Deluxe Punch & Kick Body Shield for Muay Thai, MMA, Kickboxing, Martial Arts
Bad Boy Muay Thai Pad
GelTech Deluxe Thai Pad for Muay Thai, MMA, Kickboxing
Muay
Thai is a sport well known for its toughness and hard training. Unlike
other forms of ring kickboxing, Muay Thai is not a precision sport.
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 and 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.
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.
Namely, these pads are the
bridge between a heavy bag and a pair of focus mitts. That is to say,
the purpose of Thai targets is to develop conditioning and endurance in
the same way these attributes would be developed on a heavy bag.
And,
of course, Thai pads come with a great deal of mobility in their
training sessions since they will be held by a workout partner. This
way, the Thai pads are used in a manner that is similar to focus mitts
as timing, distancing, and partner drills can be worked into the program
in a way a heavy bag cannot.
And while their origin may have been
in Thai boxing, these pads are effective in any sport that integrates
Thai boxing into the mix or employs strikes similar to Thai boxing.
Hence, these pads are critical for MMA training.
Origin
Focus mitts simply cannot deliver in the same manner
that Thai pads can be used. This is because focus pads have been
designed almost exclusively as a target for punches. Yes, you can train
certain kicks and elbows on focus mitts, but they way you do so is
limited.
Focus mitts are much lighter and cannot handle the
powerful shin kicks, knee strikes and heavy elbow blows that a Thai pad
is able to. Simply put, it is dangerous to train knees and shin strikes
with focus mitts since they cannot absorb the impact as they were never
designed to.
Held
Also, these pads have been
designed in such a way that they are held on the forearms which allows
for mobility of the target around the torso. This lets the trainer
safely work with the fighter in a series of fast paced drills without
presented an injury risk to all involved.
And, of course, the
fighter can literally ‘blast away' on the pads since the thickness of
the pads absorbs all manner of impact. In traditional Thai training, the
rounds are very long. They are not the common 2 or 3 minute boxing
rounds. They may train for 6 minutes straight per round and work for 6
rounds with a one minute break.
Conditioning
Needless
to say, that requires great conditioning. Then again, the purpose of
such rounds is to develop great conditioning and it does so with extreme
effectiveness.
When you do purchase Thai pads, it is of
absolutely paramount importance that you purchase reliable, heavy,
leather pads made by a major name in the kickboxing/MMA business.
Brands
Cheap
or low grade Thai pads are dangerous to train with and do not deliver
and effective workout. However, with the right name brand of Pads, you
can have a solid workout that is delivered efficiently and effectively.
This is true whether you are headed to the ring or the cage.
Of course, the additional size comes from the excess padding which is designed to handle extremely powerful kicks and knees.
Origin
