Box in a real sparring match

“Today i got in the ring and really sparred with somebody...well not really, it was only shots to the body..but still, it was my first taste of getting in the ring and "going at it"...and it was truly a wake up call. After feeling the first real hit, which was aimed at my body but accidentally got to my jaw...I realized this was no joke, i was going at it with someone real... not a punching bag or air... a real, moving, skilled, human being...I tried to position myself in the proper stance as i had learned and practiced for the past month, and tried to throw shots whenever i saw openings... but nothing was going the way i wanted. I was holding up my breath, looking sideways, flinching, throwing weak and improper punches, and just covering up my body fearing i might get the air sucked out of me by a punch... I was feeling helpless.”

“I was so tensed that when he walked towards me, I thought the fight was on, so I jabbed first. [...] But because of my stubbornness, I refused to give up this part of my plan and kept doing this throughout the spar. I spend, what I felt like was over half of my energy just encircling him. [...] At least half of my energy are depeleted at this point and my sparring partner hasn't even thrown a punch yet. My punches were slower and ineffective, while my ducks and slips became more and more sluggish. [...] I got hit occasionally with light punches (Which were jabs I think) on the face, forehead, and body whenever I am not actively moving.”