Focus mitts

**j416to** · Posted On: 8/17/2005 8:18pm

Muay Thai pads aren't meant to be used like focus mitts. You're not suppose to be "feeding" your partner with targets to hit. Traditional Muay Thai camps don't spar, they just fight. So the Muay Thai pads are suppose to be used more like armor, the trainer wearing the forearm pads, belly pads, and shin pads, is suppose to be talented enough to intercept the attacker's random punches, elbows, kicks and knees, without knowing any choreographing of the strikes. It's suppose to be the closest thing to sparring, without really sparring.

**Vandal** · Posted On: 8/18/2005 2:07am

You still thing they'de be good for punching and kicking drills? Even if you dont have a good feeder, but just someone who can be there to hold them?

Or should I shoot for getting a different kind, like a leg kicking pad, or just any other type of large pad to use.

**feedback** · Posted On: 8/18/2005 2:39am

Originally Posted by j416to

Muay Thai pads aren't meant to be used like focus mitts. You're not suppose to be "feeding" your partner with targets to hit. Traditional Muay Thai camps don't spar, they just fight. So the Muay Thai pads are suppose to be used more like armor, the trainer wearing the forearm pads, belly pads, and shin pads, is suppose to be talented enough to intercept the attacker's random punches, elbows, kicks and knees, without knowing any choreographing of the strikes. It's suppose to be the closest thing to sparring, without really sparring.

I think you'll be hard pressed to find people who use them like that.

**albert** · Posted On: 8/18/2005 3:32pm

What do people think of feeding with a Thai pad on one arm, and a focus mitt on the other? I had seen it before, and someone I trained with introduced it to me recently.

For me, it was easier to feed certain punch combinations, while I still had the beefy Thai pad to absorb kicks and knees (though not as well as 2 Thai pads, of course).

**feedback** · Posted On: 8/18/2005 6:12pm

I would never hold just one thai pad for a kick in training, or forearms would go flying this way and that

**Strong Machine** · Posted On: 8/18/2005 10:59pm

I feed with a thaipad and a regular one sometimes.And wear a belly guard allowing body punches and knees.kicks.Though belly shots can be done with boxing mitts, if the guy hits hard and hes using VT gloves it can be perilous.
I'll also hold a full kick shield and a focus mitt alot.

"Strong machine, how do you incorporate mitts into groundwork?"

I'll have certain conbos that end with him slsamming me down then he'll strike from mount or in guard a few times.Their are different mechanics to GnP than standing striking.Dramatically different.But mostly certain bags develop them.Mitts are used mostly to train a fighter to burst into Gnp as fast as can be off the TD cause thats often when someone is most vulnerable to shots.Even good guard guys tend to need a second to collect themselves tighen up and zero in to start defending well.Usually.
When I train wrestlers to face sub guys I often advocate a big tackle to a flurry of fast bombs then backing out and repeating.But it depends on the two guys.

As for the use of mitts with a bad feeder.No.No it cant be alittle useful.
It's annoying, you develop bad habits and someone will often get hurt.A fair puncher will often injure a bad feeders rotator cuff as a bad feeder often won'tknow how to tap the punches with the mitt.And he'll hurt the striker by moving mitts in akward positions and making you miss the mitt often causing a hyper extension.

**GuySmiley** · Posted On: 8/19/2005 6:40pm

i agree with feedback, holding one thai pad with one arm wouldn't be solid enough to absorb kicks that had anything on them. the pad holder would have his arm injured. but that's just my opinion.

**albert** · Posted On: 8/19/2005 8:03pm

Like I said, it's definitely not as comfortable, but it's a possibility, as long as the person you're feeding isn't kicking with 100% power (or they just can't kick hard) Sometimes using both Thai pads can feel unwieldy. Having the focus mitt there for more precise elbows and punching combos is nice. I'm not saying to never use both Thai pads, it's just that this can work too, as one can see:

**j416to** · Posted On: 8/20/2005 12:08am

I agree with Albert and Strong Machine. It's not a big deal to us both a focus mitt and a Muay Thai pad. When our coach does feed, he feeds with a focus mitt, and used a Muay Thai pad in the other hand to block kicks. It's not a big deal, and we're all asked to do that. Most of the kick is absorbed with the MT pad, but you also absorb some of the kick with the focus mitt.

**Quikfeet509** · Posted On: 10/07/2005 6:34pm

So for focus mitts, Steve recommended the Everlast Mantis mitts. Anybody have any other recommendations, and does anyone have any recommendations for a MT pad?

Edit: bought the Mantis mitts and will see how they work tommorrow morning. Still waiting on the Thai pads.