| "Move your head!" a voice bellowed from someplace | | | | extremely aggressive. I wasn't punching back much so |
| behind me. | | | | I had no way of slowing down her attack except for |
| Realizing quickly, after a punch nearly smashed into my | | | | making her miss. I found it easy to stay relaxed |
| nose, that I wasn't doing it enough I started to rock my | | | | because if she did catch me it would be with a shot |
| head gently from left to right. | | | | that wasn't powerful enough to do much damage to |
| "That's it!" my coach continued as I started to grasp | | | | me. |
| the idea of the drill. "Keep making her miss!" he | | | | I learned a valuable lesson that day both as a fighter |
| instructed as my sparring partner, a female fighter | | | | and a coach. In a situation, with a partner drastically |
| from the gym who weighed at least 70 lbs. lighter than | | | | smaller, weaker and less experienced than me, my |
| me, let loose a combination of four punches directed at | | | | coach was able to put together a fun, challenging and |
| my head none of which hit their mark. | | | | skill improving workout. I would never have guessed |
| Two and a half minutes later the bell sounded to end | | | | that I would be able to benefit from sparring with a |
| the round. I approached the corner of the ring to get | | | | partner so much smaller than me, but I did that day. |
| some instruction from my close friend and long time | | | | What was really cool about it all was that I managed |
| striking coach Vito Brancaccio. | | | | to take that matador type strategy into my next |
| "Start using the jab lightly and work her body a bit" he | | | | sparring sessions -- which was against opponents who |
| said pausing briefly to give me a shot of water from | | | | weighed the same or more than me -- and I fought |
| the bottle he carried. "But keep making her miss. Don't | | | | better than ever. I used a ton of head movement and |
| stop moving" he continued as the next round was just | | | | footwork, which really messed up my partner's timing, |
| about to start. | | | | and this time I didn't have to pull my punches. I had |
| Three or four rounds later, when the sparring session | | | | extra fun in the ring that day. |
| was over, I was tired! Not because I had thrown a ton | | | | So next time you find yourself against a smaller or less |
| of punches, or had taken a huge amount of | | | | experienced sparring partner, don't worry, just let them |
| punishment, more because my coach wouldn't let me | | | | attack you over and over again. Make them miss as |
| stay still at any moment during any of the rounds we | | | | much as you can to improve the defensive skills that |
| had just completed. Similar to a matador versus a bull I | | | | you will surely need when you're up against your most |
| had slipped, rolled, stepped and angled myself away | | | | challenging training partners. You'll have fun, great a |
| from the aggressive assault of my adversary. Her | | | | great workout and your sparring partner will too. |
| smaller stature didn't make a difference; in fact it made | | | | Everybody wins! |
| things tougher because she was very fast and | | | | |