Focus Pads – How to use them well

We all love hitting pads! Focus pads are a staple of kickboxing training for us at Elemental Kickboxing and Elemental Fitness in Leeds. They’re a great tool for improving speed, technique, accuracy, mental focus and getting a great cardio workout in. As a Personal Trainer, they are a great way of adding an engaging cardio workout to a client’s program. They’re also a lot of fun and great for stress relief! As well as hitting pads, you will often have to hold them for training partners or for clients as a personal trainer, which is an art form in itself. You can only train as well as your partner can hold the pads!

The use of focus mitts is said to have come about as Muay Thai and Far Eastern martial arts made their way toward the United States in the late 1700s. The concept first began with using foot tongs or slippers on hands to absorb the impact from kicks and strikes. Modern day punch mitts came into more widespread use in the mid-1960s when Bruce Lee was seen using them in his training routines. Although they have been around for decades, they were never a central part of coaching until the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Now they’ve become an almost irreplaceable part of a martial artist’s routine.

Focus pads are used in all kinds of martial arts and come in a variety of shapes and sizes to compliment different training styles. Here at Elemental Kickboxing in Leeds, we generally use focus pads and strike shields as they work best for our style of Freestyle Karate Kickboxing. Focus mitts or pads are a cushioned pad attached to a glove that the pad holder wears on their hands used for catching kicks and punches mainly used in boxing and kickboxing. They can be curved or straight. The curved pads offer a better position for the wearers hand to catch different punches and kicks.

Improved Technique

One of the primary benefits Elemental Kickboxing members take from using focus pads is improvement in their technique. When hitting the pads, martial artists are required to use proper form and technique, which can translate into better punches and kicks in the ring. The pads also provide an opportunity for boxers to practice different combinations and footwork, which can help them become more versatile and adaptable martial artists.

Increased speed and accuracy

Using focus pads can help kickboxers improve their speed and accuracy. The targets on the pads are small, which requires strikers to be precise and quick in their movements. By hitting the pads with speed and accuracy, martial artists can improve their hand-eye co-ordination and reaction time.

Cardiovascular Fitness

Hitting focus pads is a great cardiovascular workout that can help improve stamina and endurance. It requires a lot of energy and effort to hit the pads consistently, which can help build up cardiovascular fitness over time.

Mental Focus

Using focus pads can also help boxers improve their mental focus and concentration. It requires a lot of focus and attention to hit the pads with accuracy and speed and follow combinations which can help develop a stronger mind-body connection. This mental focus can translate into better performance sparring where martial artists need to always stay focused and alert.

While holding pads for someone you are in control of how well they can train. Holding pads too high, too wide, or adding too much or too little resistance will affect how effective the training is for your partners development.

Hold them at the correct height and width!

Pads should be held at the head height of the striker. Or rib height close in to the body for body shots to keep it as realistic as possible for the striker. Pads should never be more than shoulder width apart. Visualise your partner / clients strikes as if they were in a fight or sparring scenario and hold them appropriately.

Meet the strikes with the correct amount of resistance

You will need to meet the strikes with your own resistance. Too little resistance will feel unrealistic to your training partner (and potentially damaging to your shoulders!) Too much resistance or meeting their strikes too soon can cause injury to your opponent. Just a little push as you make contact should be about right. A little practice and you will get the feel for it.

Give encouragement

You are acting as a training partner give encouragement and feedback to your partner / client. Keep them motivated and advise on technique if you can see room for improvement.

Start slowly

Start each new drill or combination slowly and increase speed and power as both pad holder and striker get into the rhythm and groove.

Focus Pads

Focus pads are used in boxing / kickboxing to catch punches and kicks and are generally good for improving punch and kick technique.

Focus Mitts

Smaller versions of focus pads, used in boxing to develop punching speed and accuracy.

Strike Shields

Larger cushioned shields designed for taking the impact of heavy kicks. Great for developing power and technique of kicks.

Thai Pads

Large pads worn on the forearms designed to be used in Mauy Thai training to deal with punches, kicks, elbows and knees.

Paddles

Popular in Taekwondo which is mainly a kicking based martial art. These pads with a long handle are designed for developing speed and accuracy of kicks.

There are endless drills that can be done on focus pads to develop technique, speed, accuracy and power. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Combinations

The pad holder will give combinations to the striker to perform. The same combination can be drilled for a period of time, or the pad holder can shout different combinations out for the striker to perform.

Reactions

The pad holder will hold the pads out in various positions for the striker to react to as quickly as possible. These can be single punches or combinations. The pad holder can also strike back at the striker between combinations to train defence and head movement.

Endurance

Test the striker’s stamina. Try getting the striker to throw 50 fully extended jab crosses as fast as possible, then 40, 30, 20 and 10 with a few seconds rest in between each set. If they’re not tired go back up from 10 to 50!

Defensive

The pad holder can strike back at the striker with the pad, forcing them to block, slip or evade the pads and improving defensive work. These can be random attacks that the striker must react to, or as part of a pre-determined combination drilled for a period of time.

Ok, so that concludes our focus pad blog. Now you know everything you need to, go grab a pair and a partner and get practicing!