Do I Instigate Hard Sparring? Why don’t I fight anymore? How to be a Good Coach Fighter?

Do I Instigate Hard Sparring? Why don’t I fight anymore? How to be a Good Coach Fighter?

MMA 35 Comments

In the engaging video “Do I Instigate Hard Sparring? Why don’t I fight anymore? How to be a Good Coach Fighter?” by MMAShredded, Jeff Chan addresses vital questions concerning his martial arts career. Reid quasi-interviews Chan, dissecting the nuances of sparring intensity, the reasons behind Jeff’s retirement from fighting, and how this influences his current role as a coach. The intriguing part is how Jeff contrastively manages his ego, which he admits influences his approach to sparring. His insightful explanations, combined with his casual conversation style, offer viewers a deep understanding of the complexities inherent in the martial arts world.



Deciphering Modern Self-Defence in the Realm of MMA

The nuanced art of self-defence is a constant string of evolution, adaptation, and refinement. In a recent video by Jeff Chan from the YouTube channel MMAShredded, he opens up about hard sparring, his retreat from professional fighting, and what it takes to be a proficient coach and fighter in the modern Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) scene. One of the prominent themes of the conversation revolves around hard sparring. There’s often an assumption, especially from outsiders looking in, that the MMA landscape is dotted with excessive aggression during training sessions. However, Jeff Chan reassures viewers that hard sparring is not a constant element in his regimen. The act of sparring itself is a versatile tool, adjustable in speed and intensity to suit the goals of the situation – be it technical practice, fitness conditioning, or simulated combat. Chan confesses that people seeing him as an instigator of hard sparring might be due to the skewed representation in the videos he uploads. The hard sparring videos might attract more viewers, but they are certainly not the complete story. In reality, he spends more time on less intense, technical sparring, which unfortunately doesn’t get as much attention. Videos often fail to convey the full scope of personalities either. A well-controlled, calculated fighter may come off as excessively aggressive on screen. It’s vital to remember that each video snippet offers just a morsel of the whole experience. The complexity of the sparring dynamic, the initial awkwardness of sizing each other up, and the comedic banter that ensues – all coloured by socio-emotional context that only insiders can truly grasp. Another poignant part of the conversation revolves around fighters’ ego. This “relationship with ego,” as the guests beautifully put it, is a fascinating aspect of the MMA universe. Ego, in a positive sense, can be a driving force towards triumph. It’s a potent ingredient of the competitor’s spirit – a determination to prove oneself in the arena. However, unchecked ego could also lead to escalations during training, pushing friendly sparring sessions into unnecessary battles. Efforts to preserve ego also make it difficult for fighters to request a pullback in intensity during sparring. As a result, some fighters, like Chan himself, might choose to up their game instead; a decision that’s potentially harmful in the long run. Chan’s reflections on his transition from being a professional fighter to an ostensibly retired player who still enjoys a good spar is another focal point of the video. He reiterates that the true essence of martial arts goes beyond professional fighting. Chan identifies primarily as a martial artist – someone who enjoys learning, sharing, and occasional sparring sessions. He only consciously ventured into professional fighting because of encouragement from others who saw potential in him. Ultimately, the video offers a captivating glimpse into the realm of modern self-defence – specifically mixed martial arts. It helps unfold the realities and experiences of practitioners, emphasizing the importance of technical improvement, respectful interactions, and maintaining a balanced relationship with one’s ego. The conversations and reflections shared by Jeff Chan on MMAShredded once again underscore that martial arts extend beyond what first meets the eye. Winning is desirable, but not the be-all and end-all. Martial arts are about self-improvement, camaraderie, and life-long learning – values that are integral not just in the sporting world, but in everyday life. The essence of modern self-defence is about adapting, learning, teaching, and most importantly, about coming out stronger and better – both inside the ring and out.

MMA Block



MMAShredded is a high-energy YouTube channel curated by professional MMA fighter, Jeff Chan. The channel offers a glimpse into Chan’s vigorous training routines and techniques, fight analyses, and valuable tips for aspiring enthusiasts. Jeff’s passion for MMA is vivid in his engaging and informative content, making MMAShredded a must-visit hub for MMA lovers.

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35 Comments

  1. haters will hate. continue what you doing. doing a great job. its the inexperienced fighters who struggle to communicate via sparring. my solution 1, change the style to a more distance fight (sparring partner might recognise he's chasing to hard). Solution 2, that works best for me, is to absorb they toughest strikes and return with one controlled power strike. conditioning is vital for such an approach though.

  2. Jeff, I have never met you and don’t “know” you. I consider myself a pretty good judge of character. It doesn’t mean much coming from some random dude on YouTube but myself, I’d be honored to train under you. I have never gotten the impression that you are unsafe or head hunting. Hell if I saw you at the gym I’d end up fanboying and be like “I’m a subscriber!!!” Love your channel. I don’t have the physical gifts or abilities you do but I train when I can. Keep the good stuff coming. Hope you get down to Florida some time. Lots of places to train here in the Tampa area.

  3. You know.. in the Netherlands we do hard sparring… i don't like it though.. always injured, always a bad sparring partner, who just kicks you until you cry.. i mean we are training, it's supposed to be a training.

    I am half thai as well, and i know sparring in Thailand is not that hard.. It's a game, its play fighting, on the other hand, those guys already fought real fights when they were young.

    And btw, i DO communicate: "go softer" but if my partner doesn't listen, i will break some rules myself. Oeps, kicked you in the nutter, because now i am feeling i am in a real fight. And when i am angry, i will hurt you. And will do everything in my power to win. Because it's a fight now, and not a training.

  4. So in reality, you’d rather make money training noobs rather than actually fighting and getting better on big stages. You ran tail lmao, never elite. Goofy nobody

  5. Youtube MMA fighters are cringe, could never beat the top of the crop fighters. They secretly love gym wars so they get more exposure and clout. Jeff Chan is a journeyman who never made it in ONE

  6. I just started boxing and came in with 0 ego. I get rocked during sparring most of the time by far more experienced boxers and I still try to not snap and go all out.

  7. tries harder than his partner and asks him self how do i instigate hard sparring…. just wow…. literally we all see you coming out and trying harder than your partners. you just visibly are trying harder than them . putting in more energy and effort than your partners are. so naturally when they see and feel this from you. we gonna try harder? lol this is funny. im a fan jeff not a hater but its true you try harder so you get hard sparring.

  8. You’re humble and an excellent fighter. The fact that you posted this conversation is a testament to that. I think you should just keep doing things the way that feels right and natural to you.

  9. As a bigger guy, I found it super difficult to spar at the same speed as smaller partners. To achive the same speed, I had to use more force. It’s a ”fishious cycle”…. 😂

  10. The personality thing is normal, especially for fighters. Fight is fight, chill is chill. Sparring is practice for future fighting not for talking so your brain is set to a different mode. When (if) Mike practiced door kicking or arresting resisting opponents his personality also didn't come through because he was

    But it's not even unique for extreme scenarios. Approach anyone really focused on mentally demanding job, especially if they're tired, and they'll need a while not to talk/look like a psycho interrupted while butchering a prostitute.

  11. True saenchai does that too, he goes hard on bigger spar opponents. u can tell too. Ur just sparring the saenchai way, 80% for bigger guys, 50% for same size guys. maybe 30-40% for smaller guys. True jeff is not like world class level and he knows that well, hes like semi-pro level. but he def can't bang with world class fighters. thats what i like about him, we seen him getting humiliated by a lot of world class fighters, ufc,bellator, muay thai world champions. I mean people think jeff just highlights his good moments, maybe back in the day when he starting out his youtube channel. Now hes more about helping people learn, doesnt matter if he humliates himself. Jeff you have grown as a person for sure. Hes like a diamond player in a game, but the world class fighters are like challenger, tier or pro players. Its still a huge gap. From what I see, jeff only hard spars, if the opponent is huge. like a 40lb+ advantage on him, or if the person is a world class fighter, and he wants to give them a challenge. Or if the person just randomly instigates hard sparring, such as when he goes to a new gym, and the person doesn't know him. Keep doing what ur doing Jeff! And true, unless ur in UFC at the top 10 rank, its not worth it to do fight, camps are so expensive… Its good that you went the coach route. you actually are really a good coach, because you have study a lot of martial arts and fighters. I heard some camps can be expensive as hell too, like over 50k+. and ur not even making that much money, as a semi-pro. I feel like most MMA fighters are underpaid, compared to boxers, compared to their well rounded skillset they have. even an amateur boxer, can make more than a pro mma fighter..

  12. This is what Karate TKD got right. The teacher is the referee and will restrain you if necessary. Which is perfect because no has to be the bitch or the bully, it's like a moderator. In kickboxing gyms the teacher just chucklea when it turns into a fight

  13. As a "bigger guy" at about 6' 220lbs, the reverse is also true. Where you think you can do 70% to my 40 power or whatever, I also have to pick up my speed against smaller guys or I just barely ever connect and I feel like I'm not doing them any favors moving too slow and having them think they're ready to dodge Agent Smith in the Matrix.

    BUT, then some guys will take me moving reasonably fast (and shaving power at the end) as though I'm actually trying to hit them hard (which I don't) and then they start ramping up. It's all about not creating that negative feedback loop.

    If your ego is too big to ask someone to go easier on you, make it a habit to have a quick conversation beforehand, so you and your partner play from the same sheet of music. That way, it becomes a habit and doesn't touch your ego and is just habitual.

  14. I saw this video for the first time today and I´m a little confused. After sparring and talking to you a lot this weekend, I cannot confirm that you have a "big ego" or that you do a lot of hard sparring. You are super controlled with literally everything you do.

  15. You guys could learn a thing or two from Bradley Martyn. Nah but on the real great insight especially in the first min of you speaking in the vid, you hit the nail on the head. Your channel is one of the best channels for MMA info because you have the actual perspective of a pro mma fighter and your fight IQ is translated nicely into the detailed breakdowns.

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