For those looking to be competitive in the Mixed Martial Arts scene, there are so many stepping stones that one much go through in order to sharpen their skills. Hours in the gym dedicating time to your craft, drilling positions, shadow boxing, hitting the pads, lifting weights, etc. is only a slice of the pie when it comes to the work behind MMA.

After you spend hours in the gym, day-after-day, you head home and spend hours at home and at work making sure you eat clean and are treating your body right. Getting adequate sleep, proper hydration, etc. can be very nit-picky, but it’s helpful.

Once your skills are where they should be, it’s time to hop in the ring and mix it up with a training partner and spar! Sparring is a vital aspect to the game, and there are many unwritten rules that you must follow if you want to gain the proper benefits from the sparring sessions.

Laying The Foundation For Your Stand-Up Game

Here at Black Diamond MMA, we preach proper technique in order to gain the best benefits from training. Luckily for us, we have a fantastic coach in ‘Slick’ Jimmy that has plenty of striking experience, and held a special sparring seminar for some of our students. You can check out the footage from the seminar here!

While on the mat, Slick Jimmy broke down many facits of the striking world. For instance, he stressed to our students not to be Mike Tyson and stand in the pocket. Trust me, I’ve done this before while sparring, and while it’s a rush to stand there and trade bombs, you feel the aftermath when everything becomes a little fuzzy. However if you are crafty at playing an inside striking game than you may enjoy this article on how to sharpen your skills.

Similar to shadow boxing, sparring is vital for those who want to establish a rhythm in their stand-up game. Learning to bounce around, staying out of harms’ way and striking when you have the chance is what one should look for when sparring.

Once you feel comfortable with striking—and getting hit—you can eventually rev up the intensity, and teach yourself how to deal with a high-pressure situation.

The Unwritten Rules of Sparring

There are some little details you must keep in mind for the first timers out there. Sparring, while it may seem fun and a “tough guy” setting, it isn’t always meant to be an all-out brawl. It’s understandable why some hop in and try to wage war, but this is something you’ll want to avoid!

Sparring with an experienced fighter is good, they will know how to set the pace and make sure things don’t get too out of line. Also, it’ll keep you in check; remember, if you deck somebody in what is meant to be light sparring, they’ll more than return the favor. In this article by SciFighting.com, they talk about tricks of trade to remember when sparring.

Knowing when to pull punches, and when to add little power behind your shots is something that will come with time, and needs to be trained.

Overall, sparring is a fantastic experience when done correctly. So do yourself a favor and throw on some head gear and get to work!

-Dan Faggella

Dan Faggella is a national BJJ competitor and owner of MMA gym Black Diamond Mixed Martial Arts in Wakefield, RI