Class Johnstons Ring?
I'm a 43 yr old cripple (sorta kinda like spina bifida, birth defect
is called sacral agenesis) with a very competitive nature. My physical
issues are my hips are not properly developed and are slightly rotated
away from the axis of my body. Have atrophy of the calves and feet.
My posture is bad, when I stand, I sorta sit on my heels, if I were to
stand up str8, my feet are too small and have too much atrophy to
balance my body. My calves may not have much muscle, but my shins are
still good for leg and body kicks. It's tough for me to get the
proper rotation in my hips though.
Began taking a local kickboxing class last March and tried not to kid
myself about my abilities. In fact it takes me longer to train my body
to move properly and my footwork will always suck. But I do what I can
do. I weigh over 200lbs, strong and have decent hand eye coordination.
It's a tiny class with only 3 guys including the instructor. Our
instructor never claimed to be a great kick-boxer, but has fought in
the ring. He is so relaxed when he fights, even after getting hit
hard. He was a Div III offensive lineman, weighs 350 lbs and moves
well.
One of the other guys wants to be a mixed martial artist. He has a HS
wrestling background and got a good scholarship at one of the top rated
wrestling colleges in PA. He squandered that away by not going to
classes, transferred to another college, squandered that and then made
a Div III football team as a walk on, then quit after one semester.
The guy weighs about 235 and moves real well, but has a bit of a temper
problem. We started the class about the same time. Actually we have
become pretty good friends and train together.
The problem is with sparring. I've been the class tomato can since
the beginning, but I'm not rolling over either. My buddy considers
sparring as a win/lose competition instead of a device to hone skills.
He is very fast on his feet and uses his speed to avoid being hit, in
fact not even the instructor has been able to hit him solidly. When he
kicks, he actually lifts our 155 pounder off the ground. Punches well
too. I've taken some shots, but again, I'm not laying down against
anyone.
He admits to taking it a little easy on me which pisses me off. But
when he gets hit his eyes get real big and he moves in for the kill.
Actually dazed me once even though we were suppose to go 25%. Since
the beginning we have been telling him that he has to keep his cool if
he really wants to learn to fight. He's a good guy outside of the
dojo. In fact, he has been helping me out a lot. Posture, footwork,
etc.
Anyway, our last sparring session, our instructor created a small ring
for us to fight in. My buddy's speed being negated I was able to get
some shots in. We weren't wearing headgear so I kept my shots to the
front of the head. I had watched Vitor Belfort do his continuous
punching thing the night before and decided to try it. Moving forward
with quick straight never ending punches. I was going about 50% or a
little faster. I wasn't trying to knock anybody out though. My
buddy didn't like not being able to escape and instead of using
counter strikes and footwork orr stepping out of the ring, he shoots
for the double leg and carries me out of the ring. I expected to be
body slammed but he finally came to his senses. This pissed me off so
I sat myself down while my bud continued to spar. In fact I was done
for the night, but he talked me into stepping back in for one final
round. So I backed him into a corner again. He got pissed again and
delivered a solid hook to the side of my head (remember, no headgear)
IMO trying to knock me down.
I've taken pride in that these guys are dropping their hands to block
my leg kicks and that my instructor has even sent some high kicks
towards my head. But the instructor is always in control of his
strikes and stays calm.
Is this the point of sparring, to win or lose? Or am I just being a
wus? I've tried to work within the framework of the sport, but a
double leg take down??
this guy has an ego issue.. unfortunately, based on the size of your
class, you might be stuck with it unless you go elsewhere.. it's the
whole "I am *not* getting beat by *this* guy" type of mentality, and
it's unfortunately common.. Usually, it gets picked up by the instructor
who will then put him/her up against people who hand them their ass for
a while, so they learn to see sparring for what it is..
To summarize: you're working hard to be up to the level of competition, but
only when sparring at a lower level of aggression. When it's ramped up
you're concerned about getting injured.
Regardless of your handicap, you should be sparring with gear, mouthpiece
and in a ring. At your level you might also want to be wearing headgear and
the ring should be padded enough that if taken down you won't be
automatically injured. The ropes should be in good shape so that the
opponent can't carry you out of the ring. You're probably working outside
of your natural weight division if the opponent is forty pounds heavier. So
with these built-in problems you have to take normal precautions.
To me, the problem is absence of sufficient protective gear, and condition
of your training area, -not- the level of aggression of your sparring
mates.
It sounded like it wasn't the double-leg that cause the problem but being
carried out of the ring. Later it was being punched to the head - you don't
say if boxing gloves are used or not.
Get better gear and work in a ring and your problems should be solved. That
way if someone gets excited and ramps up the level of contact you'll have
the minimal necessary protection to avoid sudden injury. Outside of that,
learn to say 'stop'! ;-)