Boxing allows fists only; however, in Muay Thai boxing, fighters can use elbows, hands, feet, and knees to deliver some powerful blows. Focus pads are a great way to enhance your punching techniques: focus pad training benefits technique, physical fitness, and well-being. During the boxing training sessions, focus pad drills are there to improve your punching techniques.
Hitting pads is an essential tool for training to use pads effectively, and one must train hard. Boxing focus pads are great for honing endurance and building stamina. It will help any practitioner to develop power with kicks and punches against the real target while tightening the strikes. Focus pads provide a small target area, so they are smaller and lighter with much more mobility.
Boxing mitts are best for punching; in fact, some of the fighters also throw elbow combinations. Pad enhances punching power, reflexes, and hand speed. In addition, it is best for footwork training, and the practitioner gets a better understanding of reach and range.
What are the benefits of training with boxing focus pads?
A hitting pad continuously comes with great timing and accuracy while using the lead hand. It comes with a great estimation of reach and range and getting some crucial points to dominate the rounds. Pad work will also help create a proper stance, body movement, and weight shifting.
Improve hand-eye-coordination
Fighters who practice hitting pads have good hand-eye coordination and faster reflexes. Seeing the target, focusing on it, and switching it while it moves will help you improve your hand-eye coordination.
Improve your technique and stimulate fight conditions
Focus pads are the foremost tool for honing the punching technique when the fighter and partner replicate the fighting conditions. It will help to judge your distance and improve focus while targeting the moving opponent, along with dodging and footwork. Partner can move around, last punching combos, and simulate punches. One can practice for the real fight by using these techniques all together, as focus pads will enhance speed, precision, and power.
Speed is essential during any combat sport, especially boxing; otherwise, the opponent can detect your punches and will dodge them easily. With boxing and mitt training, one can practice the speed of the punches and the speed of the reactions, too, as the partner continuously changes the position of the arms. Repeating combos will also improve the speed.
Precision is as important as speed; without accuracy, speed is a waste of energy. One has to manage the energy reserves because it is not unlimited, and power comes once you feel at ease with your combos.
Healthy heart
Fitness pads challenge your heart and lungs to endure a tough workout. The lungs and heart must make physiologic changes to cope with physical activities. Intense training sessions it is the best cardio fitness training.
Improve the fitness
Boxing, in general, is a physical activity, and boxing focus pads training ramps this up. Your combos will increase your heart rate and learn the pace to work out and control your breathing. At the same time, you are doing physical activity and taking the time to recover before doing the exercise. Pad work will improve the physique of any fighter as it is not only about landing punches but also requires a proper stance, body movement, and body weight shifting. The intensity of pad work sessions improves health and wellness.
Build muscles
Muscular strength is the ability of the body that exerts force. Hitting pads will make your muscle fibers undergo adaptations during resistance training; this muscle memory is the only thing any fighter takes inside the ring. Adaptations usually allow your muscles to respond efficiently to messages from the central nervous system. Hitting pads bring total body strength into use as it involves kicking, punching, and jumping, eventually enhancing strength. Repeated punches will help to tone your muscles. While muscles are in use, they need more oxygen, raising your heart and breathing rate. So, moving around means all your muscles get toned, including your shoulders, arms, chest, back, abs, glutes, thighs, and calves.
During training, punches, and reflexes, they record in actual and muscle memory. When any fighter gets into a real fight, the body responds according to the situation it learned.
While practicing in mitt sessions, the partner not only asks you to land punches but throws various strikes to escape from those. That will improve the reflexes of the fighters to save them from counterpunches and strikes.
Boxing Styles
Boxer Puncher
One could say that this is the style that encompasses all other boxing styles; fighting in or outside is no problem for the boxer puncher. They are more confident engaging in exchanging blows as these are high-strength fighters who pack more of a punch than counterpunchers or out fighters. Boxer punchers are versatile, holistic fighters who tend to adjust their strategy according to the opponent. They may lure in a swarmer with expert footwork and movements, designed to open a gap for them to land their own blows. In the case of an out boxer, they might switch out and become the swarmer themselves.
Counter Puncher
If a fighter possesses exceptional natural abilities in the areas of pace, coordination, reflexes, and instinct, they are likely to lean towards fitting the counter puncher mold. Counter punchers almost never start the fight themselves. They practice the technique of fooling their opponent into walking into blows by waiting for an opening, such as when the opponent misses their strike. Throughout the fight, the goal of the counterpuncher is to make their opponent miss so they may strike back with their own potent blows.
Swarmer
The swarmer, also known as a crowder, pressure fighter, or in-fighter, is a type of boxer that uses continual pressure to try and overload their opponent. This functions to take away their opponent’s reach. warmers will try to get inside by employing their strong point, which is their head movement. There is a strong demand for endurance and strength due to the requirement for high power, a strong chin, and a significant punch volume. This fighting style prefers to move in on the opponent and unleash a barrage of punches from a distance.
Slugger
Sluggers are sometimes referred to as punchers or brawlers. Colloquially called ‘Knockout Artists’, they earned this title due to their impeccable balance, which comes from planting their feet on the floor. The best swarmers can hit hard from any angle. Some are capable of trapping their opponents so that they are vulnerable to their lethal punches. In defense, they utilize grappling methods to suffocate their opponents and make them open targets for strong blows. In the risk zone of being hit, they are often masters of defensive mobility. They sometimes employ tactful defense mechanisms such as ducking and sliding. Preferring straight power punches to combinations, these fighters might meet their match in someone quicker.
Out boxer
The out-boxer, or the out-fighter, boxer). fights with quicker, farther-reaching blows while trying to keep a distance from their adversary. Out-boxers are renowned for having lightning-fast reflexes, which frequently stand in for any strength.
A Concluded Note:
Pad work is where a fighter learns how to land different combinations during a real fight and protect themselves from the counterattacks while landing their own vicious punches. Apart from all the benefits of mitt boxing, one must put safety as a top priority during training sessions. Check StarPro combat for the best quality boxing gloves, boxing focus pads, and boxing mitts to ensure protection. One can avail of premium quality boxing gear without breaking the bank.