Holding Kickboxing Pads for Hook Punches

Series Summary

Kickboxing is a martial art sport similar to boxing that allows striking with the hands and (most importantly) the feet. There are different kinds of kickboxing, depending on different regions that it is practiced. Kickboxing is a great cardiovascular exercise that is practiced worldwide. It is also a competitive sport that draws big audiences to boxing arenas. Full contact Karate and Shoot Boxing are popular competitive kickboxing practices. The more recent style of Filipino Kickboxing, Yaw-Yan, and of course Muay Thai kickboxing are growing in popularity. Styles of kicking vary for the different types of kickboxing including hip torque, downward-cutting of kicks, and knee strikes. Kickboxers practice the different strikes on martial arts pads held by their partners. Learn to hold martial arts pads for practicing kickboxing techniques and moves in this free martial arts video series featuring black belt instructor Mike Mallon. Mallon demonstrates how to hold kickboxing pads for hook punches, uppercuts, rear leg roundhouse kicks, elbow strikes, knee strikes; how to do overhand swings with pads; how to punch with kickboxing training pads; how to hold kick shield pads for front kicks, knee strikes and roundhouse kicks.

Video Transcript

"Hello, I'm Sifu Mallon with the Clearwater Kung Fu Center. This is my assistant Mellisa and this is kick boxing. So we are working on how to hold the pads. This holding is for our hold for our hook punch. Now the hook punch is different from the straight. The straight punch, your hands are turned forward on this angle. With the hook punch your hands are going to be turned in this fashion here. With a high hook punch or low hook punch. Now as I'm doing the skill I want to keep my legs bent and I want to feel my center ok right in between my knees. I'm going to have a nice pivot point on my spine here so I can turn my body from left to right. And I want to keep my elbows close into my body as I'm letting the hands hit my pads. So I don't want to allow the arms to go out this way. If the arms hook out to far and I get hit, ok my shoulder is going to take all the impact, I don't want to do that. So I want to keep my hands close into my body and I want to take the impact as one unit. So if I have Melissa come forward ok. Now she is going to be throwing, let's say she is going to be throwing a lead hook and we will talk about this first. So for a lead hook I'm just going to place the hand right out about here. If I'm looking at the center of the person who is throwing the punches, their center line is here. I'm going to bring the hand just a little bit outside of that center line. Ok she is going to twist this way and she is going to fire the punch. Now in the beginning right, I'm just learning how to do the pads, I just keep my target there for them. Ok. That's it. Now again as they hit, I want to firm my arm up ok and tense up a little bit and keep my elbow close to my body. Ok. Now if I let my arm go this way you'll see what happens is that my hands shoots out and my elbow or my shoulder takes the brunt of it. So I want to keep it in nice and close. Ok now same thing with the opposite arm, I'm looking at her center, so I'm bringing this in just a little past it. Ok and these are for the low hooks. You'll see that I'm really keeping my hand in tight, elbow in. Ok this is important so that you don't take abuse in your shoulders. This is kick boxing pad holding for our hook punch."