What we learn about a fighter from hitting focus mitts. What’s padwork actually for?

The internet is buzzing right now over former UFC and One Championship fighter Ben Askren and his open workout hitting pads in preparation for his upcoming celebrity boxing match with youtuber Jake Paul. Why? Because Ben Askren threw straight punches and didn’t goof around in front of the cameras for a change. How is this going to translate to fight night if at all? What does pad holding and hitting mitts actually tell us about a fighter?
Ramsey Dewey is a MMA coach and ringside commentator for Kunlun Fight Combat League, based in Shanghai, China. Ramsey Dewey is a retired professional MMA fighter and kickboxer. If you have any questions for future Q&A videos, please leave your questions in the comments section below.
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[@Ensiferum888]

As the Great GSP said recently: "Everybody is a champion on the pads"

[@goonholiday656]

Everyone repeating this like from Joe Rogan in KZbin comments

[@ellefsensbarmyarmy8491]

The boxer in this video definitely is not.

[@bluelotusnefertoum2144]

@@ellefsensbarmyarmy8491 ail punches like his name should be Molly

[@blackligxt9413]

beat me to it haha!

[@trentbusta1]

Hardly anyone is though.

[@handler803]

I guess one benefit of padwork is that it helps one visually get used to another person in front of them

[@metalmayfantasy]

I've learned that pad work and Thai Pads DO NOT MEAN YOU CAN BOX/KICKBOX, you can definitely develop technique to look good, but that's it. What I've learned is there is a mental thing between going down on pads and actually sparring with someone. An actual partner can make you get over that mental thing - assuming someone who trains was and is like me, nice and does not really want to hurt anyone I'm training with. I was so reserved and nice when I started, like most people who start, that it took a long time for my coaches to open me up and actually break down that mental barrier and I could tell they were getting a little annoyed that I wasn't letting myself out. Now, I don't think I am strong, but my technique and power has gone up just by sparring consistently over the past year (learning to be hit and hit back, keeping everything tight and snapping also by glancing at my opponents foot work and timing it so they run into my punches) - in fact, I actually got chewed out the other day for going too "hard" on someone who doesn't train as intense as I do and I felt like crap afterwards, but in actuality it wasn't me being strong and putting power in my punches, it was the proper form that I've learned through sparring with multiple coaches. I'm a not necessarily a big guy (6' 170ish), but I have decent technique and use my hips more than my arms for that snap (and that is what caused them to... snap... back at me 😅, puns). I am starting to learn that not everyone who trains wants to get banged up though - I definitely don't want to be that guy that always goes hard and nobody wants to train with because that is no fun. Got off topic, but for me it was (and technically still is) a mental game and now I prefer one for one sparring or just straight up sparring for an entire class. Didn't Mike Tyson hire people as punching bags? Anyway, the best way to learn actual technique is to practice throwing punches while getting punched.

[@alexthegordonhighlander1159]

Keeping the conversation elevated, a public service! 👏 Great on point timing for the Dewey demystification of the circus. 💎

[@thegreenranger9524]

@2:29 Sad to see that they still have this practice of needing to see their opponents abilities to gain an advantage.

[@AlexiusRedwood]

I think pads create bad habits. People throw the combo miss and get clipped or are out of position. The same with combo training 1 2 low kick 3 2 . It creates bad habits. You see it in most fights were the one fighter misses or is out of position the the other fighter just looks at him wanting for a reset .

[@Philo68]

As a coach said to me when warming up alongside my opponent... “Don’t worry about him lad - any bugger can whack the pads hard. He’s got to hit you but you’re going to be hitting him first!” Wise words and calmed my pre fight nerves a bit.

[@jonathanscott907]

Did you win the fight?

[@Philo68]

@@jonathanscott907 I’m ashamed to say I lost on a split decision - he had 3 standing counts (against him) vs my one. What a sham! Dana always said “don’t leave it in the hands of the judges”. Edited for clarity.

[@sergiopax7610]

@@Philo68 no need to be ashamed, you went into a fight. Thats an achievement i yet have to reach!

[@BeyLand_Bro]

@@sergiopax7610 same

[@Oldschooldan1]

Holding mitts is as much an art as boxing itself. A good mitt holder sets the pace, creates the drills, controls the distance, makes you cover, makes you counter and most importantly makes you learn. A bad mitt holder just makes you sweat...

[@ubcroel4022]

Big agree, people who can actually do hold mitts correctly is a unicorn.

[@musti1665]

People are shocked when they find out Muhammad Ali never hit pads

[@RamseyDewey]

No one did back then! Focus mitts are a pretty new invention that modern boxers borrowed from Muay Thai.

[@musti1665]

@@RamseyDewey Precisely. I THINK Rocky Marcianio used them but it was like a pin in a haystack whereass now if you don't do pads you feel as if you're not a boxer 😂

[@jdt8983]

Ali was so smooth he could punch someone from his peripheral. Well technically everyone uses that part of the eye for motion detection but you get what I mean. He could have pet a kitty and broken your nose at the same time!!

[@restistance4387]

So is holding pads useful only for thai fighters,and not for boxers.What's the difference?

[@muayboran6111]

@@musti1665 well, thailand and the europeans had a long history together. It was probably brought over in the 1600 while tje thais got the gloves in return. Would be really cool if there was a 17th century muay thai vs boxing match. Someone should look it up

[@jayandrews2803]

Man’s really said “what are his power levels?” and I actually died😆😆🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@horizon3502]

He sounded like vegeta to me

[@eddard9442]

its over 9000!!!!!!!

[@fireeaglefitnessmartialart935]

Is that not what sports fanatics do when comparing stats? Lol. They're literally using "power levels" to determine value of person or even teams.

[@horizon3502]

@@fireeaglefitnessmartialart935 r/whoosh

[@gushlergushler]

@@horizon3502 lmao, best answer possible.

[@SwordFighterPKN]

I used to know a coach once that told our fighters to not bother watching the other guy work the pads since it means nothing. He was right.

[@nicolaiveliki1409]

I'm beginning to think even most Chinese coaches don't understand Sun Tsu: make your enemy think you're strong, when you're weak, and weak when you're strong. I mean this is just one aspect, but the most easy to grasp

[@nicolaiveliki1409]

@@automaticninjaassaultcat3703 yeah I can relate to that. I often look at other people gauging their strength and probably overestimating it even without any chance of physical confrontation

[@GuitarsRockForever]

If I fight, I would show my worst to public/my opponent before the fight. I would want my opponent thinking I'm the worst weakest possible.

[@nicolaiveliki1409]

@@deltapi8859 I wouldn't say always, but as a general rule sure. I do however live in a large frame body, with 260 lbs on 6'5", so even without trying I am naturally intimidating. I'm not a pro fighter in any literal sense, but It affords me the luxury of people not wanting to mess with me

[@PrivateEyeYiYi]

Conclusions: Ben’s padwork means zilch. Jakes bagwork means nada. What counts is what they’ll do in the ring.

[@cainmorano4956]

So one could say that an opponent is like having a really bad pad holder...

[@RamseyDewey]

Hahahaha!!!

[@ianmarr2557]

It shows you have a good relationship with your pad man and he has your timing down? Pad man can make you look like a champion.

[@zxc1972]

Aside from injuries there is little more annoying during training than working with someone who can't hold pads.

[@tcfbrp8807]

I see so many people who throw extremely fast memoriezed cpmbos onvthe mitts but there is like 20% extension of the punch lol. The punches are so short it's not even realistic!!

[@chestermosburger3113]

Mayweather!

[@RamseyDewey]

How important is padwork in your training?

[@sirspadesamvii7855]

I want to train on it more with friends but they always have different fitness interests(which is fine) but I should just join a martial arts gym already

[@sensam6155]

@@sirspadesamvii7855 YES

[@guillermozepeda9967]

We use kicking shields, body pads, mitts, and then...makiwara...How does makiwara compare and contrast to using "pads"?

[@great4061]

It's fun, not really important though

[@MyCommentsRMaturelol]

My gym uses pads and bags for most of the technical work. I use vr boxing on slow to supplement my pad work, basically. I cant program what they throw, but I can at least program my brain to have the correct response for each stimulus.

[@dudewait462]

That Dempsey Roll looks sick! Are you ever going to make a video specifically talking about it? I'd love to see an in-depth explanation cause I think my coach was trying to teach me this but I couldnt get it.

[@ausmarkb]

Your description of Ali was spot on. You could see he was "trying" too much and not quite as relaxed as I assume he would normally be. On the other hand, the woman in your video was relaxed and an absolute machine.

[@jordanpeakofficial]

I personally don’t find typical padwork that beneficial for striking, i like them for parry and blocking drills but thats it. Shadow boxing, solo & partner drills, heavy bag and slip bag and sparring are personally the most useful, id happily not include pads in that list

[@ProfessorJM1]

"There ARE some physically incompetent people out there" well said. Then, "milking the rules"...So overlooked/underrated. Watching Floyd on the break teaches you a lot about this.

[@JGato-ii6ky]

I think the same way holding the pads is very useful. Takes away the fear of punches coming at you. Also you can learn how to parie from holding pads. Also if your teaching a bunch of people you almost seen it all and you know all types of combos you memorized so its almost like you see everything coming.

[@doaimanariroll5121]

I still aim to be like that pad holder that you mentioned. “Just throw punches and kicks, I’ll catch”. Holding pads is where it’s at, learning to catch and observe someone hitting you and visualising opening and defences.

[@The_Mystical_Platypus]

I remember this guy on the University boxing team. He used to be super slick on the pads and everyone would inflate his ego. Really nasty narcissistic guy, too. Anyway, I jump in the ring with him for sparring one day and this guy had a good 20kg on me but he was atrocious! He'd look look away from the punches when they were coming his way and just lumbered around all over the place. Goes to show, you can be as slick as you like on the pads but it really means nothing.

[@vlladimirputin]

U also said holding pads is more benificial than hitting them . Can u give few reasons 🙏🙏

[@mrmoth26]

It tells you that they do padwork.

[@tehmu]

Boxing coaches would not use pad work if it wasn't useful.

[@anonymousshawn9996]

From what I was taught, pad work is meant to be Zone 3 conditioning. What are the zones, you ask? Zone 4: out of reach Zone 3: can touch opponents outstretched limbs Zone 2: can touch head and torso of opponent with fist extended Zone 1: can touch head and torso of opponent with elbows

[@vlxdcredd]

Padwork can go through all zones you mentioned, even in this video you see Ali going into that "zone 3" when he does the dempsey roll

[@anonymousshawn9996]

Yeah it can be used for many specific scenarios. I’m just saying that my teacher used it primarily for getting comfortable in Zone 3 where the “intercepting fist” can more easily intercept an incoming attack.

[@benjaminlamptey1867]

Hajime no Ippo nad KZbin documentaries about Jack's exploits in the 1920s made the Dempsey Roll look so complex growing up. Your drill with Ali and description of it as a single movement made it so much easier for me to do 😅

[@SplicedSerpents]

What do you think about the Thor Vs Eddie Hall fight? Thor had an unimpressive exhibition and Eddie has just shown off his pad work.

[@anti1training]

I see a Ramsey Dewey video, I click and like for Coach wisdom. This is excellent exchange

[@seasickviking]

When it comes to pads, the only thing they can truly tell you is if a fighter prefers to favors his left or right side in a fight--a fact that can just as easily be determined by watching previous fights. It can also suggest speed--but as the coach said, its all about the relationship between the trainer and fighter. A fighter will use a different speed in a match than he does with said trainer.

[@JessBess]

I didn't know requesting footage from your opponents was a thing

[@ddwfw]

the fact that you always stress knowing the rules speaks loud about your professionalism...even a lot of pro fighters don't know the rules in depth, especially in MMA there are so many ins and outs to master...I believe it's in Ohio that groin shots are always rules as unintentional fouls, you can win by TKO doing that, it already happened Not advisable but worth knowing lol

[@RamseyDewey]

If you want to win consistently at your sport, learn the rules!

[@ellefsensbarmyarmy8491]

A bigger problem is that some judges don’t know the rules either. This is especially a big problem with Muay Thai in the west.

[@Dubbios]

Question for the next Q and A: For kicks, do you prefer Thai pads or this "new" oversize punch mitts (for example: Fairtex angular punch mitts). Thanks.

[@Win94ae]

The pad work got me to understand footwork. We didn't do it like you. I've only seen a few coaches do it like we did, all of them high level boxers.

[@gerardocovarrubias3058]

Ramsey Dewey thanks for everything I now know what I want to be a martial artist who knows 6 fighting styles which have their very own combat sport and are good,better and more effective in self defence,street fighting and work in combat sport mma which are Sanda kyokushin karate Taekwondo ITF muay Thai savate and combat sambo and if I want to be a boxer and a fighter I will add BJJ and boxing

[@jdt8983]

I think other than the obvious - its target practice - it's a practice in relaxation for kime....in regards to boxing even though it's more of a sledgehammer hit...the need to relax and meditate into the zone a bit to handle aggression and changes of distance. Similar feel to sparring minus the occasional head injury. But I'll go ahead and say you know way more than I do on this (because you actually do ) and consider it a tertiary workout

[@dicemediagroup6374]

Could you explain the wide stance ali is taking? Vs. YEAH STRIKE AS YOU STEP. YEs...but please talk about moving back to go forward?

[@RonALampman]

Pad work... Assessing where your fighter is. Is he/she pulling their hands back to their chin to protect it? Are they taking their head off the center line when throwing punches like when slipping? Not that many things but hard to be aware of those things when you're having leather thrown at you at a rapid pace. Bag work good and necessary. On top of this, pad work also good and more necessary. On top of all this, sparring is the best provided you want to compete and is the most necessary if you choose to do so. Nothing replicates the pressure of a match like sparring.

[@erniemiller1953]

In my limited experience, pad hitting is good for a new fighter because it allows them to feel what it is like to impact with an attack, and allows them to not hold back as they would tend to do in a sparring practice. When I face a co-dojo student, my mind thinks, "I don't really want to hurt this guy, so I will work on technique rather than power;" but pad training frees my thoughts of worrying about injuring my friend and allows me to put as much power as I can into my strikes. Now, it may be that I lack enough power to make a difference, so my pad work may give me a false sense of punch power, but, I can break boards. so I know I have "some" power.

[@vlladimirputin]

What will u prioritise btw. Heavy bag & pad work ??👍🏿👍🏿

[@cashmoney3801]

only reason pads are good is to practice combinations before drilling them in sparring tbh

[@FFFTonyo]

Simple does not necessarily equate to easy. The simultaneous weaving, drop steps while hitting isn't that easy to perform.

[@attilathegod]

Ramsey I was wondering if you can talk about the most common types of injuries one can attain during different martial arts training. I’ve started Muay Thai here in the states and only after two months I’ve already fractured my big toe from my opponent checking my front kick and I’ve jammed my thumb pretty bad from bad technique on an uppercut. Just wondering what are some of the common injuries and what are good ways for fighters to not injure themselves during training. Thank you

[@RamseyDewey]

The most common injuries in all combat sports are hand injuries. Foot injuries in kickboxing are a close second. Pick your offensive shots carefully, and set them up. Master counter striking.

[@Seantorky3]

Being a good pad holder is quite a skill. I think more fighters should learn padwork, its good to learn to spot and correct errors in defence and how to spot telegraphs.

[@BWater-yq3jx]

11:47 That makes sense to me. Pad holder is intercepting punches, while the hitter is training to punch someone's hands 😄 For the benefit of the hitter, I often like to hold 1 pad near my face at varying angles and throw 'punches' with a 1/2 a pool noodle.

[@-KiTToBuG]

So I think it's more about trying to notice bad habits. Like, if you see that your opponent drops his rear hand while jabbing you can exploit that.

[@Synthetic-Rabbit]

I want Ben to win so bad. I know I shouldn't really care but I just don't like the Paul Brothers. “You always own the option of having no opinion. There is never any need to get worked up or to trouble your soul about things you can't control. These things are not asking to be judged by you. Leave them alone.”

[@Balaclavaballistics]

Padwork is fun, sparring is fun, but I hate just hitting a bag random combos. Is this ok?

[@RamseyDewey]

Everything you do on a heavy bag should be deliberate, not random.

[@Balaclavaballistics]

@@RamseyDewey yeah prior to my knee injury i just did left high kicks usually. Just hitting the bag randomly was always boring. Or i also focused on something else

[@noeljarod]

LIKE, if you are a tkd person and can see the displacement patterns when he moves : )

[@JessBess]

For the step in body shot, do you normally fake a jab?

[@sergiopax7610]

i wonder why everyone suggest to hand in a video in wich the fighter looks bad, to fool the opponent. As Ramsay said in an amatuere fight usually the one who hits more often and fights more aggressive will win. If you think your enemy sucks you are going to fight way more aggrassive. If you are afraid you will play more safe wich will more likely lead to a loss. So intimidating the enemy before the fight should be more useful. Then again, it probably doesnt matter at all, as Ramsey said, since both fighter wont have the time to think at all anymore once the fight starts

[@MyCommentsRMaturelol]

This pad work video fucked me. I could swear the odds were like 3 to 1 and now they're so much more even. Fuckin ben, sandbag em and make me money dammitn

[@Dudesofdestruction]

Gabriel Varga made a good neutral vidéo of what you should, dont like when you see Ben last pad work. , or at least as a amateur boxer ... Like lifting His elbow while stricking... That for not getting too Much involve in that run to parasyte some views

[@AmericanTestConstitution]

There is no better way to injure your legs than on Thai Pads, unless the pad holder is really really experienced. You can't hold rectangular pads at just any angle. Rectangular pads do not mimick an opponents body that has an oval/circular cross section for the torso and legs . . . unless that pad holder really knows what he is doing. I feel safer light sparing (sometimes even hard sparing) than I do hitting Thai Pads.

[@stephanwatson7902]

Okay people who would win in a kickboxing match, Bruce Lee or Ben Askren?

[@skycow3208]

Has Ali ever had a kickboxing fight I like his style idk why

[@RamseyDewey]

Yep. He’s done kickboxing.

[@skycow3208]

@@RamseyDewey niiice 👍

[@josephrigley8974]

Pads are fun and good for practicing drills and getting your footwork right without having to spar, at the end you said you learned more by holding the pads than using them yourself and I personally know I don't get the most out of any equipment if I don't have any idea in my head of what I'm learning so maybe its a good idea to have students understand why they are practicing certain things and the end goal instead of them just going through the motions cause its what they are told to do.

[@binaryglitch64]

That double end bag hanging on one of the ring posts... it keeps distracting me.

[@cognito8325]

Oh hello there Ramsey: Have you been following the Jake Paul-Ben Askren drama? Who do you think will win that fight and what do you think about the whole celeb boxing?

[@devongrey4135]

There's a lot of really good insights here, but it could be a little bit more tightly focused.

[@yagzyalcntas553]

Well i would say if an amateur us intimidated he will fight more defensively and dont fight aggressively, if thats happens it should be easier to control the tempo of the fight and keep the initiative, which helps imo

[@LosDjango007]

I don’t like pads. I like the reflex bags and spar bar.

[@mrd2392]

I have always thought that hitting the pad was to correct your form.

[@orthocatsr.8723]

The only pads I hold is Tampax from my oppressive wife

[@ryudru3352]

Thank you ! One of the million question I had for you on your live gets answered here ! 🤧

[@yagzyalcntas553]

Those jabs are too telegraphed i think thats the first thing he should fix

[@realityjaunt]

Pads are scales, fights are concertos.

[@Dk-qh8gh]

padwork no use for me, sparring better

[@Schwartzbruder1]

But what is his power level!!!

[@JGM815]

As long as you are learning, you are always winning.

[@JessBess]

Is shadowboxing more useful than pads?

[@RamseyDewey]

That depends on how you visualize your training. Visualization is the most important thing in all combat sports training outside of sparring. With shadow boxing, bagwork, padwork, etc, you need the context of experience to visualize a fight as you train. You need to know why you are moving the way you are moving and how another human would react to your movement.

[@kitsunekodomo]

The power level was over 9000

[@mantikarasarti7842]

Im really glad that i found this channel

[@tzaeru]

In one of your videos, you spoke against using handweights when shadowboxing. Which seemed pretty logical to me. What about gloves, though? Pair of 16oz gloves is like a pair of one pound weights after all. Been thinking that training with gloves during quarantine would be better for my overall fitness and conditioning for when I go back to sparring. So every day I do from 5 to 20 minutes of shadowboxing (in addition to some kettlebell stuff, a little bit of running, so on) with gloves on.

[@RamseyDewey]

In my first and second videos about how shadow boxing with weights is stupid, that’s exactly what I recommended. Try it and see what you think!

[@squirrelbong]

I've always thought padholding was a little bit silly. No offense to anyone. I mean, you're focusing on the persons hands, and slipping and dodging those hands as hands....but then you're also attacking those hands, that are now...the head/target? Seems kinda like a good way to form bad habits while trying to form good habits.

[@RamseyDewey]

Yep. I know exactly what you mean. In order to train accurately for distance, you have to shift your whole paradigm of visualization 6 to 8 inches every time the pad holder strikes at you.

[@BWoodTTV]

Could you explain why holding pads is more useful than hitting them?

[@RamseyDewey]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pKjZfIiaqJp0i5o

[@joerodriguez3002]

I struggle with holding pads. I feel bad for the other guy,,i do my best but i suck.

[@joerodriguez3002]

I hit the pads Great. Lok

[@cindyy3707]

could you please go a bit more into detail why you think holding the pads is more a useful skill set for a fighter than hitting them?

[@RamseyDewey]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pKjZfIiaqJp0i5o

[@marcgoulet1967]

thanks

[@b1akn3ss93]

So its better for the pad holder to catch the punches rather then giving the striker a target(pad) to hit? As well as throwing a few strikes to keep trainee on his toes (because in a real fight the opponent would be fighting back)

[@RamseyDewey]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pKjZfIiaqJp0i5o

[@CaptPostmod]

I think it's human nature not Rocky that makes people turn training into a performance. Because it comes up constantly in "Traditional" vs "Combat Sport" martial arts videos/conversations. For some people, it's the moment of match-up-getting in a ring or octagon, etc., to pit yourself against someone else. That's what they're in this for. For others of us, it's the training. Getting control of your body and teaching it to move in choreographed ways that make you feel like you look cool. Both goals have their plusses and minuses. And some martial arts like karate moved more toward favoring the performance/practice side of things and some like BJJ lean more toward the facing a competitor side of things.

[@johnwhitedud8024]

I agree

[@oubliette862]

i enjoy observing the student teacher interactions....the philly shell so effective in the street..good stuff. thank u coach ramsey.

[@lenonkitchens7727]

Ramsey, my wife has recently taken up BJJ and some basic striking. She's (mostly) right handed, but, as with most right handed people, her instincts are to stand south paw. Given that we're not talking about training boxing or any sort of intensive striking, should I discourage this? I've explained to her that without training she's seriously limiting the power in her right hand, but she seems particularly averse to an orthodox stance. I just don't know whether I should insist that she learn, train, and become comfortable in orthodox, or let her do her own thing. What do you think?

[@wesleypipes5673]

Hey coach! I haven't hit pads much yet, I live in a remote area and it's hard to find someone to work with but I notice it seems like everybody always uses boxing gloves when hitting pads. I don't like to use boxing gloves as they make it easier to contact the target and in my opinion reinforce bad form, I guess I should add some important context, I'm not a boxer I train strictly for self defense purposes so I don't really need to be accustomed to punching with boxing gloves on. I prefer to use MMA gloves which IMO are less forgiving of bad form and increase the difficulty level hitting the targets. I use MMA gloves to hit the heavy bag as well, I understand proper form etc.. and have never injured myself doing so. What is your opinion on this? Thanks

[@dan-oq4be]

What does holding the pads teach you more than hitting them is it timing and reading tells and movement?

[@RamseyDewey]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pKjZfIiaqJp0i5o

[@Chiburi]

I was unsubbed from your channel!

[@RamseyDewey]

Why?

[@thebrownbaldy]

This same principle can go for using the heavy bag too. Everyone looks good on the bag BUT you'll never beat up your bag. Focus mitts and heavy bags IMHO, should be used to hone your accuracy vs seeing how hard you can hit.

[@eddard9442]

His power level is OVER 9000!!!!!!!!!!

[@evilempire8005]

I like mitt work to work on footwork more than hands. I know some people are good with visualization and can just shadowbox. I'm not as good and have improved my movement and balance with mitts. I think it also helps if the target is more 'real'. A chin or body isn't there static. I got significantly better when the mitt popped up and down and I had to move and throw very quickly. This exposed bad habits in a way that the heavy bag and shadow boxing didn't for me. YMMV.

[@stephanwatson7902]

MMA Weasle said it well. Watch Jake hit pads, looks good, but he doesnt hit anything like that in his fights. Expert strikers, like Conor, Rose or Izzy, can strike with as good of form as they the hit pads

[@fireeaglefitnessmartialart935]

Oh man. I love pads. Focus and thai. They're my favorite training method for striking. My boxing coach is predominantly a pad holder. He makes a living holding pads everyday. With combination and sequences he learned from training Mayweather sr. And it even inspired me to not only be a coach myself, but to be a pad holder. And I've had opportunities to hold pads for people on my own. One of the ways our brains retains information best, is by verbally expressing that information outwardly. So like, in a teaching context. Plus, it can be used as a really good high intense workout. I do have to agree about the holder getting more out of it than the fighter, and is kind of an additional reason why I like it. 1: you get to see different people with different body types and such moving in front of you. 2: you're getting accustomed to strikes coming at you(sure the context is a little different but its something), and occasionally getting hit. 3: the mental aspect of essentially leading the other person with whatever exercise, combo, or sequence being used; and changing it up throughout the session. Pad holding is almost an art unto itself. Plus it's just plain fun, on both ends. My arms have come out sore from all the kinetic energy. And from the striker side, checking defense, constant twisting from slips, shells, and rolling. And footwork for both sides. The holder sometimes has to be on his game, cuz if you're going fast, and you miss a spot, could get clocked good. Lol.

[@brandonpearman9218]

Whats your take on how hard the pad holder should be striking your fists vs you striking the pads. I've had some coaches that basically hit my fists so hard with the pads that I barely have to even strike and looks like i'm whacking the pads. If I do put in effort then my punches get smothered by the pads. I have seen many pros doing that too. I personally prefer less movement in the pads so I can focus on striking a target.

[@dylananderson6906]

We do pads every class and alot of body waight exercises and sometimes cardio training. Should i be doing more sparring or technical sparring?

[@Mharriscreations]

I think padwork is great...Mostly for the padholder. It teaches the holder to get peoples timing, how to parry, it's fantastic for teaching you to keep your eyes open. Basically it teaches the holder great defense. As far as offensively, for me I just try to view it as my opponent and not much else because I have aphantasia (essentially its imagination blindness) so it helps having a visual representation I can use as a face or solar plexus to hit.

[@davidrasmussen5062]

Holding shield pad for kung Lee's leg kicks, I still won't be able to take to many.

[@thethan302]

As Mike Tyson said. "everyone's got a plan until you get punched in the face". they'd do better to analyze actual fights instead of pad work. but the psychology of the idea of analyzing someone's pad work is fascinating. It allows you to mess with your opponents minds. As you mentioned it can get someone too wired up before the fight. The idea of the training montage is to show the character improve over a long period of time, in just a few minutes of film time. it's basically shorthand and I like a good training montage.