Are you thinking of getting into sparring? Every club has their own rules and protocol when it comes to sparring.  At Legacy, we allow students to spar as early as a few months in...HOWEVER, safety is paramount.

PART 1. WHAT EQUIPMENT IS REQUIRED FOR SPARRING

16oz GLOVES
Standard across the board are 16oz gloves being worn when there are punches to the head. 16oz gloves have more padding than the 10, 12, and 14oz gloves (duh). The excess padding will soften the force of your punches and thus minimize damage to your training partner. If you weigh less than 130lbs, you may get away with wearing 14oz gloves to spar (but please confirm with your coach first). Kids ages 8-12 years can potentially spar with 10-12oz gloves. Please respect your training partner and wear the appropriate size gloves. It is all of our duty to call out those who are sparring with undersized gloves.

Take note that not all 14-16oz gloves are created equal. Many entry level brands like Kimurawear, Benza, Reevo, etc are adequate for bag and pad work but not sparring because their “16oz” gloves are actually lighter than what is stated. You can’t go wrong with gloves made by reputable brands like Fairtex, Twins, Top King, Windy, Yokkao, Boon, and Raja.

SHIN GUARDS
Shin guards should always be worn for sparring, with the exception of tech sparring where the intensity is kept under 15%. The top of the shin guard should sit just under the bottom of your knee to prevent the upper shin from being exposed. As this can be painful for your partner if you block one of his kicks on the bare part of your upper shin. Your shin guards should also have a padded flap that goes over your foot for added protection to your toes. Sock shin guards (1st photo below) can be worn for tech sparring but not for regular sparring sessions. Most muay thai branded equipment will do just fine, they include Fairtex, Twins, Top King, Windy, Raja, Boon, Muay Thai Brand, Legacy, RDX, Kimurawear, etc.

MOUTH GUARD
Another important piece of equipment is the mouthguard. Any generic self-moulded one will suffice. If you are looking for added protection and fitting, talk to your Dentist to make custom mouth guards that are fitted to your teeth and gums. I prefer the generic ones as I found custom mouthguards were too tight and snug for my personal liking. I also often misplace my mouth guards so I didn’t like to spend too much on them. Consider investing in a mouthguard case and clip it to your gym bag for safe keeping. If you do go for the custom guards, they can run you anywhere between $200-$800. Check your employment benefits as many do cover the cost of constructing one. Military and para-military benefits generally include custom fitted mouthguards at 100%.

CUP/GROIN PROTECTOR
Guys, do I need to say more? Most will opt to leave this one out until they eat a knee right in the “you know where.” Yes, this has happened to me many times, especially in the clinch. Now, I always take an extra couple of minutes before battle to put on my cup. Muay thai cups can be made of steel or plastic. You honestly don’t need something as hard as a steel cup but if you want to feel like a badass Thai fighter then go right ahead. I had both kinds throughout my fight career. Fairtex and Twins steel cups are quite reputable. Shock Doctor has some reliable plastic groin protectors.

HEADGEAR
With modern research showing that headgear does nothing to reduce concussions or force of punches, many muay thai gyms no longer require headgear for sparring. Headgear is optional at Legacy. However, note that Muay Thai has many more offensive options than kickboxing and boxing (punch, elbow, kick, knee, throws, sweeps, locks). Although the headgear may not protect you from blunt trauma, it can reduce the chances of you getting cut and scraped from an accidental elbow or knee to the head or face.

You can read this article as to why Olympic Boxers aren’t required to wear headgear anymore:
https://www.wired.com/2016/08/olympic-boxers-arent-wearing-headgear-anymore/

KNEE AND ELBOW PADS
These can be worn for extra protection but take note that this is not an invitation for you to go bezerk and blast your partner with hard knees or sharp elbows. Elbow pads have a tendency to shift exposing your bare-elbow bone so be careful. NO KNEES TO THE HEAD, EVER. Knee pads and elbow pads will also protect your knee and elbow joints.

TECHNICAL (TECH) SPARRING
Light muay thai sparring (less that 10-15% power) using mainly kicks, knees, and clinch is known as technical (tech) sparring. The emphasis here is on technique, timing, and placement of strikes (accuracy and precision). Thai fighters are notorious for tech sparring. They seldom spar hard in training as they frequently compete, sometimes as often as every other week so they want to keep their body fresh and injury free. Western fighters do not have the luxury of frequent competition opportunities so we must incorporate harder rounds to stay sharp and fight ready. In anycase, for tech sparring you do not require much protective equipment, granted that both partners exhibit some self control. The choice of protective equipment is based on the style of tech sparring you are doing. Watch here:

With gloves and shin guards:

Without gloves and shin guards:

PART 2: SPARRING ETIQUETTE

COMING SOON!

As a coach and owner of 2 gyms, I often get approached by students telling me that they are interested in fighting.  Our gym has over 100 members. Let's be honest, not every member will get an opportunity to compete and represent their club.  There is a lot of time and resources that goes into preparing someone for battle and it’s just not feasible nor practical to have the entire club fighting.  Extra pad rounds with coaches,  putting together your workout plan, finding cornermen (2 person) to accompany you for the day of the fight, prospecting for an opponent, organizing and planning for the event, and other behind the scenes work are some examples of extra duties required by the club to prepare for you to compete.

“Being skillful isn’t enough.”  

At our club we don’t just look at skill to determine who makes the cut.  Likewise, you could be the hardest working Joe out there but if your skill doesn’t measure up, then keep training.

So how does a club determine who gets to be on the fight roster?  I can tell you how Legacy decides.

How to Join the Legacy Fight Team (in no particular order)

When you first join,  it’s perfectly fine to let the coach  know that you are interested in competing.  You can go a step further and ask how the club determines who gets to fight and what the requirements are.  Just understand that competing and representing your club is a privilege, NOT A RIGHT.  You get chosen based on set criterias and unfortunately, not everyone will get chosen.  There is usually already a waitlist of students patiently waiting for their turn, so if you are a newcomer interested you will have to be patient.  

So you got chosen to join the fight team?  Well, with great power comes great responsibilities.  This is what teamLEGACY expects from our fighters:

Specific Requirements and Expectations for our Fighters

Do you have what it takes? 

It was Tuesday evening and I had just gotten off the bus at the Kitchener Station.  The original TKO Fighting Arts was located on Charles St. West,  just a 10 minute walk east of the station.  I remember my mind racing with uncomfortable thoughts.  Half excited, and half scared. "How will I do?  Are people going to laugh at me?  Was my friend John right and that I am just way over my head on this one?" (If you guys don't remember John, you can read about him HERE).  These thoughts lingered in my mind as I anxiously walked towards the building;  I remained determined to see this day through.  I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?  I arrived at the location some minutes later in front of an old dilapidated greyish white building and thought, “Damn, this is some Rocky S#%* going on here!”  I entered, walked up a flight of stairs and turned left down a corridor towards TKO.  As I arrived at the entrance, there were a bunch of people just mingling by the entrance way.  Awkwardly, I excused my way through the thickened crowd and was greeted by a young man in a grey tank top built around my size.  I assumed he was the man to talk to since he was surrounded by a posse of students all trying to grab his attention. “My name is Bao, I’m here for my trial class.”  I said tentatively.  He replied in a stern voice with a straight face, “I’m Chris, fill this waiver out and change over there.  Class will start in a few minutes and the instructor’s name is Scott.”  He pointed to the change room directly behind me. 

I got changed and proceeded to the training floor.  This place looked more rundown than in the photos I thought to myself.  I wanted the real deal and I knew after stepping in here that this was it.  As I apprehensively stood there in the middle of the training floor, someone spoke out, “Name is Alvin, looks like your first class.  Grab a rope over there, we are going to start soon.”  I felt a little more relaxed and welcomed as someone actually noticed me!  “Thanks.” I replied, and went to grab a skipping rope.  Some moments later, a gentleman twice my size walked on the floor.  He was wearing some funny looking shorts and towered over the rest. I assumed that he was our trainer Scott.  He directed his attention at us and yelled,  “This ain’t no country club! Start skipping and pick it up!”  I began skipping.

We skipped for a few rounds and then followed up with calisthenics.  Push ups, squats, burpees, situps, all the usual body weight stuff.  After about 20 minutes of conditioning, we paired up. One partner was instructed to wear pads, and the other to get their boxing gloves on.  Scott taught us a few beginner punching techniques and we would practice these strikes on the pads with our partners.  The entire training session lasted about an hour long and boy was I tired by the end!  I knew at that very moment that this is what I wanted to do.  I signed up on the spot.

Reflecting back on that day, I realize that most of my anxiety came from the moments leading up to the class.  The class itself wasn’t so bad!  And the feeling I felt after the class was amazing.  In my head, I had made up all these scenarios of possible things that could go wrong...but that was all it was, "made up" scenarios.  Ultimately, it was just me being afraid of negative judgement and criticism.  I was lucky enough that TKO Fighting Arts was very supportive and  welcoming.  The members were all friendly and had made me feel right at home.  Within the first month, I made some amazing friends and couldn’t be happier about my decision to join.  I love muay thai, but it’s truly the community and camaraderie that keeps me coming back.  You’ll never know what you are missing until you put yourself out there to try something new. 

Don’t be afraid of being afraid.  Be afraid, and do it anyway. 

Former UFC Champion,  George St. Pierre, said it best:

"Before every fight, before every hardcore training session, I was afraid.  Afraid to be humiliated, afraid to disappoint my mentor, and afraid to get hurt. I believe I shouldn't be afraid to admit I'm afraid.  Being scared doesn't make you a coward.  You know what? There’s no courage without fear.”

I would love to hear your story.  Feel free to tell us your first muay thai experience below.

Have you ever been asked by your coach to come up with a combo of your choice and stood there drawing a blank? Do you have a heavy bag at home but don’t know what combos to work on?  Or couldn't think of any good combos when holding pads for your partner?

Here are 3 principles to consider when creating your own combos.

1. Left to Right

A good rule to follow is to flow from one side of the body to the other (ie. left strike right strike, left strike, right strike). This also applies to strikes from different weapon groups (mixing punches and knees).

Example #2: Left jab, right cross, left uppercut, right cross

 Example #3: Right cross, left hook, right low kick

2. Striking Ranges (refer fig. 1.1 above)

In muay thai there are four major ranges - Snug (1), Close (2), Medium (3), Long (4). When combining the individual strikes from these groups, do not connect 2 strikes that are 2 or more ranges apart. For example, a strike from Range 1 (snug) can be connected with a strike from Range 2 (close) but not with a strike from Range 3 or 4 (medium and long). The reason for this is simple: if you can make contact with your elbow strike, you are too close to effectively throw a long range weapon like a pushkick! Vice versa, if you are standing afar and throwing pushkicks, and then trying to skip multiple ranges to get on the inside for the elbow strike is extremely dangerous, as a skilled opponent will likely intercept you with a more suitable weapon while you are on your way in.

There are exceptions to this rule. Feints and setups can make it less risky to skip multiple ranges. Faking a push kick (Range 4-Long) to temporarily distract your opponent while simultaneously jumping in for an elbow strike (Range 1-Close) is an example of a feint tactic. However as a beginner to intermediate practioner, you should stick with the basics during sparring. Here is a great fight between Buakaw and Mike Zambidis to illustrate why one has to be careful when skipping multiple ranges in muay thai.  Zambidis unsuccessfully attempts to "jump" into the close range from the long range with hooks only to be punished repeatedly by swing kicks.  When in close, his punches are nullified by the superior knee strikes and clinch throws.

3. Keeping it Simple

Don’t get too crazy with the length of your combo! The longer the combination, the more your technique for each individual strike will suffer. What’s more important than volume is the placement (aka accuracy and precision) of these strikes in conjunction with timing as well as choosing the most suitable strike for that specific situation. I suggest 2 to 4 hit combos (no more than 5!), and keeping it to the very basic strikes (refer to the strikes in fig. 1.1 above). 

Here is a collection of 10 basic combos by Sean Fagen.

Some of you may now be thinking, “These ideas and concepts are too technical and won’t work in a real fight.” Well my friend, you obviously don't know good muay thai. Go watch some Samart, Rodtang, or Saenchai fights.

Below is a list of equipment you will need for a muay thai class as a beginner and up to the intermediate level.  As you progress in your training, you may require additional specialized equipment for higher level sparring and competition. 

1. Boxing Gloves

A quality pair of boxing gloves go a long way in your training so don’t cheap out on this item.  I have had students try to save money on gloves only to replace them some months later.  A good pair of gloves should last you several years at 3-4 training sessions a week and will cost anywhere between $75-$200.  Velcro straps are suggested as you don’t want to waste time fiddling around with the lace-up gloves.  Leather is best but synthetic leather can be just as good if it's from a reputable brand.  I suggest having 1 pair for heavy bag and pad work (view standard size chart), and 1*16oz pair for partner drilling and sparring.    

2. Shin Pads

Shin pads are used for partner drills, sparring, and in amateur competition.  They are there to protect your shins and feet from excessive damage.  They also act to reduce damage dealt to your partners during training.  From my personal experience, you can get away with a relatively cheaper pair of shin guards since they are not used as frequently as boxing gloves. The lowest you should spend for shin guards would be around the $65 mark and no more than $130 unless you are a competitive fighter who has a taste for the really high end stuff. View standard size chart.

3. Hand Wraps

A hand wrap is a strip of fabric that wraps around your hand and wrist to protect the knuckles and bones from damage induced from punching as well as give additional support and stability to your wrists.  It is absolutely essential that you make it a habit to wear hand wraps every heavy bag and focus mitt workout as they are often overlooked by beginners.  Impact at the wrong angle on a punch can see you with a broken hand and weeks or up to months of recovery time.  You should be washing your wraps after every session so I suggest you have at least 2-3 pairs of hand wraps. 

4. Thai Shorts

Training muay thai isn’t the same without a pair of Thai shorts on!  The high cut of the shorts allow for a wider range of motion, enabling you to kick higher and with ease.  They also do a great job of "wicking" sweat to the fabric's outer surface while drying faster than your average cotton shorts.  Even if Thai shorts are not mandatory for  classes, you can show the coach that you are taking your muay training training seriously by wearing them :).

5. Mouth Guard

A mouth guard should be worn every partner drilling or sparring session to protect the jaw, tongue, and reduce head trauma from punches.  Even when you think it’s going to be a “light” training day, you never know with some partners who always seem to go a little too hard.  You also cannot prevent accidents from happening.  Another reason why you should wear your mouthguard in training is so that you can get used to breathing with a mouth guard on as this will help you easily adapt to that feeling for when you are sparring or competing and required to wear one.

6. Headgear (optional)

These may not be needed until you start sparring, but if you have the funds a headgear is a great addition to your fight kit since you will eventually need one.  For beginners and intermediate who want added protection, go for the headgear that has the padded cheek protection.  The open-face headgear is best for more serious competitors as they allow for better vision while offering a little less face protection.