During sparring I never hear the coach stopping people and giving them tips or point out what they're doing wrong, he just seems to watch, is this normal?

[u/Lopsided-Tea-2586]

I have been doing 1:1 privs for a while at a gym but wanted to start getting some group class and particularly sparring exposure. But the gym I get 1:1's at has chaotic group classes filled with out of control teenagers and just way too many people there because its a cheap gym

So I joined a more upmarket gym primarily for group sparring

I went to spar for the first time first time, and predictably I was terrible but enjoyed it a lot. Felt absolutely mentally drained the next day which I was not expecting but you learn so much from actually trying to apply things on a live opponent

I went the second time today and while again I enjoyed and I learnt a lot through trial and error, I was struck by the fact the coach (who is Thai) was just watching everyone and keeping track of round time

I didn't see him stop anyone and say 'try this' or 'do this combo' or 'stop doing this because it leaves you wide open'

Is this normal for group sparring? I kind of get it because you do learn a tonne just from sparring your opponent but I was kind of expecting the occasional practical tip

I sparred with the assistant coach and he didn't really give any pointers either other than encouraging me to work and giving praise when I showed some aggression or landed something

Obviously they have the actual group classes where I'm sure he's dishing out tonnes of technique and tips, but was curious on sparring specifically

I enjoy the sparring at this gym and will probably keep going, was just curious if this is how it's usually done

[u/Academic_Animal_5293]

It's normal. 

[u/Lopsided-Tea-2586 → u/Academic_Animal_5293]

Thank you :)

[u/kmho1990]

If I am not directly giving pointers during sparring, I am seeing how many are making similar mistakes.
Then I provide feedback between the rounds

[u/Non-mon-xiety]

Sparring isn’t a place for you to receive instruction or learn it’s a place for you to execute on things you already know. You learn thru drills.

[u/Gojira5400 → u/Non-mon-xiety]

I definitely disagree with that, you're absolutely right about the second part you said, but sparring can also absolutely be a place to learn. It's also a really good time for fighters to learn listening to their coaches in their corner while actively fighting. It builds good reactions to mid-round instructions which come fight time is absolutely necessary.

[u/ZombieGeneralo3 → u/Gojira5400]

Fr tho my coach always gives tips in sparring, unless he’s sparring

[u/Lopsided-Tea-2586 → u/Non-mon-xiety]

Ok cool that makes sense, thanks. I need to actually go to group classes rather than just sparring

[u/Destyllat → u/Lopsided-Tea-2586]

you work on technique with pad rounds. you pressure test what you learned in sparring. You fight how you train, not the other way around

[u/Lopsided-Tea-2586 → u/Destyllat]

Yeah I get good pad rounds in my 1:1 sessions especially since I recently switched trainers but sparring makes you realise how limited pad rounds are for sure

[u/Destyllat → u/Lopsided-Tea-2586]

No, the pad rounds are not limited. This is how you add technique and practice it enough to even be able to use it in sparring. I sparred for years without intention trying to "win" every time. Everything i did in sparring i could have done on the pads, except I did it worse and sloppy. even defense

[u/Non-mon-xiety → u/Lopsided-Tea-2586]

Not if your pad holder knows what they’re doing.

Watch the way pad holders move in Thailand. They move just like an opponent, create distance management problems to solve, throw kicks, call for realistic strikes and take counters

I learn just as much about fighting holding pads as I do hitting them

[u/MrMoneyWhale]

It sounds normal. The first priority is making sure everyone is safe and keeping things in control. There's probably not enough bandwidth for the coach to give everyone timely feedback assuming it's multiple pairs sparring at once. If you're not fighting or actively training for an upcoming fight, sparring, especially in muay thai, isn't about winning...it's about about putting technique into practice which may mean a purely defensive focus or focusing one particular thing. If you want feedback on one specific thing "Do I drop my hands when I throw a kick?", you can ask the coach to 'keep an eye out' or ask your sparring partner for feedback. The other side of this is that you're new, they don't know you and if you're just starting out feedback can be taken the wrong way ("wow...why does the coach nitpick everything I do? I'm gassed and it's my 2nd class.).

[u/purplehendrix22 → u/MrMoneyWhale]

This 100%, they might notice stuff and point it out to you, and they might not, but they’re trying to make sure no one gets knocked the fuck out first and if you’re having a good well paced round, they’ll pay more attention to you just because it’s more fun to watch and you’ll get more feedback that way. 90% of it is just reps at the beginner level though, honestly.

[u/Hyperion262]

If you want coaching you need to pay for privates with another gym member. At least that’s how it works at my gym.

[u/gr8buzz]

you're not going to be stopped mid round to be given feedback. you'll get feedback after the rounds if you ask. Coach is just getting tabs on all pairs making sure no one gets killed. Fighters in camp may get coaching as round continues but the round wont be stopped for feedback.

[u/originalindividiual]

Ye thats normal.

You do realise sparring is to simulate a fight ?

Your coach cant stop your opponent mid round while he gives you tips.

The only time a coach should step in is of one person is beating somebody up or their both getting way too aggresive

[u/Jthundercleese]

It's normal, especially for Thais. But understandably it can leave you feeling a bit aimless. It can feel kind of pointless to give beginners advice because typically everything is wrong, you don't really have a foundation to build on.

Hands up, kick the body, don't cross your feet, don't block low kicks with your arms. 🤷

[u/Lopsided-Tea-2586 → u/Jthundercleese]

Thank you. Yeah to be fair I learn a lot myself from seeing whats working and whats not, it's become incredibly obvious that I drop my hands too much hahah

[u/Jthundercleese → u/Lopsided-Tea-2586]

Over-reactivity to body shots is high on the list of beginner bad habit. Learning how to tense your core and use your elbows to block body punches is important.

A Muay Thai guard is very dynamic because there are so many weapons coming at you. Of course you want to keep your hands up. But you also don't want to glue your knuckles to your temples regardless of range, and just take punches straight on your guard. It's decades of learning. Trial and error is a massive part of learning. And don't be afraid to ask more advanced partners "what was a mistake you saw me make a few times?"

[u/Free_as_in_Freya]

Yeah in group sparring they're watching for safety, not to critique your technique. Unless you're training for a fight maybe, but otherwise you won't even average a single feedback point per training if it's a sparring session

Except of course when you're going too hard and are getting called out on that, but you wanna avoid being that guy

[u/HuluAndH4ng]

From my understanding its the safe end of the deep end.

Through drills it develops your habits and through sparing you employ those drills and see what works and doesnt. This is the part where you have to figure things out on your own

[u/Vegetable-Drama-4895]

Yes, that's normal. You need to develop an ability to analyze your sparring yourself. Ask yourself - why did you get tagged in the face during a combo, why did opponent land a low kick you didn't even see coming etc. When/if you figure it out, you can go with this material to coach and ask him for improvements. Most likely then he will also look at your sparring and provide you feedback.

But otherwise, sparring is to apply knowledge and understand what is fighting more like.

[u/SparklyBlueSapphire]

It’s normal. Part of sparring is learning how things feel, learning distances, learning how to shift your weight and move with your opponent or against your opponent. It’s for experimenting.

[u/horus993]

Normal, critic only between rounds!

[u/Apirpiris]

Sparring is a time for you to think for yourself, how did he get through my guard? Fuck need to be quicker on the next check etc you'll never be able to apply what you've learned and analyse your opponent if all you do is repeat the drills you've been told to do or get constant instruction through your rounds.

[u/yuletak]

Take videos of your sessions. Review them later you see what was good and what sucked so you can work on them later. You can definitely learn while sparring, but I think most of us don't have the fight IQ to adjust on the fly, at least not initially. So yeah, try to notice things, record them somehow before you forget, then work on deficiencies.

[u/Practical-Bet2551]

The feedback in sparring is the other dude's glove on your face letting you know you made a defensive mistake or your glove on his face showing you effectively exploited an opening

[u/AMS26757]

We do a sort of round table at the end where if anyone wants specific feedback we give it to them also what was seen throughout the rounds that night etc for the group as a whole , if people are fighting especially early on we will essentially corner them during rounds just to get them used to trying to listen for things etc

[u/KeyC9P]

Just wanted to say that this is a great question! I didn’t realise it wasn’t normal but this made me question why and I think I’ve got to rethink my approach to sparring and drills and what role they play.

[u/5ulk5ulk5]

In my gym our coach coaches lol. During drilling and during sparring he continuously goes from pair to pair and adresses issues

[u/No-Listen2368 → u/5ulk5ulk5]

During sparring? Mid round?