In my years as a self-defense instructor, I have
tried and tested many training methods to find out
the fastest, most effective way to produce the
best results in the shortest time possible.
I don’t run a self-defense club or ongoing long-term
classes. My “specialty” is short-term courses and
seminars. I need to share knowledge and teach physical
skills in the shortest time possible. And that
training has to “stick.”
I don’t “train” people. I teach them how to train
themselves. I encourage my clients to take full
responsibility for their own learning process and
the results that they produce. There are many excellent
resources out there, but that’s all they are…
Information is inert until you apply it to accomplish
something. Its up to you, study and apply them.
One of the most powerful methods I’ve found to teach
proper punching and striking skills in the fastest,
most efficient way is FOCUS PAD training.
WHAT ARE FOCUS PADS?
Focus pads (also called focus mitts, coaching pads,
punch mitts and target pads) are flat, hand-held
pads that are about 12 inches in diameter.
They are made of dense foam covered in leather or
vinyl. They have been used in boxing, kickboxing and
martial arts training for ages.
HOW ARE THEY USED?
The pads are held by a coach or training partner
at different ranges, positions and levels. The
puncher and pad holder work together to build
offensive and defensive skills, sharpen reflexes
and condition the body.
THE BENEFITS OF FOCUS PAD TRAINING
Focus pads are cheap, portable and easy to find.
They are an excellent training investment that allow
you to conduct a wide variety of drills for the
development of several combative qualities.
If you’re still undecided about whether or not focus
pad training is right for you, here are some of the
benefits.
FOCUS PAD TRAINING IS FUN AND CHALLENGING!
Focus pad training is a blast. Partner training with
focus pads allows you to perform a wide variety of
drills and “fighting games.”
Because there are so many ways to use focus pads, it’s
easy to keep your training fun and interesting. And
most importantly… if you enjoy doing something, you’ll
do it more often.
FOCUS PADS ARE INEXPENSIVE
You can pick up a pair of focus pads at a good
sporting goods or martial art supply store. A decent
pair will set you back about 50 to 70 bucks.
You’ll also need a good pair of bag gloves or boxing
gloves to protect your knuckles. They’ll cost you
about the same. $100 bucks for a full-blown training
system seems like a pretty decent investment to me!
FOCUS PADS ARE PORTABLE
Unlike equipment such as heavy bags, focus pads are
small, light and extremely portable. You can throw
them in a sport bag or knapsack and take them pretty
much anywhere.
Because they don’t have to be installed or mounted,
they are excellent where room is limited or its
impractical to install more cumbersome equipment.
FOCUS PADS DEVELOP EXCELLENT HITTING SKILLS FAST
If I had to teach you how to hit properly, in the
shortest time possible, I’d use focus pads. If you
already knew how to punch but you wanted to improve
and refine you hitting skills, again I’d recommend
focus pad work.
Because the pads are relatively small, they develop
accuracy.
Because they can be moved quickly into different
positions and at different angles, they are one of
the best methods available for working punches in
combination.
Because they can be moved dynamically and even
pulled out of the way, they can be used to develop
quick thinking and “non-telegraphic” delivery.
FOCUS PADS SUPPLEMENT HEAVY BAG TRAINING
All impact training stresses the body. If you hit
too hard or too often you’re going to get injured.
The problem is that punching power increases faster
than the body can adapt and become resilient enough
to withstand that impact energy.
There is a period of “adaptation” required before
for tendons and ligaments become stronger and more
resilient.
It takes about 6 to 10 weeks of more moderate training
before all out, full power hitting efforts can be
performed safely. That’s where focus pads come in.
For starters, there is far less resistance to hitting
a focus pad than a 60 to 100 lb heavy bag. That allows
you to work on your punching power with less strain
on your joints and connective tissues. This allows you
to work your way up to more demanding heavy bag
training which is undeniably harder on the body.
If you already do heavy bag work, you can do your
focus pad work on days in between your heavy bag
sessions. That will afford you some “active recovery”
and the ability to continue working on your
hitting skills while giving your body a time to
recover.
FOCUS PADS IMPROVE YOUR SPARRING AND FIGHTING SKILLS
If you ever watch a good fighter sparring, you’ll
notice that he begins to react to being punched at
BEFORE the punch is even thrown.
Its almost as if he is reading their opponent’s mind
and anticipating what is about to happen before it
does.
What is actually happening is that by being punched
(or kicked) at over and over again, the brain begins
to interpret the meaning of certain positions, weight
distributions and body signals.
When holding the pads and watching various punches
travelling in your direction, you begin to establish
“pattern recognition” which will enhance your ability
to anticipate and defend yourself from attack.
STRESS INOCULATION (HIT PSYCHOLOGY)
Many people are terrified with the idea of being hit
in a fight. Just as many are uncomfortable with the
idea of punching another human being. (I’m not sure
why because I kinda like it! 
In fact, because it is an “unknown” people are far
more concerned about being hit than they should be.
Speaking from the perspective of someone who has been
punched, hit and kicked thousands and thousands of
time; its not so bad! You do not want to be terrified
by the idea of being hit or overwhelmed if it happens.
I refer to your comfort level with the idea of hitting
and being hit as “Hit Psychology.” People with weak
hit psychology are more prone to panic or “freeze up”
in a combative situation. They can become overwhelmed
by an exaggerated and unnecessary fear of the
encounter and perform poorly.
We have a term for that in the self-defense field… Its
called, “NOT GOOD!”
Stress inoculation is a process of de-sensitizing
someone to the fear of combat by exposing them to
controlled amounts of impact in a low stress, non-
threatening environment.
In a short period of time, the student finds that
situations that formerly terrified her are far more
manageable and even enjoyable!
FIGHT-RELATED CONDITIONING
Did you know that conditioning is “exercise specific?”
If you are a runner, your body will become fit and
accustom to running but not nearly as much for
swimming or cycling.
If you work out on an elliptical machine, your body
gets more efficient at working out on an elliptical
machine. Your body adapts and improves specific to the
activity that you are participating in. So what you
ask?
I’ll tell you what… the best way to condition your
body for fighting is by mimicking movements and
actions that are like fighting. It’s as simple as
that.
I have trained with people who would be considered
extremely fit athletically but tire very quickly when
introduced to combative training drills.
The good news is that there are a wide variety of
combative drills that you can do with focus pads
that will tone the muscles, build your stamina and
endurance and enhance your self-defense performance.
SO… what I’m saying is this. Not only is combative
training such as pad work an excellent, whole body
form of exercise. The conditioning provides fitness
qualities directly relevant to self-defense and
fighting.
FOCUS PAD TRAINING BURNS FAT
Many people undertake ongoing martial arts and
self-defense training to get into shape… and more
specifically to lose weight (excess body fat) and
regain a lean and mean physique. Focus pad
training is excellent for fat loss. Here’s why…
Not that long ago, the belief was that the best way
to lose body fat was through LSD (long slow distance)
aerobic exercise. In other words, low intensity
exercise that was sustained for at least 20 to
30 minutes. The theory was that during exercise your
body uses fat as a fuel source at lower intensity and
it burns glucose instead of fat at higher intensity
levels.
That might be true, but the assumption was that fat
loss is based on the amount of calories you burned
during your workout. That’s not the case. The amount
of calories you burn during your exercises session
is minimal.
What does matter is the extra calories you burn
BETWEEN your workouts.
Fat burning is accomplished more effectively by
interval training. Interval training involves periods
of moderate to high intensity exertion intersperse
with low intensity periods to catch your breath and
recover your energy in between.
This type of training will increase your metabolism
for hours after your workout and you will burn more
overall calories and body fat.
Focus pads are excellent for interval training.
FOCUS PAD TRAINING REDUCES STRESS
There have been very few evolutionary changes in the
human body in millions of years. One thing that has
not changed is our survival mechanism. The body is
predisposed to “fighting or fleeing” from a
threatening situation.
What HAS changed however is the fact that in modern
day life, most of the “threats” we perceive are not
actual, physical threats and do not merit kicking
butt or running off. So what happens is that we
activate this “fight or flight response” but do
neither.
A host of chemical and physical changes occur that,
if left unchecked become toxic and unhealthy. That
is why exercise is so healthy and such a great way
to manage stress.
I suggest that cardiovascular exercise satisfies
the body’s need for flight. I believe that impact
training such as hitting a pair of focus pads or a
heavy bag satisfies the bodies evolutionary need
to fight.
FOCUS PAD TRAINING MAKES YOU MENTALLY TOUGHER
Mental Toughness is the ability to be effective,
healthy and happy regardless of the challenges and
stressors in your life. It involves building your
ability to cope with stress by repeatedly exposing
yourself to stress and then recovering from it.
The more you do this the tougher you get on a
physical, mental and emotional level. Focus pad
training can be used to improve your mental toughness
in two ways.
Physiologically, The interval training that I’ve
already mentioned builds mental toughness. Doing
“round training.” (intervals of exertion interspersed
with short periods of recovery) teaches your body to
expend energy and then recover. This expend, recover,
expend, recover process makes you tougher and more
emotionally resilient.
Another opportunity that focus pads provide is the
ability to design “never give up drills.” I’ve
referred to this in my Power Punching Guide as
“blitz” training.
Blitz training is an advance training method that
involves going “all out” for a predetermined period
of time. You push yourself through the pain of lactic acid in your muscles and the discomfort of being winded and push, push push yourself until
you reach the end of the drill.
This is not only a terrific conditioner for your
body but it is also an excellent mental exercise to
teach you on of the most important traits that you
can have for self-defense: “NEVER GIVE UP.”
FINAL THOUGHTS
Bottom line… if want to develop and refine your
punching skills quickly, condition your body with
fight-related exercise and design challenging and
versatile training sessions then take a serious
look at focus pad training.
Randy LaHaie
Randy@ToughenUp.com
Randy LaHaie is the president of Protective Strategies and has been teaching reality-based
self-defense for over 30 years. He is the author
of several “Toughen Up Combative Training Guides” (http://www.ToughenUp.com)
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