Don't Spar Like This! - Head Kick Too Hard Or Not?

Justin Gaethje recently head kicked Dustin Poirier into a KO. This spar glints insight into why a head kick lands, being one example. In this spar gone wrong, we take a closer glance at what exactly happened. Thank you for joining me on this analysis and breakdown as we take a closer glance. #mma #ufc #shorts #kickboxing #muaythai #boxing #kungfu #karate

[@jeantorres2789]

If you can’t control it, don’t throw it in sparring. Simple.

[@MightyChange22]

How he gon get use to it if he don’t use full force every now and then lol

[@sam-gp3ov]

@@MightyChange22KOing your novice sparring partner aint the answer

[@Bruh-mq8cp]

​@@MightyChange22not on the face tho, the only ko i accept and do in sparrings are from the body shots, brain damage is very dangerous and kills neurons, it's more dangerous than a broken rib tbh and sparring isn't ment to be for killing each other but rather to perfectionate

[@GrabbaBeer]

Not how it works. You can throw kicks in sparring. The dude jumped into it. Unlucky scenario. No one can completely control a punch or kick after it goes past a certain point after being thrown. It’s basic physics

[@Bruh-mq8cp]

@@GrabbaBeer that actually makes sense, I can see he didn't throw the kick with enormous momentum, just a normal kick, not even with the speed of light, just a kick

[@deacondawg1416]

He turned his hips into it and snapped it. He was serious.

[@MRS1R100]

Say less...I agree

[@deacondawg1416]

@@MRS1R100 What?

[@TheAwillz]

That’s how you kick 😂

[@zoderk7929]

no force just technique and a studio guy how think he’s ali

[@ZeusEBoy]

You should always turn your hips in, but separate from that he did put weight/force behind it. Maybe not full, and in his defense his opponent was moving into the kick at that time which adds a ton of power.

[@larsmichael6242]

Just depends what your gym's stance on brain damage is

[@JasonGoodfellow]

Amen Hope that guy is alright

[@josephlandry6263]

Real..

[@joeyx456]

😂

[@mysty0]

Then that gym better have a good policy on wearing bullet proof vests

[@Mungarl13FordEver]

The bro looked like he was playing tag,he got tagged alright 😂😂 guard up my bro.

[@FoundaPeanut]

Sparing is about learning, if you are not welcoming situations to learn from, nothing will be gained, he learned on this day.

[@__________o____________]

Learning CTE

[@Thizlamic]

Purple was frustrated white was clowning around and threw that with force....he didn't think it was gonna connect the way it did.

[@zaisuki3990]

seeing the full video will explain more if he was clowning around of he was doing it on purpose

[@NoScss]

pink was hangover

[@lrodrigues7488]

Clowning? He's just moving at range. Not far enough, but gyms are full of newbies figuring things out. Wouldn't be surprised if the kicker was a newbie too. Hope they both learned from this

[@zaisuki3990]

@@NoScss lmao

[@zaisuki3990]

@@lrodrigues7488 dont worry i have the same thought i just said that since most of people will surely maybe misunderstand especially the people who dont spar and people are people but yeah for me the purple guy, pink, or brown idk im color blind is mostly the one who got some skill issue as a person who got kick on the head but much more gentle its still not fun prefer running into punches than that

[@sinnerfreaky]

Evil intent vs clear disrespect 😂

[@Yourbrotherjosh]

They both learned something hopefully.

[@jayden1759]

Timing always beat speed and power remember that

[@mrborkbork3000]

Red: Striking +10 White: Head Health -90 Blocking -10 Brain Damage +10 Faceplant Move +10

[@ar507]

I posted a video on my channel where I landed a similar headkick on a training partner that also leaned into the kick (please give it a peep and let me know what you think) except I didn’t sleep my training partner. I believe both share responsibility here. White shirt bunny hopped into the headkick which made it substantially worse, and purple could have taken some heat off the kick.. One thing’s for sure though; whenever white shirt regains consciousness, he’ll never forget this valuable lesson ever in his life

[@DirtyPSI_Evo]

Sometimes pain is the best teacher, as much as it sucks. Next time he'll be more aware of range and when to block.

[@HittoTheAssassin]

Purple shirt knew what he was doing... He wasn't surprised, he just acted like it was an accident.

[@HittoTheAssassin]

I saw your video too... Almost the same thing, but He's not an asshole in the video you posted

[@ar507]

@@DirtyPSI_Evo well said

[@ar507]

@@HittoTheAssassin I hope white shirt continues to train and get better 🙏🏽

[@spiritualtaurus7942]

50/50. could have slowed it down but i think that was more from the black guys own momentum that increased the power. Ive been caught like that and got a black eye. accidents happen. Its how you learn.😂💯🇬🇧

[@dirtpoorchris]

you dont really learn from brain damage you more forget stuff

[@DF-ui1ro]

Typical Brit simple 😴

[@barrettdowell3985]

Red shirt acknowledged the shot, it probably wasn't his intention to hurt the guy. What a hammer though.

[@mikegoodwin5951]

He was happy to risk knocking the guy out. It probably wasnt his preferred outcome but in the moment he was clearly happy to roll the dice. Emotions take over sometimes in sparring and you might do something vicious that your rational mind wouldnt agree to.

[@victorious-dl6hk]

walked into it in my opinion

[@xavierdaniels9023]

I feel like he needed that to happen cause I bet he won't be doing that dumb hoping shit again and he'll keep his hands up. Valuable lesson

[@highfrequicyvibes9342]

😂😂😂😂

[@trayday2720]

I second that

[@PointlesslyNecessaryConvos]

What, I bet bro won’t come back after that lol

[@napatt.7943]

No he didn’t need that. He’s just an unlucky guy who got matched with an egomaniac who has to prove something in sparring. Normally it would be light taps and a talk after to warn him not to hop around again.

[@xavierdaniels9023]

@@napatt.7943 crazy thing is that I don't care, wouldn't happen to me all that matters

[@blakerunyon8523]

I think the opening was just too sweet to miss haha. Probably should have went with a hard af body kick tho.

[@josephlandry6263]

Go mid if you want to indulge. Yet you right was a clean opening and the shin guard took most off of it. Dude probably miss judged the collision 💥

[@TheAwillz]

That’s called a lesson

[@dirtpoorchris]

Nope that is attempted maiming and should be criminal

[@TheAwillz]

@@dirtpoorchris oh give over yah bloody poof

[@xavierdaniels9023]

​@@dirtpoorchrisyo suck it from the back 😂crybaby

[@JoseRodriguez-dw9dv]

😅 I'm not a fighter but ive always heard its important to always have your gaurd up.

[@DylzNZ]

Sparring is for learning valuable lessons under the dimmed lights. I've sparred in many different gyms in many different countries, I see nothing here but another lesson being learned. Better to happen there rather then in the ring or worse on the street

[@guy229]

Cte is in your future

[@johns8819]

What a dumb take, bro you should never be knocked out in sparring

[@iggyphillips8264]

Head kick too hard bro straight up he did not wanna miss that

[@grod374]

He was running like Mayweather 😅😂🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️

[@naturalmystic5098]

He did add power to that kick

[@MrGodsNomad]

It was the effect of whiplash, and you can see in the brother’s eyes. The word sparring is what made him think this was okay. Due to his own momentum the kick clear shows the transfer of kinetic energy. The man couldn’t stop himself after commuting to the shuffle and with all his energy going to the right the leg snapped him back like him hitting a wall. To me it looks like the man’s movements are what amplified what seem to be a simple kick as the one throwing the instantly knew that his opponent was down.

[@ThatCasualZach]

In my opinion (I always pull punches in sparring) this was a needed learning lesson. If you dont understand this type of momentum timing, you need to learn it....and he did.

[@ryanramlogan6587]

Thats why you always keep your hands up

[@tyresejinnerify]

Video: Headkick! MindSmash: “yello” 🤣🤣🤣😅

[@automaticreply]

Good timing, good lesson for the Hopper.

[@HJYTAPOUT]

I think he was gonna pull it but didn't expect him to jump that hard into it

[@Loopylocokiller]

The timing on that first cut 😂

[@ayeejiff9847]

the kick was light but the guy in the white shirt shifted alot of his weight and momentum towards the incoming kick which increased the effectiveness by almost 2-3X . it's almost like the equivalent of running into something whilist looking sideways

[@Drega001]

Don't let your frustration be the cause of your decisions

[@markmiller5353]

He was getting frustrated but I think he feel back on training and it was more instinctual than deliberate. I don't even think he knows for sure but judging from his reaction he was surprised and obviously felt bad.

[@Tech-bv9oj]

I think white shirt learned a valuable lesson this day.

[@brandonrogers8621]

once your on the ground everyone feels bad but they don't feel bad when they get annoyed when you keep asking them to lighten up.

[@Someguy-oi9tf]

Look, everyone is saying in the comments "Oh, the white shirt should have kept his hands up" or "that will teach him not to do stupid sh*t". Regardless if he had his hands down or not, that kick was still unacceptable. Including the fact that the instructors did nothing to try and help someone who was clearly hurt. This is a gym that everyone should avoid, Period.

[@rjbourgeois5490]

The problem wasn't the speed, but the follow through. Snap kicks are very useful and realistic, but you need to have a lot of control over them to prevent this from happening. The momentum of the other guy did aide him, also throwing off his hit point, but I personally would just lightly flick instead of actually throwing a kick when I know my sparring partner is making a huge predictable mistake. It's just to make the point, not hurt the guy. It was still probably done on accident though.

[@CareerSaver541]

Yeah the point is that both fighters improve mistakes

[@billsmiley725]

Let's remember sparring has to resemble a fight as close as possible 😂

[@StevieLio]

Bro opted for the Peek a Boo fighting style and ended up with a Ooo Wee for his troubles 😂

[@judo3773]

I see people sparring merely to strike each other all the time. The point of sparring is to focus on perfecting technique. Everything you do should have the purpose of developing your skills, whether it is setting up technique, defending, counter attacks, combos, and so on.Whenever professional boxers spar, observe how their movement and skills are clean.

[@zanderradley97]

The guy ran into the kick with his momentum

[@savorthepassion]

Too many people here saying it was too hard. This was the right technique at the right time. No malice, no mustard, simply a very-well timed technique against a very predictable opponent.

[@guy229]

There are no opponents in sparring lmao keyboard champ

[@savorthepassion]

@guy229 I train 6 days a week at a gym that has produced 5 UFC Champs. Calm down. Your training partner during sparring is still your opponent, you just treat them differently than a fight very different. Where you train? I'd be happy to come train eith you and your squad some ttime. Always happy to meet new styles.

[@guy229]

@@savorthepassion strong style in ohio. See you there if you visit?

[@savorthepassion]

@guy229 I might be there for Inkarceration next year, we'll see. Minnesota Martial Arts Academy in Brooklyn Center, MN if you ever stop by.

[@aarongifford69]

Sometimes people need to get hit properly to realise what they're doing doesn't work irl, if purple just tried to punch or something while white ran away then white would keep doing this all the time until someone actually does kick him in the face like this. Obviously not good white got knocked out but it is kinda his own fault

[@dirtpoorchris]

ALOT of fighters and self defense people quit as soon as they get hard KO'd and realize they only have so many brain cells. Even some professional fighters will quit for good after a hard KO.

[@brucehillbillybarthalow3786]

Well that depends on whether you remember when you wake up, what put you out. Id say yes but lesson keep your guard up.

[@cocamojack7793]

Yes it was too hard but protected yourself at all times is still the rule plus he moved into the kick

[@3477king9817]

He walked into it, yet still control yourself!!! Timing and momentum!

[@Druwoods]

Can't say I see malicious intent. Certainly a learning moment.

[@xanderrednax5841]

Number 1 rule of fighting, protect yourself at all times. It unfortunate to see but, iron sharpens iron and when i was playing football you realize you dont get any better if you dont get smacked in the mouth a couple times not doing what you're told. Shit happens.

[@jonasrobinson8378]

He was taught a good lesson about keeping his hands up and being aware. Not too hard. A lighter kick would have looked just as bad I think

[@spaunfriz9379]

Yes, no head gear. White shirt was more at fault for not keeping his hands up. This will help him learn that lesson. 😊

[@EastNewYorkSchwick]

Yes going unconscious is great lesson……………

[@realSabbo0]

this is combat sports.. it WILL happen 🤷

[@JiboiaJin]

He retracted the kick and don’t follow through telling me he threw it fast and hard enough to make contact but wasn’t trying to actually hurt the man.

[@manofkelcher984]

Purple was like: stop playing with me boy😅 I think he should've controlled it, at the end of the day they're sparring. So could've gone ez

[@Bevallalom]

It's wasn't only 'momentum '. That was a hard kick. For sparring.

[@OverflowNexus]

Why are people saying he is clowning he was working on lateral movement and got caught...the other guy was frustrated and threw a power kick anyone that trains knows by how his hip turned. Momentum also was a factor as well.

[@redsnflr]

You can see he pivoted into the kick, opponents momentum likely would have still clipped him but you should only ever touch with head-kicks in sparring.

[@MrBstuy]

This was personal. He knew what he was doing.

[@SkyWolf69]

That's just beautiful timing and placement and a beautiful lesson learned for the guy in the white shirt. That hands down, bouncing shiii can get you hurt.

[@bingflosby]

He knew what he was doing regardless of what the other guy is doing if that connects under any circumstance it’s a devastating blow and not for sparring unless you have initiated hard sparring rules which then it’s just a big shot bit overdone but kind of what hard sparring is

[@kenxiong6830]

White shirt learned a very valuable lesson that day, never drop your guard

[@Miguelc271086]

Sometimes you don’t know how powerful a kick is… both defensive (receiving it right in the face) and offensively (how much damage you can cause to a sparing partner)

[@mistamack5038]

He knew what he was doing

[@gatocles99]

Moral: Be VERY discerning about who you spar with.

[@sgt.stryker2552]

I think it was a little to hard but purple shirt was clearly surprised. Combination of several things coming together. Inexperience maybe. But that's how you learn.

[@KingMally89]

Good timing

[@kylekrow5637]

That will cause humbled attitude

[@DRX777]

Purple wasn't having it

[@gregoryaultman4401]

It was both. Two people who are similar low levels do not need to spar together for this simple reason. Also if the gentleman wasn’t jumping side to side he would have easily caught the kick.

[@josephbennett7260]

In the slow mo it looks like purple commited a fair bit to the kick, could have been lighter but definitely didn't help that white shirt was moving into it, accidents happen but if it's a regular thing there's definitely a problem

[@diego1590]

You know what sucks when training combat sports? Getting Koed in sparring of all places, you know what sucks worse? Someone recording it and going viral.

[@MoviesFreeGalore]

I feel like anytime you wanna do headshots, mouth guard and helm are a must. I don't want CTE, or anything akin to it. So if we're not doing body shots, I'm wearing my helm, especially if someone was throwing kicks at me, fuck that.

[@DemonHunter0069]

Keep your hands up .

[@howardcondie4259]

He got annoyed by the other guy screwing around...

[@Reachnopreach]

Imo, I don't think he anticipated the guy really throwing himself into another sideways step like that. It looks like he just kinda put his leg up there and dude had somehow imagined himself immune to head kicks or something.

[@jwpark417]

“He’ll be Aite” 😂

[@NAKMEEZY]

The kick was a bit too hard but the real violation is that he let the guy fall afterwards

[@realSabbo0]

From what I seen, red shirt loaded a bruiser up, then held back. White shirt somehow missed the blatant warning n kept acting like a rabbit. Then hopped right into unconsciousness.

[@JaredFromSubway88]

I don't think it was too hard for sparring, but definitely too hard for the situation. Not saying I'd be able to resist the temptation...

[@streakydrip8792]

Fighter looked frustrated and threw that kick with meaning behind it, he turned his hips and snap kicked buddy to another realm with no headgear 🤦🏽‍♂️.

[@siratthebox]

I guess it depends on the rules of the sparring, if it looks like it's going through, pull; is a rule but who knows if that's what they were sparring to

[@LottimusMaximus]

Don’t damage your teammates. That could have easily broken his jaw and caused a serious concussion. The kid may quit the gym as well. That should be a last chance warning ⚠️ unless he’s in a legitimate sparing session. That looked like general class, not a 100% hard spar situation where a coach is just watching you two.

[@carrotkun7946]

My master would have just said "and thats why you keep your hands up"

[@dirtpoorchris]

Bullshit I accidentally hurt someone in training/sparring and my "master" chewed me out for a long time. The guys whos head I hit even revenge punched me in the chest quite a few times and the "master" let it happen. If you cant control your own force you are not a fighter.

[@mannydv117]

He just put his foot out there ... the man with the white t-shirt hopped towards it. The kick was in fact quite controlled.

[@arthurperalta104]

I think he knew what he was doing normally inspiring if I think I’m going to run someone into a headache I will just show them the chamber but not actually snap it out

[@michaelray8813]

Could he have gone lighter? Yes if one trains for that control they can. If not trained then maybe they don't understand. Was it too hard? I think that that also is an interesting judgement point because of what combines to make the kick even more effective. I think truly the guy in white shirt should not drop hands and could stand to learn other ways of approach. I love 45° movement to help expose parts of your target and get them off balance when done correctly. It's a big difference of training and mind of fighting

[@corydudley2469]

No the kick was not thrown too hard. The sparring partner did not follow RULE #1 to begin with. 2nd his momentum appears to actually contribute 70% of the contact.

[@roi9902]

guys need to take it easy. its just a spar...

[@giovannigiorgio831]

The kick was definitely harder than a head kick should be, but White Shirt only made it worse with his movement and having his hands down in kicking range.

[@mattbmattb]

White shirt was coming in w a wild roy jones hook so they've probably been going too hard this whole time

[@Initium1000]

If you’re going to go anywhere near that hard, wear headgear. This was some timed sparring and he shouldn’t of kicked like this period. Granted dude jumped into the kick with his hands down.

[@GrabbaBeer]

Dude bounced into it. There was no stopping that

[@nielsjonckheere461]

Definetly WAY TOO HARD but his opponent was going in the same direction the kick went and it caught em hard and he probably didn't mean too judging from the sparring

[@dirtpoorchris]

Looked intentional as hell to me

[@kourtneyhanley]

A keep ya hands up protect ya self at all times also mr. Jump around was tryin ta counter legit

[@sanesanchezs]

If you knock out your sparring partner, you should be ashamed.

[@highfrequicyvibes9342]

Dude in the white could have just said im done dont want to spar anymore i mean sheesh he knocked his self out being goofy

[@AnthonyRizzuti]

While it was a great read and perfect execution; keep the heavy stuff for competition.

[@michaelenriquez5734]

He threw that with a little intention lol

[@jmc6940]

My guys hands were at his waste side...... bad habits.

[@olliefoxx7165]

The guy kicked with intention to hurt. Don't spar with someone like him, he should be suspended from the gym for a few weeks. Sparring is to help both people hone their skills. Had he put a fraction of effort behind that kick it would have helped both of them recognize different aspects of their game. Instead, the kick damaged an unsuspecting person and highlighted the guy that threw it as reckless.

[@robscott351]

Not hard for decent sparring, the guy moved/walked right into i!. His distancing to move like that with his hands down. Either much closer or farther away to circle an opponent, hands up as well, and awareness/line familiarization! JMHO....

[@user-gs6ox3ez3g]

You can always throw lighter but should he have thrown lighter is the question. I don't think so. It's not his fault the guy jumped into his kick and it's not his fault the guy had his hands down. His opponent was using a strategy that didn't work out for him I bet the next time they spar his hands are up.

[@sagethemage7]

He knew what he was doing, I woulda gave him a NASSSTTTTYYY off guard liver shot next time I sae him

[@tdurden3906]

He purposely loaded up on that kick

[@abmo32]

not really. loading up would be getting your base leg into a position to slash through your target. thais are amazing at that. This however is a korean, maybe japanese style of roundkick that is supposed to be quick and snappy, and the reason why it had so much impact in the first place is only because the jumping jack guy in the back ran into it himself

[@ivermektin6874]

Dude walking around in kicking range with his hands down. I don't think he expected him to just eat the kick with his jaw, that didn't seem like a 100% kick.