Technical Sparring - Slow and Deliberate

Mobilisation (5 minutes)

• Neck rolls: 10 each direction
• Shoulder circles: 10 forward, 10 back
• Thoracic rotation: 10 each side
• Hip circles: 10 each direction
• Bodyweight squats: 10 reps
• Light jogging on the spot: 30 seconds
• Shadow boxing footwork: 30 seconds forward-back, 30 seconds lateral

Warm-Up Drills (10 minutes)

Slow-motion shadow boxing (5 mins)

2 x 2-minute rounds. Everything at 30% speed. Jab in slow motion. Cross in slow motion. Hook in slow motion. Focus on every checkpoint: foot position, hip rotation, guard hand, return to guard.

"If you cannot do it perfectly in slow motion, you cannot do it properly at speed. Today is about perfect technique, not fast hands."

Technical pad review (5 mins)

Quick pairs. 2-minute round: jab-cross-hook on pads. The instruction: 50% speed only. If the pad holder thinks the worker is going too fast, they pull the pads away and say "slower." Swap.

This sets the speed ceiling for the entire session.

Main Session (35 minutes)

The Rules of Technical Sparring (5 mins)

Before gearing up, explain clearly:

1. Maximum 50% speed. If the coach thinks you are going faster, the round stops.
2. Touch contact only. You should be able to feel the punch land, but it should not sting. If your partner flinches, you are going too hard.
3. The coach can call "freeze" at any point. When the coach calls freeze, both fighters stop exactly where they are. The coach then corrects whatever they see.
4. This is not about winning. There is no winner. The fighter who improves their technique the most is the one who succeeds today.
5. All punches are allowed: jab, cross, hook, uppercut. All defensive techniques are allowed: slips, parries, blocks, bob and weave.
6. If your partner is going too fast or too hard, say so immediately. Communication is part of the drill.

"Think of this as shadow boxing with a partner. The contact is just to confirm range and timing. The technique is everything."

Drill Sparring - Isolated Technique (10 mins)

Drill 1: Jab sparring (3 mins)

Both fighters in full gear. Only jabs. Slow, deliberate. The goal: land clean jabs while defending the partner's jabs. At this speed, every slip and every parry should be visible and intentional.

Coach freezes at least 3 times during this drill. Check: where is the guard hand? Are the feet in position? Is the chin tucked?

Drill 2: Jab-cross sparring (3 mins)

Add the cross. Still at 50% speed. The cross gives more to defend but the slow pace means every technique should be clean.

Coach freeze point: "Look at your feet. You just threw a cross and your back foot did not pivot. That means the punch had no power. Even at slow speed, the mechanics matter."

Drill 3: Punch, defend, reset (4 mins)

Partner A throws one combination (2-3 punches). Partner B defends. Both reset to guard. Then Partner B throws one combination. Partner A defends. Both reset.

The reset is the key. After every exchange, both fighters return to a perfect guard position before the next exchange starts. This breaks the habit of scrambling between combinations.

Open Technical Sparring (15 mins)

5 x 2-minute rounds. 1 minute rest. Full technique range (all punches, all defence). Maximum 50% speed.

The coach circulates between pairs. Freeze at least once per round per pair. Correct one thing each time. Keep the corrections specific:

• "Your guard dropped after the hook. Bring it back."
• "Your feet are too close together. Widen your base."
• "You slipped the jab but did not counter. When you slip, throw something back."
• "Your chin is up. Tuck it behind your shoulder."
• "Good slip. Now move your feet. Do not stay in the same spot."

Between rounds, give one group-wide observation:
- After round 1: "Most of you are throwing and then standing still. After every combination, move. Reset your position."
- After round 2: "I can see people speeding up. Slow it down. If I cannot see every punch clearly, you are going too fast."
- After round 3: "Your defence is improving. Now I want to see you counter after every defensive move. Slip, then punch."
- After round 4: "Good work. Last round. Focus on one thing you have been corrected on today and do it right."

Slow Sparring Debrief (5 mins)

Gear off. Bring the group together.

Ask two questions:
1. "What did the coach correct you on today? What was the most common correction?"
2. "What did you notice about your own technique that you did not notice at full speed?"

Let 3-4 members answer. The most common answers: guard dropping, not moving feet after punching, chin up, not countering after defence.

"That is why we slow it down. At full speed, you cannot feel these mistakes. At half speed, you can. Fix them at half speed, and they carry over to full speed."

Conditioning Finish (5 minutes)

Light conditioning. Technical sparring is mentally taxing. Do not overload.

• 2 x 2-minute rounds on the heavy bag at moderate pace. Focus on applying one correction from sparring.
• 20 press-ups
• 30-second plank

Cool Down and Reflection (3 minutes)

Neck stretch: 15 seconds each side. Shoulder stretch: 15 seconds each. Hip flexor stretch: 15 seconds each. Hamstring stretch: 15 seconds.

"Today was about being honest with your technique. Everyone has bad habits. Slow sparring exposes them. Take what you learned today and apply it next time you spar at speed."

Preview: the next session will use the techniques drilled today in conditional sparring scenarios.

Coaching Notes

• This is a reset session. Run it when you notice members developing bad habits from hard sparring: dropping the guard, not moving after combinations, chin up, feet square. Slow sparring fixes these issues because members can feel the mistakes.
• The biggest challenge is keeping the speed down. Members naturally escalate, especially competitive ones. Be firm. If a pair speeds up, stop them and remind them: "Fifty percent. I should be able to see every punch land."
• Pair experienced members together and less experienced members together. When an experienced member spars slowly with a beginner, the experienced member often gets frustrated and speeds up.
• The freeze-frame corrections are the most valuable part of this session. Aim for 2-3 freezes per round across the room. Keep corrections brief and specific.
• Do not over-correct. One thing per freeze. If a member has five issues, pick the most important one. They cannot fix everything at once.
• This session is excellent preparation for members approaching their first competition. Slowing down allows them to rehearse correct technique without the stress of hard sparring.
• Some members will find slow sparring boring. Frame it honestly: "This is not exciting. It is important. The technique work you do today will make your fast sparring cleaner next week."