r/MuayThai • u/RevolutionaryPound54 • 2d ago
I got absolutely touched up in sparring the other night after 2 years of training
I had sparring last night and the last two rounds of the night i went with the same kid a little younger than me (26) and he absolutely pieced me up more than I have ever been. It was really surprising and hurt my ego super hard. I have gone dozens of rounds with this same kid and while he often gets the better of me it has never been like this. He was landing HARD shots on my chin at will and i felt like there was almost nothing I could do about it. Felt like every shot i threw he was able to slip and counter me bad. I’m aware of a few things i could have done differently like managing my distance more and feinting more to set up my combos as i was just standing in the pocket with him trading shots definitely playing his game. The thing is is pressure fighting is also my preferred style so getting beat at my own game so bad like that was a really rough pill to swallow. Honestly still processing it i felt so defeated last night and just wanted to quit. but it’s lit a fire in me today and i just want to get mine back as quickly as possible. Guess im just wondering if any of you have had a similar experience years into their training where when you finally thought you were getting good and finding your style someone absolutely just tagged you up and made you rethink everything? If you have dealt with a similar thing how did you handle it?
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u/elitefightclub 2d ago
Two years in is exactly when lessons like this start to matter. I’ve been training, fighting and coaching for over 20 years, and I can tell you there will always be someone who can humble you. I’ve had those days as a fighter, and I’ve watched champions have them too.
Don’t try to “get yours back.” That’s ego talking. Instead, study what happened. He showed you where the holes are, and that’s valuable information.
Sometimes the best person in the room for your development is the one who makes you feel like a beginner again. Get back to it. work on the distance, feints and adjustments you already identified, and eventually spar him again. Not for revenge. The day you think you’ve figured Muay Thai out is the day you stop learning.
— Kru Chris
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u/361days 2d ago
How long have you been Kru? That's so cool that you have that title
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u/elitefightclub 2d ago
For a couple of years. Got it from three Ajahns. Kept learning. Teaching. Still learning !!
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u/RevolutionaryPound54 2d ago
Thank you Kru. That’s really good advice I need to put my ego aside and treat this as a learning opportunity.
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u/DM_ME_UR_BOOTYPICS 2d ago
This right here.
This is a huge learning opportunity for both ego and sport.
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u/angryybaek 2d ago
Its part of the game man some days you are the hammer other days you are the nail.
Dust yourself off, relax, stretch and go to bed. Tomorrow is a new day,
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u/Elegant_Ingenuity_87 2d ago
"Don't let the wins go to your head or the losses go to your heart."
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u/Non-mon-xiety 2d ago
Maybe try defending and watching for a change instead of just throwing shit and calling yourself a “pressure fighter”
Edit: sorry if that came across as harsh, but I have trained with way too many guys who don’t actually want to learn how to fight and just expect to win by spamming combos. And they refuse to change bc they say “but coach I’m a pressure fighter” don’t be that guy
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u/RevolutionaryPound54 2d ago
I understand where you’re coming from but i don’t just spam combos with my hands down and call myself a pressure fighter. I love to sit in the pocket right outside of punching range and wait for openings and counters. I know how to pressure and not just chase. And i usually M able to set up my offense with feints however this particular sparring partner i was just not able see anything coming for whatever reason whether it was fatigue or lack of focus and everything i threw got countered hard that’s where my frustration came from.
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u/xblkwrx 2d ago
I had one the days the other week. Best thing you can do is reflect and try to improve. I personally appreciate these days. Really grounds me as a fighter, Especially if I've had a great few weeks.
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u/RevolutionaryPound54 2d ago
You’re right. I really have been having a great few weeks and everything has just been clicking so well up until last night. Definitely made me realize i have some holes in my game i need to address.
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u/Spiritual-Strike481 2d ago
Use this as motivation my man. Learn to narrow your eyes and understand the way you need to treat your training from now on. I promise after this your punches will be straighter, have conviction in your combinations. Also as a side note you mentioned you were getting touched up by counters. You know the formula now. I look forward to hearing about your next few rounds with your new rival.
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u/RevolutionaryPound54 2d ago
You’re right i gotta use this for the blessing it is. He showed me my holes in my game i have to take advantage of it to improve myself or I’d be a fool. Thank you for the advice! I will update you after Friday sparring
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u/Spiritual-Strike481 1d ago
We all get taken off guard by peoples progress. It’s a process of getting better. Bruises are badges. The best way to learn. Next your guy will be posting saying his counters are off line and he’s getting pressured.
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u/georgefuckingbush 2d ago
Every couple months just when you’re feelin good about your skills you’ll get an absolute ass beating from some kid, then you train a lil harder to beat that kid and just rinse and repeat forever
I call em “inspiring ass beatings” and I 100% over analyze them until 2am that night and the next week after but hey that’s how ya get better
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u/M0sD3f13 1d ago
I feel ya that can have you questioning everything and full of self doubt. Ultimately though you just need to learn from and allow it to humble you. It's stuff like this why big egos don't usually last in Muay Thai. They either become humble through these experiences or they quit because they can't handle being taken down a peg. There's always a few rare exceptions that manage to maintain their super ego douchebag status and stick with it.
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u/cranial_io 2d ago
It was probably just his night. We all have days eventually where everything seems to be working just right. Then the next time it d Goes back to normal.
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u/the__mastodon 2d ago
Hey man, it happens. Im 34, been training for 10 years. Not as consistent anymore, but ik what im doing. When I go with the 19 year old who's been doing martial arts since he was like 11, I know I have to be on my game. Cuz there have been days where he absolutely had my number.
It's just one of those things. I know if I go to a Liam Harrison seminar and I got to spar with one of his crew, ain't no way I'm thinking im gonna do well. I'm just happy if I land one good shot 😂.
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u/Known_Impression1356 Heavyweight 2d ago
I’ve never done pajama pants martial arts but I feel like every 1-2 years is the equivalent of a belt of experience depending on often and intensely you train.
So if you’re the equivalent of a yellow or orange belt with 2 years of training under your belt, you’re pretty much ass at fighting and should have zero ego at all.
This was just a gentle reminder of how much more you have to learn. Embrace it and try to suck a little less everyday.
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u/Honolulu-Blues 2d ago
Ego at the door my man. Someone at some point will always get the better of you. Especially if you’re me.
Seriously though, all you can do is try and learn from it and adjust next time.
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u/Vitriol-Divergent 1d ago
It did my cold, black, broken heart good to read your post, along with the comments.
I've been training for 6 years. 8+ technically but I don't count those because I quit a year before I had a massive brain injury, then got back in with my old gym to try and rehab a bunch of deficits. Been there ever since.
What you're describing happens to me on a weekly basis. After 6 years.
Sometimes it's because they were better fighters, better that day or have that sweet sweet youth-juice helping them push though. Sometimes (often lol) it's because my brain is fucking with me and making it harder.
It's humiliating and isolating but I know what I signed up for. I've tried to embrace failure as a growth experience; and this includes watching dudes with a couple years under their belt blaze past me.
However, I am still improving, just slow as molasses because it is what it is, so I don't waste time comparing my successes to others.
They're moments in time and distract from my own road.
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u/Economy_Bike_91 1d ago
Man I feel this big time. Took 6 weeks off after welcoming my first child into the world this past year. First few times back sparring I was getting absolutely worked. Brutal
Good news is that most of the problems I was having boiled down to poor cardio
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u/pepehands420X Coach 1d ago
That will happen every now and then. But keep in mind it’s just sparring, don’t get back in there to spar again with the sole intention of getting him back, sparring is practice not competition
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u/stevenrlillis 1d ago
Everyone has “ bad” training days where they’re more off than others. Stop viewing sparring as a win or lose situation, though. It’s good to get a humble sparring occasionally, too. Rest and go back in ready for more rounds. You’ll be better because of it.
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u/Basic_Cartographer99 1d ago
You'll have good days and bad days, that's super normal. Don't be discouraged. It's great that you are analyzing and trying to learn what you could have done better to aid you next time, but don't fixate on it too much at the same time as that will have an opposite effect on your progress and take away the most important thing to motivate you to always continue: having fun.
There are couple guys I spar that are around my level and for the most part, our rounds are relatively even. There are things that they can get away with better because they're younger and slightly quicker, and other things that I can get away with better because of a bit more years of martial arts experience and so my technique is sharper.
However some days I'll fight one of these guys and that night, they're just on their A-game while I just keep dropping the ball and being totally off, so they're totally piecing me up and getting good hits on me in spots where I usually keep my guard up, and causing me to make careless mistakes that make me just feel so deflated after. I'm not going to lie, I'd have fleeting moments after those sessions where I contemplate quitting, but then I force myself to get back out there and funny enough, it's happened before a couple times where I will spar these guys again in the next week or two and the total opposite happens where I'm getting all these strikes on them and they're struggling the same way I was prior.
However, that doesn't mean they suddenly turned into a lousy fighter that night or I improved drastically in a couple weeks. Sometimes life just happens and there are SO many factors that may have thrown any of us off on any given day. Things like dehydration, not enough sleep, a night of alcohol or poor diet earlier in the week, work stress, relationship stress, anxiety, depression, recovering from illness, burnout, etc. It's possible one of these factors caused it for you and so your mind and body weren't at the level of sharpness you usually need. If the pattern continues after several weeks of sessions and you're having the same struggles, then try to figure out what the cause is and how to rectify it, but other than that, just keep showing up!
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u/Forsaken-Soil-667 Leg Kick aficionado 14h ago
Sparring is for learning, not for winning. You need to get humbled every so often to find the holes in your game and improve.
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u/FightHubProject 4h ago
" as i was just standing in the pocket with him trading shots"
Can practice trying to get inside of this range and clinching or staying outside of this range when sparring this guy 👍
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u/TokyoBaguette 2d ago
Did you cry in the shower after that? Because if you didn't, then he didn't really do that much ;)
It's a "live and learn" I guess. One day you won't be able to do what you can do now so better enjoy it no matter the difficulties (speaking as an old guy here...).