Sparring

The bag doesn't punch back. Focus mitts go pitty-pat. A sparring partner is required for you to learn true action/reaction. Your boxing education at this stage comes hard and fast. Make sure you're ready for it and that you do it right.

Coach

The wild-ass nature of combat requires supervision. Somebody needs to control the efforts of you and your partner and it should be your coach. Or spar with your coach. Find a good one and listen to him. Your coach is your boxing education.

Safety First

Spar with protective gear. Spar with proper supervision. Spar with intent to learn.

Initial Training

Sparring is intense. It's an adrenaline-drenched, crashing, almost dream-like experience. Hey, it's combat. Just you and the other guy looking for a shot. Maybe you think some, but for the most part it's action, reaction.

Your performance is a direct product of your training. It's not enough to know what to do in your head. You gotta know in your hands and legs. Hence the need for a long, sustained training period before your first bout.

Go Easy

It's wise to adopt an easy-does-it approach to sparring. Learning how to hit and take hits in live action takes some getting used to. Just swinging away without purpose is no good. It won't be boxing, it won't be safe and it won't be much fun. There's simply no point to it.

Plans

Your initial sparring should be highly controlled learning sessions. You're working stuff out, not trying to beat somebody up. Go into these practice bouts with simple game plans. Work on specific things. Perhaps during one round you'd like to sharpen your jab and use a lot of slips. During another round try a lead right and certain counterpunches. Pick one or two offensive things and one or two defensive things. Keep it manageable in your mind. Otherwise it'll become a brawl. Why all the training if you're just gonna throw it all away in a free-for-all? You want to build yourself into something.

Flow

Sparring is an opportunity to try out those things you've been applying to the bag and punching mitts. Of course, the other guy won't be standing still because he'll have his own game plan. All those skills that looked so pretty in practice won't come off exactly as planned. Maybe they won't come off at all. You and your sparring partner will create your own little world of boxing in threeminute, action-packed chunks of time. Go with the flow.

Composure

It takes time to get used to getting hit. At first you may get mad and want revenge at any cost but that's not the point. Better to figure out why you got hit (there's always a reason) and improve upon the weakness in your defense. Your anger will impede your growth as a boxer. Composure is absolutely crucial at all times and key to success. Even more so when your nose throbs and your pride is pounded.

Review

Watching videos of your performances will enhance your education immeasurably. Seeing is believing. See how your guard drops. See how awful your footwork is. See how slow your reactions are. When you're mixing it up it's hard to tell what's going on. You can get the wrong idea. But the clips will tell you true. Review your bouts and your learning will sprout wheels.

Start-Up Sparring: Common Problems:

Squaring off to an opponent (planting your feet directly in front of an opponent so that you face him with your chest). Never compromise your basic defensive posture.
Signaling intentions with shoulders, head or flying elbow before your punch is thrown. Deliver your punches crisply and cleanly. Straight punches fire directly from chin to target.
Predictability with movements or offensive and defensive style. A boxer must mix up his approach so that his opponent won't see patterns.
Reaching and pawing. These are largely useless actions that will expose you to dangerous Counters.
Hesitation. Finish your punches. They may land or disrupt the counter. Half a punch is worthless.
Flinching. Learn to keep your eyes on your opponent - even under fire!
Fatigue. It takes time and training to build stamina.
Slow and sloppy technique. It also takes time and training to groove your offensive and defensive actions.
Nervous prancing and bouncing. Happy feet happen naturally and must be curbed to conserve energy.
Inability to relax between actions. The intensity of sparring makes it hard to relax out there, but relax you must, in order to conserve energy and to execute technique properly.
Anger. Has no place in sparring.
Charging. Usually the result of frustration. With an experienced opponent you'll be cut down in no time.