Round Robin Sparring

The lyrics from an old Beatles song remind us that, "I get by with a little help from my friends."  More than words, this concept really applies to a type of training called round-robin sparring.  In this type of supervised training, one boxer spars one or two rounds with a number evenly matched opponents in rotation.  These sparring partners get practice, but the real objective is to help their buddy to prepare for competition.

This exercise benefits the boxer in many ways.  It helps build stamina and endurance.  The first boxer pushes his skills since he is always facing a fresh opponent.  With a number of boxers in the rotation, he is exposed to a number of different styles.  In competition, a boxer must be prepared for any number of conditions and must adapt immediately.  The ability to do this may be the difference between victory and defeat.  With this practice drill under the careful watch of the coach, the boxer can try and compare the effect of a specific technique against different styles.

For this technique to be effective, the boxers should be evenly matched.  A one-sided contest does little to help build the skills of any participant.  The rotation must not go on so long that the boxer becomes fatigued to the point that he is not able to be effective.  The overly tired boxer cannot learn--and learing is what sparring is all about.  The coach should closely monitor the bout.  Round-robin boxing, like all sparring, is not an unsupervised activity.  Boxers waiting to rotate in to the ring should be all geared up and ready to go.  Failure to do so may cause the beginning of the round to be delayed.