6 Common Pad Holding MISTAKES To AVOID

Learning to hold pads properly can be just as hard as learning to punch/kick properly. There are many errors that can be made while holding and today I take you through the most common ones.
A great pad holder is an absolute blessing 😇 and they certainly aren't making any of the mistakes I speak about today.
Share this video around to help others improve their pad skills 🙏
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:51 Point 1
1:50 Point 2
3:12 Point 3
4:26 Point 4
5:51 Point 5
6:26 Point 6
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[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

I hope this helps any beginners out there who are learning to hold pads. If you guys have any questions about being a good training partner ask away...

[@hamul91]

Like you said, holding pads is a whole different skill, so if you have the time in the future, I would love to see more. Anyways, great work as always!

[@gergelydoman7171]

So much respect for coming to this platform and sharing your immense knowledge! Really appreciate you are very easy to understand and great content!

[@jjun2891]

Do you have any advice for holding for body shots or high kicks?

[@rawke7279]

You the man Gabriel. Your channel is one of the best martial arts one out there. Love your variety of what you cover

[@Dubbios]

Which of those two style of pads you like the most?

[@robinramberg9243]

I feel really lucky that my first ever coach actually pointed all these things out to me right from the start. Thanks to him i've never dreaded holding pass for others - not even heavyweight kickboxers who outweigh me by a fair margin. Gabriel is so right about the fact that even experienced fighters can be lousy padholders. I know of lots of people who have attended a couple of muay thai lessons only to quit because they thought holding the pads hurt too much . Now everybody gets this information for free thanks to Gabriel. Such a great fighter but I suspect he's going to be an even better coach when he eventually decides to hang them up - you really can tell that he's got a great head for the sport. A big thank you Gabriel for all the quality content! Cheers from Sweden!

[@bongkem2723]

just what i need right now, i'm holding pads for some partners and feel uncomfortable now i know why :D 1. keep hands tight 2. push a bit for good impact 3. keep combos simple, build up bit by bit 4. elbows wide to absorb kicks 5. don't move, let them come with footwork 6. make partner defend/counter after combos

[@tamakaramaena]

Keep hands tight Push abit for a good power Keep combos simple build up bit by bit Elbows wide to absorb kicks Don't move let them come with footwork , let them come to you Make partner defend and counter after combos

[@BrianNichol]

Thanks Gabriel! I learned the hard way about flaring out the pads for round kicks, my wrists/forearms would get deeply bruised literally through the Thai pads after holding for a hard kicker.

[@2North0Star6]

I’m about 7 years into my kickboxing journey and need to become a better pad holder. Thanks for this!

[@ag2230]

This was super useful info. Ty! Can you do one one in the future with examples of good pad techniques to incorporate the defensive aspect?

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

Absolutely!

[@Deimian676]

@@GabrielVargaOfficial Gabriel, as a side topic , what did Giorgio petrosyan do wrong against superbon ?

[@edgararakelyan9326]

@@Deimian676 chekck his channel he alrdy did a video on this

[@samdixon4142]

When I first started holding pads for my mate who was substantially larger than me, I made most of these mistakes and got bruised forearms, my hands moved and resulted in my fingernails scraping each other and tearing up my hands. I got a lot of injuries and hated holding pads so this is super helpful

[@timontide6404]

I learned a looooong time ago (with a top pro coach) to hold the pads still for head shots, that putting a pop on the punch can throw off the puncher's range. After all, the head doesn't move toward the punch. Seems most everyone now puts a pop (or a slam) on the pads though.

[@derekgray644]

Thank you. This is a big help for me. Started training muay thai, a few months back, my first striking discipline so wasn't much good with the pads and completely underestimated what is required of a pad holder - it truly is a skill on its own.

[@Tetrakan]

The advice about keeping the elbows apart when holding for body kick - tried this just now with a partner and sure enough if my elbows are really close together I get knocked back, but I'd suggest this is a Goldilocks thing, because if the elbows are too wide your partner can risk hurting their foot in the pad holder's protruding elbow (I've sprained my toe this way in the past). We found a compromise where the pad holder's elbows are close to their ribcage was best.

[@rawke7279]

Good simple combos when starting pad holding is really helpful. 3 to 4 strikes at the most until intermediate level. Pad holder should ways be checking the foot work and technique of the strikes. This helped me out heaps when I was a beginner

[@leroyhayes3251]

This is one of the very few martial art KZbin channels I can watch due to so much misinformation from KZbin “martial artists”. Of course I don’t put you in that category, as you, bazooka Joe, and Tony Jefferies are actual fighters doing KZbin videos which make all the difference when teaching technique or strategy. I can’t take the majority of these channels serious nor the people who comment on them. Thank you for your great contribution.

[@cannabiskid]

One of my new coaches just told me not to flare my elbows (how I learned) and to instead hold them against the body. I disagreed but did it and of course, felt way more impact from the kick. Thanks for this video. I feel so validated!

[@louis-josephcouturier4999]

Every time I got a beginner holding the pads I’m trying to hide my discontent. 😂 you can tell by the crisp sounds when to partners are at another level. I’ll send this video to newbies. Thx gab

[@rickibrown9233]

Great video, I’m guilty of not flaring those elbows! Thanks

[@seansnipes8334]

This is an important video for beginners. You can hurt someone if you don't know how to hold pads.

[@CinematicTendency]

Thank you for the tips, brother! I hold the pads for my 7 years-old son and these tips are helpful.

[@whoknows8223]

Thats amazing I wish someone did that with me back then 👍

[@shonnas77]

In the last year I've started freestlye pad holding. That's a whole other level I just discovered from my coach. I like watching Cookie Wanachai from Sinbi hold freestyle.

[@kaspertheghost7800]

Thank you for the tips 🙌🏽

[@jjun2891]

I got triggered by seeing the pads wide apart. It's so common! Another thing that's common is that pad holder reach out too far with the hands. It might work for 1 2, but then you add kicks or body shots to the combo and the distance gets really odd.

[@ffsmaxi]

Such a good video that went under my radar until now

[@danilo6548]

Thanks Gabri, this is such an underestimated topic. In all the gyms i have been trainers do not spend enough words on pad holding. They should though.

[@ForeverYoungKickboxer]

Thank you for this!!

[@unyieldingproductions7714]

Perfect timing, I just bought a pair of focus mitts off Amazon lol

[@JP-vj7fp]

Good video. Thanks!

[@Resurrection_Training_Club]

Beautiful work brother✊🏼

[@henriquekatahira1653]

Great content!

[@DennisT31]

Thank you for the tips. I’ve started hitting pads with my buddy recently and have made some of these mistakes.

[@jimbo3959]

I needed this video. I held pads for the first time yesterday and it was sooo much harder than I expected.

[@warandpeace73]

I spent many years as a pad holder. Had fighters in the UFC and all over europe. I have to say my padwork was on par with the best camps out there on the Thai Pads. Looking back, I should have worked more on Thai head movement. And more Boxing rounds. downside is I have some arthritis in my elbows. When Chute Boxe, Anderson Silva, Mark Delatrotte give you compliments, I felt justified. I also was fighting which suffered as I couldn't flow between the two except my eyes were able to see what was coming before it came. Last fight was against an IKF national champion. Lost a 5 round decision. I got alot of fight offers after but I realized that I had to choose. financially, pad holding made me more money.

[@kingswillrise]

why do people watch but not like. At least drop a like. It takes nothing! Thanks Master Varga!

[@Q-Mac_]

Great tips Gabriel! I recently started training in Thai boxing and being a good pad holder is just as important as hitting the pads. I will definitely use your tip on spreading the elbows out further for roundhouse kicks. I see so many people in my class hold the pads tightly like you were demonstrating.

[@andrewwoods564]

How wonderful it is there is such good quality information and it's also free

[@mikelundun]

Fantastic and important vid. Any tips for padding knees properly - especially for combos involving a clinch?

[@closeredge5198]

Thank you!! I especially like point 2...some of the best pad holders I had built those foundations you mentioned while moving and helping them eliminate errors verbally and non verbally

[@TheRandomizedHuman]

So helpful

[@insan3hvhpromotingcheats206]

Glad to know has Im starting to coach people I dont make any of these mistakes

[@dacedebeer2697]

This was great Gabriel, would love to see you take on the same subject but with more demonstration ie: someone actually holding the pads being worked on.

[@JakeV.]

Good video. I definitely don't flare my elbows out enough. I start the rounds doing it but resort back to bad habits.

[@oldschoolmuzzey]

thank you, I’m a white belt in karate ,I really needed this lesson🙏🏽

[@paulpelle3046]

You’re getting wayyyyy too slick at producing this amazing content man! 😆👏 And yep...literally EVERYONE at my gym occasionally or regularly does at least one of these. 😬🤷‍♂️🙄 That defence thing is brilliant and sooo important. I’ve bern doing much more of that stuff lately whilst holding, and some members look at you like you’re crazy or something. But nah, you’re 100% correct...and that 25% figure is optimum sir 🙏

[@neilconaugthan9185]

Such a great page . I train in a top level Thai boxing gym and a very good kickboxing gym but the Kickboxers neglect the pads because it is not the norm. The black belts in the club did not grow up learning to use them and I recently got my black belt but I have been using Thai pads for years I am a hybrid of both sports, the Kickboxers train leg kicks now for 3 years but they took my leg kicks out of my black belt sparring because of my Thai influences. Can’t teach some old dogs new tricks…..

[@tylertheschnoz1345]

Curious, what's the Martial Art 🥋 that you have a black belt in?

[@Fightookaishii]

This is a great video. Yesterday I had my first kickboxing lesson and I was holding pads for my partner, every leg kick I was getting flown back hahaha 😅. Thanks for the tips Gabriel!

[@TheMjRD]

I'll make everybody at my gym watch this! Thx a lot.

[@Brucelee-pv6uf]

Ammmaaazing

[@jodajoda3791]

I love this video and i agre :) just one comment ....elbows wide to absorb kicks...But please not to wide then the fod will smach into the pillow.No one have 1 meter shin bone :)the reason many thai trainers keep the pillows wide is that they are wearing pillowbelts

[@VarnArt87]

Hey Gabriel, as you tuck in your elbows and turn your body a little bit to the kicking side you can train your roundhouse defense. That's genuinely what I though I had learned in one of your last videos 🤔!?

[@whoknows8223]

Gabriel can you do a video on best strategies and techniques to use against southpaws? I know the most common (lowkick the front leg, lead foot outside etc) but would really like to see your personal ones.

[@MikeDrew312]

Hate when people don’t hold the pads right for kicks 🦵🏾 💥 either no slight push or right height.. don’t jolt your head back when smacked with a strong leg kick. You’ll get hurt. Eventually. Lol

[@izzygarcialionibabaloipici6293]

how do you hold for knees and elbows coach? I only have thai pads and a lot of my friends want to start kickboxing but don't necessarily want to join a gym. I figure i can use them as practice to get very good at holding pads and teach them as a side effect. How do you teach beginners knees on the pads?

[@bochen6716]

hey champ how to book a pt session with you? i gonna come to vancouner in January, the ferry to vactroira if we can do one or two session

[@Bumpedfn]

GABRIEL REALLY IMPORTANT QUESTION. how nervous are you about cte. because im about to start fighting for real and im kinda nervous that combined with the fact i have suffered 2 concussions already unrelated to fighting that i may develop brain issues. if you could tell me your thoughts that would be very helpful

[@hughg405]

Quick question, I'd someone has their elbows out wide, won't the person kicking hit with their knee or foot?

[@diplodocusstevenson7182]

Why was the John Haggerty Video removed

[@the_fight_game7840]

Not anyone should be allowed to hold pads,i got an injury in my ankle ligament because of an idiot pad holder.