Muay Thai Sparring Tips (Beginners)

Sparring can be daunting and scary but keep practicing and you’ll get there. There’s no trade secret to getting better besides keep going at it but use these tips to help you stay focus on what you can work on during sparring.

Do not get overwhelmed by striking coming at you. It is easier said than done. However, keeping your composure will help you to defend and pick your strikes more effectively. If you still struggle, get a friend to train with you. Drill your defence against a fixed series of combination to help you switch your defence to the strikes.

#1: Focus on 3 things to work on

There’s a million technique out there, and there’s so many things you can do. Focus on 3 things to do. For example, I will be focusing on standing my ground during sparring, I do not want to be stumbling around after striking or as I defend my strikes. With that goal in mind, I will keep practicing it at every sparring session.

#2: Being specific about your objectives

Decide whether you are going to work on your offense or defense before each sparring session. Being specific rather than thinking “I am going to work on being offensive today”, is crucial. For example, today I’m working on offense- landing my right kicks. Now with this objective in mind, we work to plan our combinations and counter defence to set an ideal situation for us to land our right kick

#3: Safety above everything

As much as everyone is there to learn something new each session, safety should be the utmost important thing in sparring. Ensure that you and your sparring partner have the necessary safety equipment on (mouth guard, shin guard, groin guard, gloves, etc.)

Lastly, be patient with yourself. It’s a long journey but enjoy the process.