Got totally schooled in sparring yesterday. I was paired up with coach Gabriel again, probably because we're both similar weights, and just before starting, his cornerman coach (who's cornered me before) called me over to explain that this isn't an intro to sparring class anymore so Gabriel is going to go harder on me. The most frenetic sparring session I've ever been in ensued. The hits were hard, but it was the pace that threw me off my game. I've sparred hard in Muay Thai before, but  they could always be interrupted by my own hard shots. Gabriel kept surging forward and I couldn't really find my rhythm. It was my first time going against someone that high level who's also a pressure striker.

Ate some big shots as a result, but defended decently against the majority of them. The problem was just how much on defense I was across the 3 rounds. I also started to tense up more than previous spars, which made me tired but not gassed. There were moments when he eased up so I could get some offense going, and I noticed just how much my arms felt like lead in those windows despite training for much longer rounds.

Afterwards my cornerman gave me tips about movement and defending, and then Gabe worked with me on the ground floor to polish up my guard. People started leaving early, but my hour of sparring class wasn't up so I smashed the heavy bag for the remaining 20 minutes with short breaks. It was a very good learning experience and right now I just want to spar and train more.

Also of note is that I went into the gym with both my shoulders now in pain, not just the right, and I suspect it had an effect on my aggression and arm fatigue during sparring. Will keep up the rehab and rotate out painful pressing movements. I'm thinking today will be a light axle press medley followed by either dips or skullcrushers, depending on dips feeling good or not.