The examples of professional boxers suffering from brain damage and concussions are endless. But what about the regular guys who just train boxing as a hobby?
Can really an amateur sparring session in the gym cause brain damage? The short answer is yes. Sparring can absolutely cause brain damage. Every time you get punched in the head, your brain starts to smack against your skull. This literally kills the brain cells and can cause a concussion or more serious brain problems in the long-term such as Parkinson’s disease. But, a few changes in the way you spar can SIGNIFICANTLY reduce the risk of brain damage and make boxing safer and more enjoyable sport. We are going to discuss them later in this article, but first, let’s dive into what actually can cause brain damage during sparring.
If you haven’t started sparring yet but wonder whether or not you should start, check out my article on When Should I Start Sparring in Boxing? after you finish reading this one. Now, let’s get back to this article:
What causes brain damage
Like I already mentioned, in boxing, the brain damage is caused by the slamming of the brain into the inside of the skull. So, for example, if you get punched in the face, your brain will slam into the back side of your skull and then bounce back and slam into the front side. This can cause even more damage. That’s why some boxers suffer from memory loss or concussions after a tough fight or a knockout.
Also, a lot of professional boxers retire with even more serious brain problems. A great example is Muhammad Ali who suffered from Parkinson’s disease, (regardless of that that some people think that the disease has nothing to do with his boxing career)
Boxing gloves
Most people think that the boxing gloves are created to protect the head, but actually, they are designed to protect the hands of the fighters from injuries. After all, the skull is much harder than the hands, because his role is to protect the most important organ in the human body – the brain. So it’s possible to break your hand or knuckles after a hard punch in the skull of your opponent. That’s why boxing gloves are so big.
The problem is that when the fighters wear gloves that cause MORE damage to the brain. The gloves reduce the cuts significantly but increase brain injuries. That’s because with gloves the boxers can punch more and harder without worrying that they can break their hands. And more punches to the head equals more brain damage.
Punches
Every punch in the head can cause damage, but its impact can vary a lot, depending on the place the punch is landed. For example, a strike in the forehead is much less damaging than a strike in the chin (because of the thickness of the skull on the forehead).
Actually, there are two main places where even less powerful strikes can cause brain damage if they are landed accurately:
The chin – This is the place where most of the boxers are aimed when they are throwing their punches. And the majority of the knockouts in boxing are caused by a hard punch in the chin. That’s because after such a punch the head accelerates very fast and the brain starts slamming into the inside of the skull.
“Chin” in boxing also means the ability of the fighter to take punches. You may have heard the phrase: He has a “glass chin” from the commentators while you watched a boxing match or in the gym. This is how the boxers who get hurt or gets knocked out easily are called. And on the flip side – fighters who can take punishment are called boxers with “iron chin”. But regardless of the toughness of the boxer, a punch in the chin can cause great damage.
Behind the ear – The other place where you really don’t want to get hit is behind the ear. It has a similar effect to the punch in the chin – it makes the head accelerates. Also the skull thickness there is smaller than, for example, on the forehead. It’s harder to land punches here because you need to be very close to your opponent or at a certain angle. The easiest way to do it is by using a lead hook. Even only one, hard punch behind the ear can cause knock out.
How to defend from such punches
Basically, everyone who trains boxing is taught to try to land his punches in his opponent’s chin. So you have to be prepared for such strikes. There are 4 things you can do to protect yourself and to decrease the impact of the punches in the chin (or behind the ear) dramatically:
Keep your guard up – It’s obvious that you need to keep your hands up so you can protect your head. Thus you can block or parry the punches of the other boxer. But there are some guards that are much more effective for head protection than others:
- Philly shell guard – Using this guard, you are able to block almost every type of punches. If you are an orthodox fighter (using the orthodox stance), your right hand and your left shoulder will protect your chin from both sides. The only way for your opponent to land a punch in your chin is to wait for you to make a mistake or to counterpunch you. The most famous boxer in our time who uses such a guard is Floyd Maywheather Jr. The Philly shell guard is great for protecting the chin but using it, the part of the skull behind the ear can remain uncovered.
- High guard – This guard is used by fighters such as Anthony Joshua. It’s very effective for protecting both places – behind the ear and the chin but often can leave your body open for punches.
Keep your chin down – A common beginner mistake is to keep the chin up and the mouth open during a sparing. That can cause very bad injuries such as broken teeth or jaw.
If you spar, you need to be prepared to take some punches in the face. So it’s a good idea to keep your chin down and your mouth closed. Thus it will be very hard for your opponent to land a clean punch on your chin.
Roll with the punch – Moving your head with your rival’s strikes is called “rolling with the punches”. This technique dramatically decreases the impact of the strike, because you are moving in the same direction as it. High-level boxers such as Floyd Mayweather Jr. use this technique all the time. I don’t recommend it for beginners, because it requires a lot of practice and experience to be executed correctly. But you always can try it in friendly sparring.
Footwork – If you develop elusive footwork, you can make the other fighter miss almost every time he tries to punch you. Many times the footwork is the factor that wins the fights. It also allows you to create better angles and to confuse your opponent. Vasyl Lomachenko is a great example of a boxer that uses elusive footwork to dominate in the ring.
If you want to learn more about defense in boxing, I suggest you check out my article on how to take punches like a pro boxer.
Other ways to prevent brain damage during sparring
Here are more basic things you need to do to make the boxing sparring sessions much safer:
Use 16 oz gloves – The 16 oz gloves are big enough to protect you well both from cuts and from brain injuries. If you and your sparring partner wear such gloves you’ll be able to block punches with great efficiency because of the padding. But even if you don’t manage to block all of the punches, the impact will still be much smaller compared to a punch with smaller gloves. That’s because those gloves are so heavy that your sparring partner can’t throw punches with 100% power and speed.
The gloves that I use are awesome both for sparring and bag work. I usually use 14 oz gloves because I am not so big and my punches aren’t so devastating but if you want better protection for your brain I suggest using Title Boxing prostyle leather gloves – 16 oz size. You can check them on Amazon.
Use mouthguard – The mouthpiece can actually absorb some of the force of the blow. So make sure you use one every time you spar. Also, try to bite it hard as you see the punch coming towards your face (when you don’t have enough time to block it or dodge it). That way you will flex your jaw and neck muscles which can deaden the shot.
A great mouth guard I found on Amazon.com is Venum Challenger Mouthguard. It has a high-density rubber frame for reducing the shock of punches as much as possible but it also has designed for optimal breathing during fighting/sparring. You can check its price on Amazon.
Train your neck – A strong neck can significantly reduce the damage from a punch in the head. It can absorb the force and prevent the head from accelerating. That’s why fighters with thick necks such as Mike Tyson or George Foreman usually have a great chin also.
Training the neck muscles is a basic thing that every professional boxer does. But even if you aren’t a pro, I recommend including neck exercises in your routine, so you can dramatically reduce the damage you take during sparring.
Don’t use headgear – Unlike most people think the headgear actually INCREASES the brain damage rather than decreasing it. Nobody knows exactly why is that, but there are some theories:
- Bigger target – The headgear makes the boxers head easier target thus they take more punches
- A sense of safety – The boxers become more confident because of the gear they are wearing so they start taking more risks
- Blocked vision – It’s harder to see the punches with the gear so the boxers can’t dodge them
Don’t go to a war every time – even professional boxers don’t do full contact sparring all the time. Sometimes such sparring can cause even more brain damage than the real fights. I do recommend to use 70-80% of your power during the sparring in the gym. Otherwise, you can injure yourself or your sparring partner. Better fight smart and focus on the technique rather than focusing on the brutal power.
Except of course if you like to brawl and your opponent is also ok with that.
Symptoms of concussion
In a boxing match, after a knockout, you probably noticed that the doctor looks at the boxer who was knocked out immediately after the stoppage. That’s because a temporary loss of consciousness (the knockout) can cause a concussion.
So if you have been knocked out or stunned in sparring, you need to consider seeing a doctor. Also, symptoms like memory loss, headache, slurred speech, dizziness, vomiting, etc. may mean that you suffer a concussion. In those cases, you absolutely have to see a doctor.