There are actually too many benefits of pad training to list. But let’s start at the beginning.
Pad training—what exactly is it? It is a form of kickboxing training in which you train one-on-one on your punches and kicks. Pads are used for this. This prevents the person holding the pads from experiencing discomfort in their hands and wrists.
Today, we’re going to discuss the benefits that pad training has for you.
Benefits of Pad Training
- training your reflexes
- great cardiovascular training
- improving your techniques
- improving your defense
Training Your Reflexes:
One of the major benefits of training on the pads is that it improves your reflexes. When someone instructs you to perform a certain technique on their command, you have to react quickly.
This means that when you start sparring, you can throw punches faster and respond more quickly to your trainer’s commands in the ring. Training on the pads also makes your punches and kicks faster and more powerful.
The more often you practice a particular technique, the better you become at performing it.
Improving Your Fitness:
Training on the pads is also a great workout for your fitness. When your trainer works the pads at speed and has you perform combinations very quickly, with short rest periods, you build excellent conditioning for kickboxing matches.
This is also one of the best workouts that all kickboxers use for this reason. Working the pads this way gives you a very realistic workout that closely simulates a kickboxing match.
In the ring, you also get short rest periods and often find yourself in situations where you have to move faster than you are comfortable with.
Improving Your Techniques
Pad training is the best way to improve your techniques because a trainer is constantly watching you. They make sure your technique is correct, your hands are where they should be, and your stance is right.
Constantly hearing what needs to be improved will only make you better. Pad training also has another advantage over punching bag training: punching the pads feels better than punching the punching bag.
Pad training is also one of the best ways to practice and improve your techniques. You learn so much from training on the pads because someone is constantly telling you what you are doing wrong, such as reminding you to keep your hands up.
This makes you pay more attention to what you are doing wrong and what you can or need to improve. Pad training also makes your punches and kicks harder and faster. For example, the more often you throw a straight right, the more powerful it becomes.
Improving Your Defense:
When someone holds the pads for you, they can correct your guard by tapping you with the pads.
This not only trains your guard and how quickly you bring your hands back, but also your reaction time so that you learn to see punches coming. If you often receive punches to the head in the middle of a combination and have to block them while continuing your combination, you are training your reaction time.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. does this type of exercise a lot during his pad training sessions. You can also practice evading punches while working the pads! Have your training partner calmly punch back at you after and/or during a combination on the pads.
This forces you to evade their attack. It makes the training more realistic and more competition-oriented. In a real fight, you will of course also get hit back.
So you need to practice evading these punches, because doing so teaches you to see them coming.
