Pads
| Striking Pads are another essential training aid that no gym can be without. The Focus pads are used to train punching accuracy and focus. Beginners normally punch at the pad and not through the pad, thus scraping their knuckles on the surface as they do not strike the pads cleanly. Often their wrists are not aligned and could cause damage if striking a bag, these issues can be corrected using the pad before any bagwork is undertaken. |
Over the years I have used a variety of pads for different purposes. Due to the fact that they can be moved into different positions they can be used to train reactions and the ability to strike a moving target.
Larger , denser pads are required for kick training due to the greater striking weight of a kick and the larger striking area of the knee, shin, foot .
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October 26, 2009 at 1:51 pm | Training | No comment
Gloves
Boxing Gloves
For the purposes of training I use 16oz gloves. The heavier weight forces the relaxation of the shoulders to be able to keep the hands up over many rounds. They also provide more padding and cushion the contact impact to the hands. As they are larger it is harder to find gaps to strike with and hence better timing and accuracy are required.
12oz gloves are used for competition, as they are lighter and smaller and produce a harder impact when striking. Most modern gloves use velcro to fasten them rather than the shoelaces which makes them much easier to put on and take off.
Obviously these are only used for standup training , to hone boxing skills, although it is necessary to practise basic throwing and downing skills wearing the gloves.
Restricting the use of hands with gloves forces improvement of the techniques so that optimal body positioning and movement must be performed to make the throws work.
Grappling Gloves
Open hand grappling gloves are a great addition to the gym as they enable more sophisitcated locking and throwing techniques to be applied that require the use of open hands.
October 24, 2009 at 3:26 pm | Training | No comment
Headguards
Headgear
Facial cuts, broken noses and black eyes don’t go down well at work, so until the skill level is such that you won’t get hit in the face , facial protection is an essential prerequisite for any fighters gym.
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Having tried a variety of headguards of differing price and quality I have found that you definitely get what you pay for. Plastic grills over the face reduce visibility and can’t really take the punishment. During one sparring session not only did the grill break it did more damage than the kick would have done. |
Generally you would be looking for a balance between good visibility and protection. It is no good having a helmet that reduces your visibility to such an extent that you cannot see attacks, especially kicks coming from the side. It is better to rely on speed and mobility to avoid then on the protection to reduce the impact. The Headguard is protects against facial damage, but does not protect the brain from impact, so the best option is to avoid getting hit in the first place.
Gumshields
It is also essential that everyone who spars wears a gumshield. Even a light punch to the mouth will cause the teeth to cut through the lips so don’t take the risk. Gumshields come in avariety of sizes , so it is best to have some spares around for people who have forgotten theirs or do not have any. Gumshields also protect you from getting your teeth knocked out. So don’t take the risk protect your mouth, protect your teeth , protect your looks.
October 24, 2009 at 2:27 pm | Training | No comment
Gloves and Mitts
Mitts
I use a variety of different gloves and mitts for different types of practise but mainly to lessen the impact of blows and the contact of knuckles to the body which will cause people to behave differently than they should when practicing applications.
I have often observed that when people know what the application is they change their behaviour in anticipation of the counter especially when their training partner lacks sufficient control or is insufficiently skilled to control their strikes. This creates the situation wher neither party is practising the techniques in the correct way , the attacker does not attack with full commitment and the defender cannot perform his application because of this
These mitts have the advantage that they are lightweight, flexible and leave the hands free to perform all open hand techniques such as locks and palm strikes without any impediment.
October 24, 2009 at 2:14 pm | Training | No comment
Equipping the Gym – Bag Gloves
A Fighter’s gym is incomplete without the requisite training aids and equipment to increase stamina, strength and provide the necessary protection when sparring and treatment for the incidental cuts,bruises and sprains that necessarily occur during rigorous fight training.
For any martial art that has a striking element hand protection is an essential prerequisite. When learning to strike the pad or bag beginners rarely strike correctly and will almost inevitable remove the skin from their knuckles. Once this happens they have to wait until the damage is repaired before they can start punching again. To continue strike training in these cases I make them practise palm strikes instead of punching.
To prevent this kind of problem use bag mitts like these to protect the hands when striking the bag.
Protecting the hands allows a much greater period of bagwork enabling increased stamina build-up and the combination of different punches without risk of hand damage.
It is important to note that bag gloves tend to be of much tougher, more abrasive material than actual boxing gloves due to the fact thaqt they must withstand a far greater degree of punishment against a much tougher target (the bag) and as such should not be used when sparring.
October 4, 2009 at 8:38 pm | Training | 4 comments