How to Hold Boxing Mitts

Boxing mitts, also known as focus pads or focus mitts, are an integral part of boxing training and a useful tool to get in shape. But without a good mitt holder, you’re risking injury and not getting the most out of your training.

Let’s look at what boxing mitts are for and how to hold them like a professional to enhance your training.

Why Use Boxing Mitts

Boxing mitts are a commonly used piece of equipment in boxing training and boxing fitness classes because they’re extremely useful in many regards, including:

• Improving physical fitness
• Helping mental health through focus and socialisation
• Improving boxing technique

There are four main types of punches in boxing which can be practised easily on punching bags, but with boxing mitts, you’re able to practise more fluid combinations as your partner holding the mitts encourages you to change from attack to defence and quickly flow from one strike to another, maintaining speed and accuracy.

Boxing mitts enable trainers to simulate realistic defensive scenarios, improving technique and enhancing a boxer’s ability to read and react to movements. They contribute to improved cardiovascular endurance as the trainer moves and adapts during the session, promoting endurance. Boxing mitts are also known as focus pads as they aid in developing mental focus and concentration, crucial elements for effective performance in the ring.

But none of this would be possible without the effective communication between the mitt holder and the fighter, so boxing mitts are a great tool for a social, collaborative and instructive training environment.

Does Holding Boxing Mitts Improve Your Own Performance?

Incorporating pad work into your training routine provides a multifaceted approach to skill development and contributes positively to various aspects of your boxing performance.

Holding boxing mitts can significantly benefit your own boxing skills by:

• Improving your understanding of proper technique
• Enhancing timing and coordination
• Encouraging strategic thinking
• Improving cardiovascular and muscular endurance
• Refining footwork and agility
• Heightening focus and concentration
• Developing adaptability and defensive skills
• Improving communication skills

Acting as a mitt holder not only improves your individual skills but also enhances your coaching abilities, as you need to communicate with and advise your partner to improve their performance hitting the mitts. Feedback is crucial when seeking to improve, so as a good mitt holder, you need to be supporting, encouraging and advising your partner throughout your training.

The Importance of Having a Good Mitt Holder

If the person holding the boxing mitts isn’t moving with you or encouraging you to strike accurately and fluidly, you may as well strike a punching bag. The point behind focus pads is that the person holding them is always moving in coordination with the fighter, advising them on their technique and there to support them with equally fluid movements to help practise combinations.

A good mitt holder plays a pivotal role in a fighter’s development by providing realistic, adaptive, and focused training. They contribute to skill refinement, technique reinforcement, and overall preparedness for competitive situations, ultimately enhancing the fighter’s performance in the ring or cage.

How to Hold Boxing Mitts: the Basics

Holding boxing mitts well isn’t too difficult but it will take some practice if you’re new to boxing. Even boxers who haven’t held mitts before may find it challenging initially, but after a few training sessions, you’ll begin to see how to move and communicate with your partner to achieve fluid movements and see their skills improve.

The main things you need to bear in mind when holding boxing mitts are:

• The distance from your partner
• Your stance
• The positioning of your mitts
• Your communication before, during and after the drills
• Your movement

It will take some time to perfect each aspect of holding mitts, however, as you start, you can concentrate on how you’re standing and holding the mitts for your partner and communicating clearly throughout training to help them improve and train safely.

How far away from your partner you stand will be different according to their reach and each strike they take; jabs and crosses require a medium range, not out of reach but not too close, while hooks and uppercuts require you to be closer, usually within arm’s distance. The height and angle of the pad will also change according to each strike, so you’ll need to be aware of where to position your hand for their strike to help them achieve quick, fluid combinations.

You’ll need to keep moving to allow them to practise combinations of those shots, so you need to perfect your stance to stay balanced, keeping your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent and elbows by your sides. Moving around the fighter will help them improve their footwork, a crucial aspect of boxing as they shift between different stances and follow their opponent around the ring.

How to Communicate Effectively.

Before you start training, you should speak with your partner about what the focus of your training is and what speed or intensity you’ll be training at. This allows you to start on the same page and reduce the risk of injury. As you train, you then need to give feedback on their technique to help them improve and ensure you’re both safe.

After training, you can then give overall feedback about the training session from our perspective. They may also have constructive feedback for you on how to hold the pads better for them; training with mitts allows both people to improve and connect. Taking on feedback and adapting to your partner’s needs will help you become a great mitt holder.

How to Become the Best Mitt Holder

When holding mitts for your training partner in boxing, it’s essential to position the pads correctly to simulate realistic targets and encourage proper technique. Here’s a guide on how to position focus pads for different types of strikes in boxing:

• Jab: Hold one focus pad at head height, to one side of your face.
• Cross: Hold a pad diagonally across your body at head height so your partner can fully extend their arm
• Left Hook: Hold the left pad at head height on the side of your partner’s lead hand, angled towards their incoming punch
• Right Hook: Hold the right pad at head height on the side of your partner’s rear hand, angled towards their incoming punch
• Uppercut: Hold both pads around the chest or belly button facing down,
• Body Shots: Hold both pads facing your partner in front of your abdomen
• Defence: Move your pads towards your partner at various angles and distances to simulate different defensive scenarios, encouraging them to use head movement, blocks, and parries.

A great benefit of using boxing mitts is practising combinations, so mix up your mitt positions to allow for realistic combinations, but try to communicate with your partner before so they know which they’re practising with you and you can both anticipate each other’s movements. Moving around as you hold the pads will also simulate a real fight and force them to stay on their toes and in the right stance to move and strike effectively. However, make sure you’re a suitable distance from your partner at all times so they can strike or defend from the mitts as necessary.

How to Know Which Mitts to Buy

There are two main types of mitts – curved and flat – and which you’ll need will depend largely on what drills you’ll be doing in training. However, whatever you choose, you want to make sure you’re getting well-made mitts so they last as long as they should, without breaking the bank.

Flat focus pads are usually for beginners and precision training for jabs and crosses, while curved mitts are better for more advanced training, as they’re more versatile and provide a realistic target for all kinds of boxing shots. But ultimately, your choice also comes down to your preference.

If you’re new to boxing training, you can even buy a set of pads and gloves, like this Black Vanta Curved Focus Pads & Gloves Set from Maxx Pro Boxing, which comes with free hand wraps to keep you safer when training.

Maxx Pro Boxing – Buy the Best Boxing Mitts

If you want to start boxing training, browse our range of mitts today to find the best ones for you.