Pad work is a cornerstone of any striking discipline. We’ve all seen pro boxers showing off their skills on pads on social media, and a ‘mitt-man’ is a key part of a fighter’s team. But unless you are a fighter, and have individual focus on you, you’re more likely to take part in a pad class where you and a partner take turns holding pads for each other. Here are my top tips for getting the best out of both sides of the arrangement.
THE STRIKER
First up, the striker. This side is usually (and rightly so) the focus of the coach/instructor’s attention, but even then the advice usually centres around how to perform the specific combination being taught. So here are my tips on pad work in general:
1 - Don’t rush it
It can be tempting to charge at a pad routine all guns blazing, full power and full speed. This is not helpful. Your first few times trying out a combination on the pads should be slow and deliberate, checking in with your body to see how you move, how you can improve that movement and above all, what the technique is. Once you’ve nailed the correct movement, increase the pace by increments until you’re going full speed and have hopefully ironed out any obvious errors. Don’t be afraid to start the process again if you feel something isn’t working.
2 - Come back to guard
A very common mistake is to treat the last punch in the combination as the end of the exercise, and drop the hand after, or even hold that punch like you’re posing. But we’re training for a combat sport, it ends when the bell goes or the referee stops it, not when you throw the last punch in a combo. Make sure that you build into your training the idea that the combination only ends when you’re back with your guard up, and even better have moved. Leading me neatly into…
3 - Move and be active
My pet hate is static pad work. Two people opposite each other throwing 1-2-hook. Beat. 1-2-hook. Beat. A mind-numbing rhythm ad infinitum. DO NOT DO THIS. You may be throwing it correctly, but you’re missing out on all the subsidiary benefits. Adjusting your feet. Reaction time. It’s not just about learning to throw this combination, but about learning to throw it in a fluid manner, keeping your weight correctly balanced, spotting an opening and throwing it just at the right time, making the little adjustments that are required in a fight. Once you’ve thrown the last punch, move your feet!
4 - Prioritise flow over power
A combination is a number of punches flowing together to create something greater than the sum of the parts. But a lot of people will fall back on strength and throw individual punches, each one throwing them off balance and leaving them completely open to a counter. As a general rule of thumb, ask yourself this - what is your opponent doing while you’re throwing? If they’ve got time to pop off for a coffee between punches, you need to change your approach. Would you prefer a hard punch that doesn’t land, or a lighter one that does?
THE PAD HOLDER
And now for the oft neglected member of the partnership, the pad holder. You’ve come to a class to learn how to hit, not how to hold, so this is pretty much just a break right? Couldn’t be further from the truth. Here’s four tips on how to help your partner get the best out of their training, which in turn means they will try and do the same for you, plus a bonus tip on why it’s actually still benefitting you:
1 - Replicate what they’re meant to hit
Pad work is about training to hit the person in front of you. If you’re holding one pad by your left ear and one by your right, how many people are you expecting them to be fighting at once? This is even more relevant with kicks. If a crescent kick comes off the left leg targeting the right cheek but the pad is held far off to the left, the striker will have to position themselves in a completely different way to actually reach the pad, meaning that when they then try to use it in sparring, they will be unprepared.
2 - Counter and range find
One tip for the striker was to come back to guard, and the pad holder has a part to play in this. After the last punch, throw something back just to check the guard is up, and also to contextualise it to the striker. Equally as you move around between combos, throw out the occasional jab to give the striker an understanding of range. Remember the aim of these are not to catch the striker out and hit them in the face, but simply to add realism to their training and promote good habits.
3 - Raise the pads only when you want them hit
I see a lot of people put up the pads and keep them there for the whole round. Not only does this tire the arms unnecessarily, it can actually lead to accidents, particularly if you’re moving while striking. If your pads are up all the time, you’re guessing when they’re going to strike, and if you’re not prepared you could get a pad back in the face, or worse the striker could overextend their arm or leg through lack of resistance. As a bonus, flashing the pads up replicates suddenly seeing an opening in a fight, and conditions the striker to be constantly balanced and ready to throw.
4 - Keep the intensity up
Nothing kills the mood like lacklustre pad holding. It’s hard for a striker to maintain their own intensity if you as the pad holder aren’t giving them anything to feed off. Be energised, move around, tap jabs and hooks at them, test their guard, test their range. In between combos, call for a cheeky jab. Vary it, make it realistic. Sparring is intense, fighting more so, and what you’re doing here is training for those eventualities - the fulfilment of the sport.
BONUS - This is not a break for you!
A common misconception is that while you’re holding pads for someone, you’re somehow ‘off’. On the contrary, this is an excellent opportunity to develop fluid footwork as you move around each other, easy head movement in between combos, and most important of all, reactions. Good pad work requires you to slightly meet their shots with each pad to provide resistance, and holding fast active pads will enhance your reactions and timing, so be present and don’t discount it!
Pad work is so crucial for development, on both sides. If you take the time to learn not only how to hit but also how to hold, you will find that your sparring improves just as your pad work does.