Contact Sparring Is Necessary

Drilling techniques in scenarios that say if he does A you will do B is cool. But you have to spar live. I do feel that drills serve a purpose, but I also think that they develop routine habits. What I mean is that they can make you predictable. I consider pretty good at reading opponents because I pick up on patterns. Fighters like to drill patterns of what they will do. Now, you don't have to learn a lot of patterns to be effective. What you have to do is take what you do and learn to apply it differently. You have to constantly change as you fight, so your opponent doesn't get used to you. Don't be predictable. When I hit pads, I don't like for combinations to be called out to me (when I was fight training). The pad work must be live (this requires a good pad holder that you train with regularly). Next is sparring with some contact. Light easy sparring won't do it because the speed is not the same and you won't react properly. So, put on the head gear, 16oz or 18oz gloves, shin guards, etc. and hit a little.