Muay Thai Shield Muay Thai This is an impact sport. In other words, the goal is to generate a lot of power in the strikes which, in turn, enhances the potential to achieve a knockout. Such an approach is not one that will be achieved without the proper training. You will need to use impact training equipment designed to develop such a high level of power. Muay Thai Shield or Focus Mitts One of the very best training equipment items you can use. Among the most helpful is the Muay Thai shield. Without a doubt, this is a tremendous piece of equipment that can certain enhance one's ability to get the most out of your impact training. Some may wonder if there is much of a difference between training with a shield and focus mitts. The difference between the two is enormously pronounced since both items serve a different purpose. Focus Mitts Focus mitts are commonly employed with movement. That is, they act as a moving target for punches and kicks. The Shield A shield is really designed to provide a clear target in which to hit as hard as possible. This is not to say there is no movement employed with using a shield. 
You should not be completely stationary with the shield, but there comes a point where the holder will need to become planted. This way, the person training can hit the shield as hard as possible with kicks or knees. (It is rare that you would punch a shield) Once the shield is planted, you can "blast away" on it. Drills Here is a common and simple drill employed with the shield: The shield holder circles the fighter. At some point, the shield holder will advance on the fighter in a straight line. The fighter will stop the shield holder with a front kick and then immediately fire a knee. This is then followed by grabbing the shield holder's neck and moving him into kicking range and then performing a double kick on the shield. As you can see, this is designed to develop power through the heavy impact striking of the shield. Also, you will notice certain mobility limitations since the shield is rather oversized. 
Of course, the additional size comes from the excess padding which is designed to handle extremely powerful kicks and knees.Goals of the Shield So, it is best to understand that the differences do not make the shield better or worse. It just means the goals deriving from working with the shield are different. Yes, there are certain limitations to using the shield because the purpose is very specific. And it should go without saying that the Muay Thai shield is a must for MMA training as well. The reason for this is that Muay Thai combined with traditional western boxing creates the epicenter for MMA striking and stand up fighting. As such, it is vital to integrate the training equipment of Muay Thai into MMA striking training sessions. Muay Thai Shields There are some nice shields out there. Bad Boy has a great shield. There items are all high quality. This is evidenced by how little gear they have. They do not have to sell a lot of different kids as it is all so good. The Bad Boy Muay Thai Pad is my recommendation for a good Thai shield. Another good high quality shield is
Hayabusa Muay Thai shield.
This brand offers a portion of all sales to fighters from amaetuer to pro. I like that promotion of the sport. You can get this item shipped from the US and Canada at
Fighter Warehouse.
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