How To Use Thai Pads In Right Way

There are several ways to keep ourselves fit and healthy, out of which physical exercises such as boxing, weightlifting, etc. prove very helpful. These practices require some special equipment to carry them out in the right way. In this article, we will be talking about Thai pads and their use.

Holding Thai pads is beneficial for the striker and the pad holder as well. You can get them from AQF Sports, Amazon or any other online store. The pad holder’s job is to provide excellent targets for their partners to make the striker better. To do so, the pad holder must work on his timing and accuracy. If you actively hold pads for others, here are some basics that would prove to be useful.

General Tips:

1.   Stance – Make sure you are in a solid fighting stance. Develop strong footwork.

2.   Positioning – Holding pads in the wrong position can be injurious.

3.   Gear – make sure your Thai pads are new and fastened securely.

4.   Technique – The pad-holding session aims to improve the striker’s technique.

5.   Power is necessary. Keep combinations simple.

6.   Communication – Update your partner if their strikes are on point or not. Communication doesn’t have to be verbal. If they keep dropping their hands, stick them with a jab or two.

Holding Thai Pads for the Jab, Cross

When holding Thai pads for the jab or the cross, begin by holding the pads at eye level i.e., left, to the right, and front, not to the sides.  It shows more realistic targets for the striker. Keep your arms uptight to the moment of impact. Loose arms, when paired with a strong puncher, will result in a definite hit.

At the moment of impact, push slightly forward to give the striker some feedback in the way of resistance. It shows experience. Make sure you only meet their punches, not jam them. It would frustrate them, making it tough to figure out range. Keep the combinations practical and straightforward.

1.  Holding Thai Pads for the Hook

Keep your pads at eye level. If they are throwing a lead hook (assuming both of you are in an orthodox stance), you will receive the punch with your left pad –turning the Thai pad to meet the punch. The opposite is exact if they are throwing the rear hook.

If you are working on body hooks, best hold the pad with your fist on your hip. In this case, you will use the padding on the same side as their punching arm. A belly pad gets preferred for body shots.

2.  Holding Thai Pads for the Uppercut

For the uppercut, meet the striker’s punches with the opposite hand. If they throw a lead uppercut, come down with the lead pad. As with the other punches, direct your pad downward, but do not jam their uppercut. Let them meet your Thai pad. Your Thai pads shouldn’t have to move too far. Their uppercut should be landing at about your chin level.

3.  Holding Thai Pads for the Round Kick

Assume you are holding pads for the body kick. Hold the Thai pads close to your body. The top of the pads should be touching. When the kick comes, absorb it. Let the striker do most of the work. You are forcing them to turn over their hips.

If your pads are low or move downward to meet their kick, you don’t allow them to get used to throwing the full technique. Keep your head pointed towards your partner. If your partner is relatively healthy-looking down would result in a face hit.

4.  Holding Thai Pads for the Teep

For Thai pads on the teep or front kick, press the left pad horizontally (parallel to the floor) with the right pad stacked vertically on top. The striker should aim to hit the top pad with the ball of the foot.

Move into range, bracing for impact. Be cautious of their field. Their leg should be virtually straight when the foot lands. If it is bent up, that means you moved in too much, or they kicked too late. If you are not getting pushed straight back, there is something wrong with their mechanics.

5.  Holding Thai Pads for Knee

Just as with the teep, the goal of the knee is to push the opponent back. Stack your right pad on top of the left. People get lazy with this technique. Your partner must lift their knee, pushing with their hips to hit the top pad. The target of this technique is the belly button area.

To wrap it up!

Thai pads are perfect to use if they get used in the right way. So we recommend you to read this article thoroughly and then decide how you have to use it and make a decision whether using it is good or not.