Boxing Training, Entry #3, Sparring with a pro

I managed to get some really good work in today. Did some mitt work with a friend of mine, and sat in on Beginners class. After that, I jumped over to train with Coach Alex and Other Jeff. We did a lot of mitt work, feinting, and feeding punches. Afterward Coach Brent Weedman, of Bellator fame on Spike TV, asked if Other Jeff and I would like to spar with the guys he was training. I was hoping for some sparring training today, so I was pretty happy. Things went okay, didn't get hit too much, or too hard, though Other Jeff and Khan both hit me in the gut pretty good, but I had to breathe in deep to keep pushing on. Afterward, one guy was gassed and decided he didn't have another round in him. So Coach Brent suddenly say's “eh... I'll go a round then”

I took a look around and thought about the rotation we had been maintaining. Then the thought hit me “... shit... that means me...”

I dunno if Coach Brent remembers, but it was about 8 months back, the first time I had sparred him. He caught me in the chest with an uppercut. Then shortly after that one, another Uppercut followed. The second one floored me, causing INTENSE pain in my chest. I was partially freaked, mainly cause I was like “I didn't think punches like that were only possible in anime!” I thought, like the nerd I am. He encouraged me to finish the round, which I did, BUT those two punches continued to follow for the following 4 months after. My sternum had been bruised, and anytime contact was made, it would pretty much make he fall into the ropes. This happened 7or 8 times before I decided I need to rest my body, so I cut back on sparring for about a month. Time past, it healed, and I've never felt pain like that ever again.

Well, when I saw him putting on gloves, I had flash backs to that moment once again. I was a newbie standing before I giant, just waiting to be crushed. If memory serves correctly, last time we sparred, I only landed two punches, to his abs... which were like bricks...

I took some deep breaths and thought back to What Coach Jeff had told me. When I sparred him recently for the first time in about 4 months, he told me that I has came a long way. I landed more punches on him, and I wasn't phased or intimidated by his punches as much anymore... though they still hurt... a lot. So I thought about that, and decided that I wasn't going to think of Brent Weedman as the fighter that I know him as, and just thought about how I had to use everything I know to not let his experience give him as big of an edge as I knew it was going to. I managed to land more punches, actually turned his chin a couple of times. Though Coach Brent definitely had the more experience. I wasn't laid out like last time, but the feeling that I learned something from someone better than me was still there.

Sadly Coach Brent Weedman will be leaving us at Derby City MMA, but it has been an honor and a privilege to know him, and to spar him. I felt I learned a lot from the few times we sparred, despite injury the first time. All today's sparring session assured me of, is that I have definitely made progress over this year at DCMMA, and it takes fighting someone much greater than you to realized what you have truly accomplished, but what you still need to achieve at the same time. So to Coach Brent, I hope life treats you well, and here's to maybe sparring again someday.