So, the morning after the 4th Annual Cookies and Whiskey party, I hauled my ass to the gym for my first sparring session with people who aren’t Kyle.  Barely making it in time, I missed some of the shadow boxing warmup and we quickly got into it.  Sparring worked in a rotating format, except the women and men never mixed.  Everyone was smaller than me, in terms of weight and height.  Intensity was probably about 20-30% (depending on opponent) compared to sparring with Kyle.

Negatives:  

1. My teep/front kick is slow and low, but powerful enough to do its job when I land it.  However, a better quality opponent is going to catch it and make me pay for the lack of snap.  
2. I don’t transition well from inside punching to the clinch.  I think I can make the clinch a safe place and a great time to wind my opponent, so this transition needs to be drilled, as does the exit and parting shot.
3. I don’t work the throws or spins in the clinch enough and when I do they are weak.
4. transition from offense to defense is slow or non-existent.  
5. I got caught a number of times with my guard to far to the side while throwing a roundhouse.  This also means I was too close when I threw it, as the guy was shorter than me. 

Positives:

1. I felt much more relaxed than when I would spar with Kyle.  A non-technical aspect, but an important one.  Mainly, I didn’t feel like my opponents could do serious damage.  Maybe this is naivete or just the differences in weight.  Not sure yet.
2. Generally had good hands, stayed active and connected with a lot.  Also, picked up on people’s tells quickly and exploited that to land solidly a few times.
3. Was disappointed by the general ability level in the clinch.  Half of them almost immediately go for my waist, which seems like an invitation to eat a knee to the face (which one guy did).  The rest tie up.  One guy, a BJJ dude, actually had a gameplan to block and counter, which I asked him about after class, but he couldn’t verbalize it.
4. Was able to implement some of the techniques I have been learning, including the squirrel tail punch and a lead leg roundhouse without the switch. 

Overall, a good session and I learned a lot.  It certainly made me feel more confident.