The Power of Pad Work - Ouch!

I've worked on punch pads, kick pads, and bags for years.

This comes from my martial arts and self protection training background.

As a fitness instructor, personal trainer, and on bootcamps, integrating these skills and this type of training was only natural.

Every so often i go far too long without doing enough pad work myself. Last Friday i realised this had been the case as i needed to partner a participant in Boxercise at Burgess Hill.

While making sure i was keeping an eye on everyone and giving enough coaching, i managed to get some good quality work done.

I sure knew about it all weekend long! A certain type of soreness was going on around my shoulders, and all around my abs and ribs (whole core was singing)!

Striking movements are fantastic whole body exercise, and done lightly will get everything moving with better co-ordination.

However, far too many people stop at this point and never realise the potential of this type of exercise.

I think the problem comes from far too much aerobic paced training, which is then 'carried over' into any exercise. Essentially training with only 1 or 2 gears.

A further problem can come from 'body combat' or other similar martial art movement based classes. Given no real target to aim for and hit through, people start to move their body's in some slightly strange and less efficient ways, when pads are then introduced.

They also have to develop a protective early slowing down of punches and kicks to protect the joints when no pad is there to absorb the impact. Therefore these movments have to become uninhibited when pads are introduced.

This is not always the case, some people make the transition just fine, but the majority initially struggle. Bad habits have been developed (unless you do just want to be able to stand there waving your arms and legs around)!

Having a purpose to your movements makes such a difference. I've long maintained that starting out with learning to hit pads properly makes any classes like body combat more effective as you then have a better impression of what your body is doing.

Impact is important for bone and joint health - that's right, an appropriate level delivered with good technique is a good thing.

Once you have got a good feel for the basics, you want to continually try to refine what you are doing so you are able to hit harder and faster when you choose to. Most of the time this will be accomplished using your whole body.

The same applies for the kicks.

If you've ever been punching or kicking and wondered 'what muscle is this working?' you are either still learning technique or just not hitting by using your whole body with enough force.

Stop thinking like a body builder in terms of muscles! Start enhancing movements and you will go far!

Round 2 coming up soon!

I teach pad work in personal training, boxercise, bootcamps, and in some circuit training classes.

These services are offered privately, in the local parks, and at the Olympos clubs in Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill.

Cheers for now,

Steve Cork