Wow you said something that really resonated with me. Redeveloping a fear… I’ve been fighting for a year and was scared my first fight but the fear went away for my next 3. Have my 5th fight coming up and all of a sudden I’m afraid again and unsure of myself. Gotta work to get my mind right.
Timely video for me in my training process, thank you! Sparring last week I noticed when my partner would throw kicks my eyes would drop lower to compensate, then I was getting caught with straight punches I just couldn’t see them! My partner noticed and reminded me to keep my eyes up towards the top of the chest but it helped me take more light shots to the forehead and my blinking/fear decreased. Thanks again Gabriel
Thank you for your tips. For me, fear/stress is my bigest probleme and that realy block my progression. I struggle with my fear a lot and can't get over it, some times it's better but doesn't last long, it's to the point htis demoralised me completely in training and didn't belive in my dream of compete anymore. I hope one day I could overcome that fear enough but now it's a real probleme...
You're the fucking best Gabriel! Your video on choosing a stance helped me decide to stay Southpaw, as my defenses from that structure are simply better. Of course, I still get hit in sparring, but it happens less as my unconscious tendencies from Southpaw are distinct from the ones in Orthodox. My left eye is my dominant eye, and I'm used to shooting a gun, rifle or bow from the left side, aiming with the left eye from the back. I hypothesize that this is the reason why my defenses are sharper, my footwork is sharper, and I feel more secure in my defensive structures. The last time I sparred in my Orthodox stance (and my offense from there is pretty good, honestly), I got jabbed way more than I would have liked and had trouble rolling/parrying strikes, establishing my range, and my defenses were simply sloppy. I wish you the absolute best in everything, and look forward to when your training camp is up and running.
It’s awkward to see guys swinging wildly but leaning back off balance because they’re afraid to get tagged. The head shots don’t hurt like a clean body shot does.Not that you wanna take head shots though.
Some basics of wrestling also help, I was taught that if the guy knows how to keep his range you gotta be willing to get hit to get your hands on him. Still, you had me on the first one, in my first mock fight I got hit in the forehead 14 times and didn't even shake (hell of a headache afterwards though).
Oath, fighting a way taller bigger guy. I felt like I needed to 'mike tyson' dip and weave to get in but then is the teeps and roundkicks... just fight someone your own size loll
Fantastic video. I couldve used this early on when I first began training muay thai. That was big concern of mine back then. I developed my entire fighting style based on minimizing taking shots to my face and head. Its why I use a tight high guard all the time and use forearm blocks at my main defense. Getting punched in the nose sucks most of all; for me though it enrages me and makes me go after the guy who did it fairly hard at least until I tag them back(doesnt gotta be on their nose; just on their head somewhere), ESPECIALLY if I get hit in the nose hard enough that it starts bleeding. Rather than making me back down it makes me more aggressive; and while nobody has been able to exploit that yet because even then, I dont ever take dumb chances and always maintain a high guard and a hook-heavy and low kick heavy fighting style even when my blood is up because I've been tagged hard in the nose, it STILL presents an opening for opponents to take advantage of if they can maintain their calm while getting pressed hard and hit often; and my old coach who was better than me when we would spar I had to learn to keep my cool to a certain degree even if I got hit hard in the nose. I can credit my former coach and our sparring matches for me developing this defensive style, even maintaining good head defense after taking damage and also when going on the attack. But yeah for sure its FAR easier to take punches, esp jabs and crosses, in the forehead than anywhere else on your head(if you MUST get hit in the head at all; like if it slips past your guard or if you just werent fast enough or accurate enough in defending); but I would say the temple, the side of the opponents head, is just as much of a weak spot as their chin and jawline; Ive dropped many dudes via hooks(left or right) to their temple/side of their head. Its a VERY weak spot just like the chin. It just doesnt cause extremely irritating and visible damage like a heavy blow to the nose does; or even a heavy blow to the chin, which can easily result in a bad cut(like if the punch grinds the skin inside your mouth against your mouthpiece or worse, teeth, to the point that it tears the skin inside your mouth...that can happen if you get hit in the chin). Temple shots dont come with any external injuries like that; but it rocks them HARD. And it messes up their equilibrium and fighting effectiveness for much longer than shots to more easily damageable parts of the head. And, you dont really know for sure how someone is gonna react to getting hit in the nose or mouth. Most become very gun shy and will shell up until it stops hurting, and keep retreating while throwing keep-away shots; but others, like myself, will become enraged and will start pressing the attack; but most other amateurs dont pay attention to their defense when they are enraged like I do, some will come in with their hands down just looking to pay you back; and that just results in them hitting your arms and being blocked and then you blasting them in the head or body or leg some more for their trouble. Temple shots are rarely gonna make anybody enraged and wanna get back at you, besides the fact that it hurts and they were scored on, it doesnt make someones eyes tear up or embarrass them or anything like that; but it causes MUCH heavier damage than appearances alone suggest. Ive dropped more guys with temple shots than I have with shots to the chin and jawline(mostly cause the chin and jaw are much better defended by most guys, making it harder to get clean shots on) and maybe this is just something that I notice because my style is heavy on the hooks to the head(and body). But anyone should be able to use this info well.. as long as you throw hooks/roundhouse kicks to the head or even throwing straight punches at a steep angle so you hit them in the temple with a cross or something. But tight and short hooks utilizing the entire body's weight is where the real power comes from, esp throwing several hooks in quick succession, while mixing in straight punches, uppercuts, and roundhouses of course.
As kids my brother and I played a game where either of us can try to get the other to flinch, anytime, anywhere, surprise! If one flinched the other got a punch on his arm. I no longer flinch. 30 years later I still expect my bro to try to make me flinch!
Better to lose brain cells doing a passionate sport like fighting.. than lousing around on a chair staring at a computer screen playing games or I dare say worse, doing hard drugs.
Thanks for the Video! Great tips as always! I've got another question though: How do you avoid hurting your Elbow when you miss a (straight) punch? Happened to me a few times already and It's a kind of "ok this is really damaging your body" kind of pain, so I'm a bit worried.
I think you are referring to hyper extending the elbow. Practice stopping your punches a fraction short of full extension. Never let the arm fully straighten out. If you do that when you shadow box then it should also save you during sparring.
As Gabe and others mentioned but Ill try add. dont over extend/commit on punches, rotate fist all the way (can exaggerate in training), strengthen your triceps as well.
It's hard to get motivated after something like that. But the more you do it the better you will get. Just make sure people aren't going too hard. Sparring should be light the first couple months until your confidence builds.
I dont like to admit i am scared but after 18 months of muay thai i still close my eyes when i get combos on my head and when i open my eyes my opponent has angled off and now i gotta reposition to counter attack. I think i am just trying to protect my eyes.
It can take time to develop this skill. No shame in still needing to work it. I still have to drill this people with enough time off it's easy to want to close the eyes.
Hey Gabriel as always great video. Just have question. Im doing muay thai for quite a while now, im not afraid of punches but i respect them and i think that it hurts much more when you get hit on the eye with your eye open so i blink when i see the punch coming at me. Should i really just stare even though he could Destroy my eye easier when its open?
I very rarely take a punch straight in the eye. I think I've had 3-4 black eyes in the last decade. If you keep your chin tucked than the shots usually land to the forehead and you don't have to close your eyes. And if an uppercut I just adjust my head position slightly so shots don't strike the eye (assuming I was too late to block or slip).
Hey Gabriel, do you have any tips about keeping my chin low vs keeping my body low? Whenever I tuck my chin I also tend to drop my body making me open for knees and head kicks
Hmmm. I think I'd stick with tucking something under your chin while shadow boxing. Tennis ball works great. Do you normal work with your body higher but you'll have to keep your chin down otherwise the ball will fall.
Standing in the pocket requires confidence. Usually that is initiated by knowing you won't get hurt. In Rodtang's case he's so hard to knockdown so he's happy to stand in the pocket. You can also develop strong defense so you are confident moving around less.
So I’ve been having a hard trying to figure out if I need to tuck my pelvis when striking or do I keep that area more neutral/relaxed? Basketball is my first sport and you kind of stick your butt out when playing, so trying to adjust. Thanks.
Have you really heard that from people before? That closing their eyes will keep them from getting a black eye? Lmao idk if thats one of the funniest things I've heard or the dumbest.
I don’t know why I am not feared about being punched in the face. I have ate bombs and I think my will to beat my opponent was bigger than the impact of those strikes. By the way, I don’t fight with intelligence so I receive a lot. So maybe it’s that, the fact of being a “”brawler””
Yes. People who naturally brawl must not have the same fear about getting punched. Not having that fear is a good thing as long as you still respect shots and don't get hit too much. Got to protect that brain 🙂
![How To Overcome Fear Of Getting Hit [Must Watch!]](/img/n.gif)
Thanks for being consistent with the videos, even as your training ramps up. Your work ethic on display 👏
No worries Thomas. It's keeping me busy which is good.
@@GabrielVargaOfficial We appreciate the content :)
Wow you said something that really resonated with me. Redeveloping a fear… I’ve been fighting for a year and was scared my first fight but the fear went away for my next 3. Have my 5th fight coming up and all of a sudden I’m afraid again and unsure of myself. Gotta work to get my mind right.
Yes. The fear comes and goes but I think it's good. That way you don't get over confident and usually train harder with a bit of fear.
This is perfect for me cause I'm 14, 4'11 and my face is an easy target
Timely video for me in my training process, thank you!
Sparring last week I noticed when my partner would throw kicks my eyes would drop lower to compensate, then I was getting caught with straight punches I just couldn’t see them! My partner noticed and reminded me to keep my eyes up towards the top of the chest but it helped me take more light shots to the forehead and my blinking/fear decreased.
Thanks again Gabriel
“Making the experience of getting punch better” lol
Good video!
yeah I just dont trust my sparring partners at all...every week I get wacked and we have a lot of newbies in class.
Thank you for your tips.
For me, fear/stress is my bigest probleme and that realy block my progression. I struggle with my fear a lot and can't get over it, some times it's better but doesn't last long, it's to the point htis demoralised me completely in training and didn't belive in my dream of compete anymore. I hope one day I could overcome that fear enough but now it's a real probleme...
You and Joseph Valtellini are by far the best striking coaches on here!
Thanks so much.
You're the fucking best Gabriel!
Your video on choosing a stance helped me decide to stay Southpaw, as my defenses from that structure are simply better. Of course, I still get hit in sparring, but it happens less as my unconscious tendencies from Southpaw are distinct from the ones in Orthodox. My left eye is my dominant eye, and I'm used to shooting a gun, rifle or bow from the left side, aiming with the left eye from the back. I hypothesize that this is the reason why my defenses are sharper, my footwork is sharper, and I feel more secure in my defensive structures.
The last time I sparred in my Orthodox stance (and my offense from there is pretty good, honestly), I got jabbed way more than I would have liked and had trouble rolling/parrying strikes, establishing my range, and my defenses were simply sloppy.
I wish you the absolute best in everything, and look forward to when your training camp is up and running.
It’s awkward to see guys swinging wildly but leaning back off balance because they’re afraid to get tagged. The head shots don’t hurt like a clean body shot does.Not that you wanna take head shots though.
What helped me get over this fear was getting kicked in the head for the first time.
So true haha!
Boy, after today's sparring, this is exactly the video I needed. Thanks!
Glad to hear it!
Some basics of wrestling also help, I was taught that if the guy knows how to keep his range you gotta be willing to get hit to get your hands on him. Still, you had me on the first one, in my first mock fight I got hit in the forehead 14 times and didn't even shake (hell of a headache afterwards though).
Oath, fighting a way taller bigger guy. I felt like I needed to 'mike tyson' dip and weave to get in but then is the teeps and roundkicks... just fight someone your own size loll
@@stateofmind2668I am a short guy (about 5'3) so that is already difficult, and you know you have to get used to different ranges
Buakaw just did a vid on this and he said splashing water in your eyes helps to not flinch and let people punch close to your eyes and try staring
Interesting tip from Buakaw. It's not something I need to work on but I'd love to hear reactions from you guys if it helps.
Fantastic video. I couldve used this early on when I first began training muay thai. That was big concern of mine back then.
I developed my entire fighting style based on minimizing taking shots to my face and head. Its why I use a tight high guard all the time and use forearm blocks at my main defense. Getting punched in the nose sucks most of all; for me though it enrages me and makes me go after the guy who did it fairly hard at least until I tag them back(doesnt gotta be on their nose; just on their head somewhere), ESPECIALLY if I get hit in the nose hard enough that it starts bleeding. Rather than making me back down it makes me more aggressive; and while nobody has been able to exploit that yet because even then, I dont ever take dumb chances and always maintain a high guard and a hook-heavy and low kick heavy fighting style even when my blood is up because I've been tagged hard in the nose, it STILL presents an opening for opponents to take advantage of if they can maintain their calm while getting pressed hard and hit often; and my old coach who was better than me when we would spar I had to learn to keep my cool to a certain degree even if I got hit hard in the nose. I can credit my former coach and our sparring matches for me developing this defensive style, even maintaining good head defense after taking damage and also when going on the attack.
But yeah for sure its FAR easier to take punches, esp jabs and crosses, in the forehead than anywhere else on your head(if you MUST get hit in the head at all; like if it slips past your guard or if you just werent fast enough or accurate enough in defending); but I would say the temple, the side of the opponents head, is just as much of a weak spot as their chin and jawline; Ive dropped many dudes via hooks(left or right) to their temple/side of their head. Its a VERY weak spot just like the chin. It just doesnt cause extremely irritating and visible damage like a heavy blow to the nose does; or even a heavy blow to the chin, which can easily result in a bad cut(like if the punch grinds the skin inside your mouth against your mouthpiece or worse, teeth, to the point that it tears the skin inside your mouth...that can happen if you get hit in the chin). Temple shots dont come with any external injuries like that; but it rocks them HARD. And it messes up their equilibrium and fighting effectiveness for much longer than shots to more easily damageable parts of the head. And, you dont really know for sure how someone is gonna react to getting hit in the nose or mouth. Most become very gun shy and will shell up until it stops hurting, and keep retreating while throwing keep-away shots; but others, like myself, will become enraged and will start pressing the attack; but most other amateurs dont pay attention to their defense when they are enraged like I do, some will come in with their hands down just looking to pay you back; and that just results in them hitting your arms and being blocked and then you blasting them in the head or body or leg some more for their trouble. Temple shots are rarely gonna make anybody enraged and wanna get back at you, besides the fact that it hurts and they were scored on, it doesnt make someones eyes tear up or embarrass them or anything like that; but it causes MUCH heavier damage than appearances alone suggest. Ive dropped more guys with temple shots than I have with shots to the chin and jawline(mostly cause the chin and jaw are much better defended by most guys, making it harder to get clean shots on) and maybe this is just something that I notice because my style is heavy on the hooks to the head(and body). But anyone should be able to use this info well.. as long as you throw hooks/roundhouse kicks to the head or even throwing straight punches at a steep angle so you hit them in the temple with a cross or something. But tight and short hooks utilizing the entire body's weight is where the real power comes from, esp throwing several hooks in quick succession, while mixing in straight punches, uppercuts, and roundhouses of course.
Took me about a month or two to get over the feeling. Train in muay thai sparring with my heavyweight mate which helped me alot.
Thnx
Kyokushin fighters will love this. 😭
Dayum man! I really needed this.
“Everyone use 4 tips to stop being scared of punches to the face, until they get punched in the face”
Great video as always Gabriel, keep up the good work!!
Amazing advice thank you
Thanks. Great tips, which I will definitely practice :)
As kids my brother and I played a game where either of us can try to get the other to flinch, anytime, anywhere, surprise! If one flinched the other got a punch on his arm. I no longer flinch. 30 years later I still expect my bro to try to make me flinch!
Perfect video on the subject. 🙏
Thank you 🙌
@@GabrielVargaOfficial✊
Great video!
Unless it’s Mike Tyson!! 😂😂👍
Yes. Then I'd be very scared.
@@GabrielVargaOfficial it’s ok if Mike lands you won’t feel it. We’ll just send your family our condolences.
@@GabrielVargaOfficial why you are a pro, he don't put his hands on professionals champ.
A fifty year old Tyson is scary enough but imagine a twenty year old Mike.
Spar more to get rid of the flinching
Can’t wait to see you on karate combat gabe. will your fight be televised?
Ah… the first time I sparred I didn’t know how to stand yet and I had a hard sparring.
I'm going to fight someone in schools tommorow 💀
Good boy
@@federico5750 i got destroyed
its also knees when using that two block guard.
I wonder how many brain cells I will lose in the process
Same lol
Better to lose brain cells doing a passionate sport like fighting.. than lousing around on a chair staring at a computer screen playing games or I dare say worse, doing hard drugs.
Thanks for the Video! Great tips as always!
I've got another question though: How do you avoid hurting your Elbow when you miss a (straight) punch?
Happened to me a few times already and It's a kind of "ok this is really damaging your body" kind of pain, so I'm a bit worried.
I think you are referring to hyper extending the elbow. Practice stopping your punches a fraction short of full extension. Never let the arm fully straighten out. If you do that when you shadow box then it should also save you during sparring.
For me turning the thumbs down on extension 👎 helped tremendously with this.
As Gabe and others mentioned but Ill try add.
dont over extend/commit on punches, rotate fist all the way (can exaggerate in training), strengthen your triceps as well.
Thx for the Answers everyone! Seems like I'll have to work on my controll and cleaner technique then for this problem again.
I just had my first sparring last week and got my ass whooped, it feels so frustrating, haven't trained since then 😅
It's hard to get motivated after something like that. But the more you do it the better you will get. Just make sure people aren't going too hard. Sparring should be light the first couple months until your confidence builds.
Bro, putting a thumbnail of Mike Tyson doesn’t help me not be scared 🤣🤣
I dont like to admit i am scared but after 18 months of muay thai i still close my eyes when i get combos on my head and when i open my eyes my opponent has angled off and now i gotta reposition to counter attack. I think i am just trying to protect my eyes.
It can take time to develop this skill. No shame in still needing to work it.
I still have to drill this people with enough time off it's easy to want to close the eyes.
Hey Gabriel as always great video. Just have question. Im doing muay thai for quite a while now, im not afraid of punches but i respect them and i think that it hurts much more when you get hit on the eye with your eye open so i blink when i see the punch coming at me. Should i really just stare even though he could Destroy my eye easier when its open?
I very rarely take a punch straight in the eye. I think I've had 3-4 black eyes in the last decade. If you keep your chin tucked than the shots usually land to the forehead and you don't have to close your eyes. And if an uppercut I just adjust my head position slightly so shots don't strike the eye (assuming I was too late to block or slip).
@@GabrielVargaOfficial i'll try it out. Thanks for the quick and informative response and good luck for future fights👊
How do you get rid of fear getting kick in the face?
Could you do a video on how to wear down your opponent? Or let me know if you did one?
For sure. Kind of my bread and butter 😀
From a storytelling standpoint, it would have been cool to end the story by telling that/how you won back that title! :-)
That's a whole other video for the future 😉
Hey Gabriel, do you have any tips about keeping my chin low vs keeping my body low? Whenever I tuck my chin I also tend to drop my body making me open for knees and head kicks
Hmmm. I think I'd stick with tucking something under your chin while shadow boxing. Tennis ball works great. Do you normal work with your body higher but you'll have to keep your chin down otherwise the ball will fall.
I move around too much how do I fight like Rodtang??
Standing in the pocket requires confidence. Usually that is initiated by knowing you won't get hurt.
In Rodtang's case he's so hard to knockdown so he's happy to stand in the pocket.
You can also develop strong defense so you are confident moving around less.
So I’ve been having a hard trying to figure out if I need to tuck my pelvis when striking or do I keep that area more neutral/relaxed? Basketball is my first sport and you kind of stick your butt out when playing, so trying to adjust. Thanks.
You mean keeping a straight back and hinging at the hips? Its always good to do this otherwise you are slouching your back.
First again 🤣🤣🤣
👍 👍 👌
You were third.
Third?
Have you really heard that from people before? That closing their eyes will keep them from getting a black eye? Lmao idk if thats one of the funniest things I've heard or the dumbest.
Second
I don’t know why I am not feared about being punched in the face. I have ate bombs and I think my will to beat my opponent was bigger than the impact of those strikes. By the way, I don’t fight with intelligence so I receive a lot. So maybe it’s that, the fact of being a “”brawler””
Yes. People who naturally brawl must not have the same fear about getting punched. Not having that fear is a good thing as long as you still respect shots and don't get hit too much. Got to protect that brain 🙂