurrence and very normal. It happens a lot in fighting. 

Even the top professionals like Tyson have been knocked down and knocked out in fights before (and also sparring). My advice would be when you get knocked down or out make sure get-up, the hack is to not remain on the ground.

Every time you get knocked down when you get back up, you get up wiser and better than you were when you got knocked down

Q: What to Do After Getting Rocked in Sparring?

Whenever you get rocked in sparring, every boxer must constantly face this experience but there are a few hacks to it and they are as follows

1.  Don’t shake your head. It’s a natural impulse, but it doesn’t help to shake your head to try and clear it. That just sloshes your brains around even more than they already are
2.  Be calm. By calming down, you can focus on your opponents and be more careful. You box; it’s normal to get rocked. It’s not something you want to have to happen all the time, but there’s no need to get excited — or angry and upset.
3.  Take a sip of water. When this happened to me recently my coach had me roll out and hang out ringside (it was somewhat a punishment for the sloppy guard, I think) while my sparring partner finished the round with someone else. My coach instructed me to get a drink and cool off for a round.
4. Get back in. ASAP. You don’t want to end your sparring session on a rough note like that if you can help it. Get back in with someone you trust and concentrate on fixing the problem you had in the first place

Q: Does Sparring Build Muscle?

Sparring will not build muscle. If you are focused on building muscles, you should go for weightlifting instead. Sparring is a full body workout and can help you in your stamina, focus and coordination.

Q: How Many Times in a Week Should a Beginner Spar?

A beginner should spar 1-2 x a week. Depending on how long, someplace you might spar for 16-20 rounds 1 or 2 times a week, other places you might spar 5-6 rounds 4 times a week.

The more the better, but power and skill level should always be taken into account. In my opinion as a beginner, you must learn to work according to your pace, do not force or be tempted to work with the work rate of another person, it’s good to look up to someone but while you are at it, you must also be watchful of the process.

Consistency is key to great success in fighting, make sure you are consistent in training and sparring, if you keep to the rules in no time you will be a champ.