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PAD WORK PART 1
This is the first of a two-part article looking at pad work.
Modern martial artists regularly utilise hand held pads to improve footwork, balance, power and endurance. Physically striking a target rather than ‘hitting air’ provides valuable performance feedback, especially when the pad holder offers constructive comment on the techniques they’re receiving. Pad work offers many advantages over bag work, the most obvious being interaction with a real opponent. Bag work is an excellent tool for developing power, but for realistic fighting skill, pad work is far superior when used effectively.
Pads and Their Uses
The type of pads that you’re using will dictate the way in which you can train with them. There are several designs of hand held pad, each developed for specific uses. The main types are as follows:
Kicking Shields
Kicking shields are usually large vinyl covered dense foam targets, with mounted holding straps. They are particularly useful for developing power techniques. The design means that they can easily be used to receive both hand and leg techniques. They don’t offer much in the way of accuracy training due to the larger target area, but are very effective when drilling techniques such as jump spinning back-kicks, were lack of accuracy can easily result in an injured pad holder!
Target Paddles
Target paddles were developed for dynamic kicking movements, although hand techniques can also be applied. The design of this pad presents the target at a distance to the holder’s hand, making it far less likely to be accidentally kicked. Another advantage of this pad is that it’s flexible, allowing kicking techniques to follow through. This is particularly useful when practicing jumping kicks, allowing a safe landing while developing speed and accuracy.
Boxing Focus Mitts
Focus mitt gloves are essential for developing fast accurate punching techniques, a boxing coaches tool that translates directly to martial arts. These pads can be quickly re-positioned at various angles to simulate different body targets and allow the holder to move as a fighter, working their partner in a more realistic manner. All types of hand and elbow strikes can be trained on these pads, but kicking them will injure the holder unless the kicks are particularly light.
Long Mitts or Thai Pads
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>Hook kicking a target paddle
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These rectangular forearm pads are becoming increasingly popular with all fighting arts. Developed in Thailand for Muay Thai fighters to practice full power techniques, long mitts combine the power absorption of a kicking shield with the versatility and manoeuvrability of boxing focus mitts. They can be used one at a time, or in pairs with each pad strapped to the forearm and positioned either as a single target (focus mitt style) or with both pads brought together to provide a larger (and more protecting) kicking target. This allows the pad holder to work any combination of techniques with the training partner in any particular round by quickly moving the pads to receive punches, kicks, elbows or knees.
Applied Pad Work
There are many ways in which you can use pad work in your training, all with varying levels of usefulness. Three distinct methods are shown below:
Line Drills
Line drills consist of one person holding a pad with a single line of partners facing them. They all take turns to throw a technique or combination on the pads, and then move to the back of the line. Periodically the person holding the pad is changed to someone else from the ‘line’. The drill can be run for a number of changes of the pad or for a timed round or series of rounds. This type of pad work is useful when the number of students in the class exceeds the number of available pads. It also allows those holding the pads to directly compare the technique and power of all of those in the line. The prominence of individuals hitting the pads tends to make them work harder on power, but fitness levels aren’t highly taxed – unless the lines are short or exercises are performed while waiting! The techniques or combinations used in line drills are inherently rather static, limiting the opportunity to develop footwork or general movement.
Circle Drills
Circle drills are a variation on the line drill in which the group forms two concentric circles – partners facing each other. The pad holders form an outside ring (facing in), while the ‘hitters’ form an inside ring (facing out). The hitters then throw a combination, and then quickly move clockwise to face the next pad holder. The combination is then thrown again, and so on. The drill is run for a complete lap until you once again face your original pad holder (or more laps if the group is small). Alternatively, the drill can also run for a timed round or series of rounds. Then the partners change roles, and the drill runs again. This type of drill once again allows the pad holders to compare performances of various individuals (learning from those with better technique), and will also place high demands on fitness. As with the line drill, movement is limited and footwork will tend to be fairly static.
Partner drills
Partner drills are the traditional method of using the pads, and the best! It’s the most flexible method, and good pad work should require you to block, cover and guard as well as attack. General sparring simulation can be created if both partners use proper footwork to move around each other and the pad holder periodically feeds attacks of their own. Static targets can also be presented to allow repetitions of specific full-power techniques. Pad work should be conducted in round intervals, either for a number of consecutive rounds (with rests), or alternating rounds of ‘hitting’ and ‘holding’ (without rests).
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>A pad holder’s viewpoint is a fighter’s viewpoint
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Ultimate Pad Work
Muay Thai pad work is the most advanced that you’ll find in any art. The nature of Thai boxing means that regular heavy sparring will result in injuries. In Thailand, Muay Thai is an occupation and fighters will compete in the ring every month and are therefore continually in a cycle of recovery and improvement before the next bout – and if they don’t fight, they don’t get paid! Heavy sparring would obviously hinder recovery between competitive bouts, and therefore sparring is kept deliberately light (but technical) with full power techniques applied during pad work. This is the reason why pad work has been developed to such a high level by the Muay Thai fighters of Thailand.
In my opinion, a pair of long mitts and a partner are the best training tools a martial artist can have. Regardless of whether you train for full contact or not, training with long mitts allows you to closely simulate sparring and doesn’t limit the techniques that can be thrown in combination the way other pads do.
Pad Holder’s Gain
Regardless of the manner in which they are used, holding the pads will also provide its rewards. When holding the pads you will inevitably receive some of the power of the technique into your own body. This will help to condition you to taking some punishment, and help you to develop a better sense of balance while under fire! You will also begin to recognise patterns of movement while receiving techniques on the pad - getting a ‘fighter’s-eye view’ of incoming strikes from an opponent. This enables you to respond to them better during sparring or competition fighting.
Pad work is the ultimate tool for a competition fighter. At its highest level, pad work with an experienced ‘pad holder’ accurately simulates fighting. It is the ultimate tool for duplicating the work rate, power, footwork and offensive / defensive techniques of fighting — while reducing the likelihood of injury.
Next month we will take a look at how to conduct pad work in more detail.
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