How Do You Use Boxing Focus Pads?
Are you a boxing enthusiast or martial arts participant? If so, you’ve likely heard of focus pads or focus mitts and wondering what focus pads are. Well, you’re in the right place to learn more about them, including their benefits, the different types, and how to use them.
How to use them and your chosen type will depend on your personal goals, skill level, and which type of boxing or martial arts you intend to do. This article is your complete guide on how to use boxing focus pads to improve your skills, get fitter, and enjoy the sport even more.
What are focus pads?
Boxing pads, also known as focus pads or focus mitts, like these Max EC Boxing Curved Arm Pads, are cushioned targets for training by boxers, martial arts fighters, and athletes. Athletes have used boxing pads for centuries because they allow you to perform various strikes, hits, kicks, and drills.
One person wears the boxing pads on their hands and holds them up in front of the other boxer, who can hit and strike the pads to their heart’s content. What better way to work up a sweat and burn hundreds of calories?
What are the benefits of focus pads?
There are numerous benefits to using focus pads, and here are the top 10 reasons you should use them.
- Improve your accuracy, precision, and speed
- Work on your punching power
- Well-cushioned materials offer excellent protection for your hands
- They simulate a real fight
- Relieves stress
- Improve fitness levels and build muscle
- Improved technique and timing
- Train your movements and improve your footwork
- Sharpen your senses
- They help you to spot your weaknesses and set goals
What are the different types of focus pads?
Focus pads come in a wide range of different sizes and designs to suit every training style. Which type you choose depends on your personal goals and whether you’re someone practicing boxing and martial arts for fitness and enjoyment or a competitive boxing enthusiast wanting to improve your skill and technique.
Straight focus pads
Flat pads create a bigger surface area for punches, strikes, and martial arts kicks. They are comfortable to wear and highly effective at blocking punches made by your partner. These pads are great for beginners or those who are training for fitness purposes.
Curved focus pads
Like these Maxx EC Curved Focus Pads, curved pads are ideal for training and sparring and are the most popular type of focus pads. The contoured design naturally fits the curve of the hand, making a more natural punch. The curve creates a sweet spot to help the boxer land more accurate blows.
These pads are perfect for boxers who want to improve their accuracy and punching ability and those preparing for a match in the ring. Our Maxx Curved Focus Pads and Gloves are popular as they’re perfect for training and sparring.
Micro mitt focus pads
Micro mitt focus pads are the smallest type of pads. Professional boxers and martial artists typically use them. They are more lightweight than other focus pads and designed for precision striking. If you want precision punches, these are the pads for you.
Hybrid focus pad
Hybrid focus pads, as the name suggests, are more versatile. They are a cross between kick pads and focus mitts. They are ideal for training in Muay Thai, as they can withstand the heavy punishments inflicted during this boxing sport, such as punches, elbows, knees, and kicks.
How to handle focus pads
After choosing your perfect focus pads, you need to know how to handle them safely and effectively to get the most out of them and reap the benefits. Here are some tips on how to hold focus pads and how to handle them properly.
Set your goals
Any athlete should have specific goals to keep them motivated and moving forward, no matter what stage in their journey they’re at. Focus pads provide many different options, so be clear about what you want to focus on before you start training. Is it precision you want? Power? Movement? You name it; focus pads can help you achieve your goals.
Natural fighting position
Pads are designed to simulate a real fight, and to help you succeed in the ring; you need to treat the pads like an opponent. Aim to develop a natural position and movement when using focus pads. Whether you’re holding the pads or you’re the one throwing the punches, the movement and body positions should feel authentic to a boxing match.
Position the pads correctly
Keep the focus pads at forehead height for straight punches, just a few inches away from you, to the left or right, and angle them inwardly. For hooks, turn the pads inwards, keeping them perpendicular to your body. Hold at eye height for head shots and rid height for rib shots. For uppercuts, the pads should be positioned downwards at around chin height.
Hand movements
It’s essential to find the right balance with the help of your hand’s movements. It won’t help to raise your hands and keep them still when handling the focus pads. Neither will it help to swing towards your partner’s gloves too much.
Also, do not raise your hands the entire time; instead, drop your hands to the waist between each combination. Due to these hand movements, the training person will learn to react to the hand’s movements. Simulating a real fight is the best way to move the focus pads. It’s about finding the right balance between stillness and when it’s the right time to move toward the punch.
Arm and wrist tension
To avoid injury, when folding the focus pads, always keep tension in your hands and wrists so you can withstand the impact of the pad.
Find the rhythm
Work on developing a steady flow. Flow smoothly from offense to defense, one combination to another, punching to footwork. Work on developing a nice calm fighting rhythm and learn that it’s not all about going for it with every punch and opportunity, but finding a steady rhythm helps you to slow down and think.
Adjust your speed
If your training partner starts to land punches accurately, with power and precision, it’s time to speed things up. If your partner is getting sloppy and not concentrating, slow things back down and provide them with feedback.
How to train with focus pads
Focus pads are so versatile, far more so than a punching bag. Focus pads help improve technique, build muscle and endurance and simulate a real fight, so you’re more likely to see results when using focus pads than punching bags.
Learn lots of drills
Don’t just do the same thing repeatedly; not only will it get boring, and you’re likely to put the focus pads down and call it a day, but you won’t see improvements as quickly. Learn new combinations, patterns, and drills by watching other trainers, videos or invent some of your own based on your strengths and weaknesses.
Give feedback
Focus pads work best when the boxer is given constant feedback, and they take the feedback on board to change their technique. The feedback should be technical and strategic, letting your partner know if they’ve made sloppy mistakes or if they can do something differently.
Give him technical and strategic feedback. Knowing your partner’s goals is a great way to give constructive feedback.
Slow down
Boxing isn’t all about go, go, go; no one has ever won a fight that way. It’s a sport that takes careful consideration and skill. It can be challenging for a fighter to slow down. If you’re having difficulty at a particular skill or reaching your goal, it’s essential to slow down. Slow the drill right down until you can get it perfect, and gradually speed it up into a rhythm that you’re comfortable with.
A final word
Focus pads are versatile boxing and martial arts equipment that can develop your skills and improve your fitness levels, so you must invest in good quality focus pads from the best brand of boxing equipment at a reputable supplier.
For over 7 years, Maxx Pro Boxing has been supplying originally manufactured boxing equipment to thousands of boxing enthusiasts, including punching bags, punching gloves, focus pads, and much more. We take great pride in manufacturing professionally graded boxing equipment, have the quality you can trust, and keep coming back to us time and time again.
