thoughts on this sparring situation

[margaret thatcher]

another post got me wondering more about this...


a mate who is over in spain now has a 13 year old who picked up boxing. kid has just started sparring. big kid and one of just a few kids in the gym, so has been put in with guys anywhere from 17-24 who all have at least 10 fights, some as many as 50. from what i understand, the older guys havent been told to hold back or anything, so the kid is getting handled even though he's fairly decent (apparently)

does this strike anyone as being irresponsible or perhaps too hard on the kid? id think this type of thing might discourage a young boxer more than anything. i remember reading david price saying he was so big they had to put him in with adults to spar when he started, and he got beat up and hated it and quit for a while.

thoughts?

[gilgamesh]

Yeah I definitely would think they need to either find him new sparring partners or tell the older dudes to take it easy on him.

If the kid is tough and has the will and the patience to keep at it until he improves, the day the tables turn and he starts kicking all of their asses will be pretty sweet.

[smiling assassin]

I’d find it very hard to believe they haven’t been told to ease off with a no bout 13 year old.

[margaret thatcher]

ya i would think surely theyd be told to go easy, but apparently havent. id guess still some of the older guys, unless sadists, will naturally lighten up a bit even without being told, but ive not seen the sessions of course

i only boxed a few years but saw nothing quite so big in terms of the experience/age gap here in uk. if younger guys were in with older guys, it would just be a few years and usually younger guy was very experienced, not a starter. but others have been around gyms much longer so just wondering if this is not as crazy as it sounds to me

[Coco]

Hard sparring against experienced guys is a good thing, but because the experienced guys knows what level to take it to.
As a proper boxer you need to understand what a smack in the mouth is, and to get used to it, but you should never be taken advantage of.
I've seen so many guys who gave up after feeling what a punch is, however good they feel on the bag.
You need a decent trainer to know where the limits are, unfortunately there are a few brave trainers!
Folk with the heart for the game come back after a beating.
Where in Spain is the gym?

[Cyclops]

Find another gym.

[gp.]

I'd think it more likely that they are taking it easy, but are telling him they are not, kind of like you pretend you are trying when you play games against your kids.
If not this, it sounds ridiculous.

[Shirow]

I'd think it more likely that they are taking it easy, but are telling him they are not, kind of like you pretend you are trying when you play games against your kids.
If not this, it sounds ridiculous.

That was my immediate thought. The 13 year old probably tells his dad that this older boxers are trying to kill him when they are just moving him around and it's just his anxiety talking. Until you see it in person or full rounds on video (not clips), I'd take the story with a grain of salt.

[coneye]

Could be he's just thinking there going hard , but then again , Could be he's heavy handed and they have to belt him to keep him honest especielly if he's good

Either way the coaches should have an handle on it ,

[margaret thatcher]

thanks for responses, hes in salmanca, i have no idea about the boxing scene there

could well be kid/he is exaggerating and they are actually taking it easy on him, id guess that's prob the case. i have a hard time seeing how even a very handy 13 year old 0 fight novice (is power even a thing at that age) could be safe in there vs grown men with far more experience if they arent holding back. some gyms can be pretty rough but that seems a bit much

[Coco]

thanks for responses, hes in salmanca, i have no idea about the boxing scene there

could well be kid/he is exaggerating and they are actually taking it easy on him, id guess that's prob the case. i have a hard time seeing how even a very handy 13 year old 0 fight novice (is power even a thing at that age) could be safe in there vs grown men with far more experience if they arent holding back. some gyms can be pretty rough but that seems a bit much

Nothing wrong with gyms being rough, as long as there is control
Where in Spain is it? I know a few

[JamesPhilips]

13 years old seems a bit young to be sparring adults…. How big is this kid?

[smiling assassin]

13 years old seems a bit young to be sparring adults…. How big is this kid?

Perfectly fine if the adults and coaches are of sound mind. If anything I would openly encourage experienced adult fighters to move around young lads